Homeware shopping in Europe
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Muhlis Günbatti
One of the most famous stores in the bazaar, Muhlis Günbattı specialises in suzani fabrics from Uzbekistan. These beautiful bedspreads, tablecloths and wall hangings are made from fine cotton embroidered with silk. As well as the textiles, it stocks top-quality carpets, brightly coloured kilims and a small range of antique Ottoman fabrics richly embroidered with gold. Its second shop at Tevkifhane Sokak in Sultanahmet sells a wider range of costumes at truly stratospheric prices.
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Aram
Despite the fact that most of the furniture stocked by Aram is unaffordable to ordinary mortals, admiring the designer pieces in this fantastic shop is an experience to be cherished. Originally opened by Zeev Aram on King’s Rd in 1964, the shop was a key player in the Conran-led furniture design revolution that saw the end of a chintz-laden Britain. The shop grew and eventually moved to this four-floor, free-standing luminous building, where the furniture is given the space it deserves, as if in a museum. Among the many accomplished designers, Aram stocks pieces by Alvar Aalto, Eileen Grey, Eames, Le Corbusier and Arne Jacobsen. The top floor is an exhibition space, where…
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Royal Copenhagen Porcelain
This is the main showroom for the historic Royal Danish Porcelain, one of the most popular souvenirs to take from a visit to the city since Nelson’s time (legend has it he took some home after bombarding the city in 1807). Its ‘blue fluted’ pattern is famous around the world, as is its Flora Danica dinner service, costing upwards of a million kroner for a full set. The shop was recently refurbished and is definitely worth visiting even if you have no intention of buying anything.
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Mehmet Çetinkaya Gallery
Described by an editor at Halı Publications as ‘Turkey’s leading dealer of antique textile art’, Mehmet Çetinkaya is also known as one of the country’s foremost experts on antique oriental carpets. His flagship store is full of treasures, but remember – quality never comes cheaply. There’s a second shop selling textiles and objects in the Arasta Bazaar and a third in the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus.
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Cocoon
There are so many rug and textile shops in İstanbul that choosing individual shops to recommend is incredibly difficult. We had no problem whatsoever in singling this one out, though. Felt hats, antique costumes and textiles from central Asia are artfully displayed in one store, while rugs from Persia, central Asia, the Caucasus and Anatolia adorn the other. There’s a third shop in the Arasta Bazaar and another in the Grand Bazaar.
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Wonen 2000
Begun over a century ago, this home furnishings shop has been at the forefront of Dutch design ever since, boasting names such as Gispen, Edra and Artifoort, and some foreign designers as well. Its affiliates, De Kasstoor (across the street at 202–210) and Wonen 2000 Bed & Bad (next door at 215–217), apply the same design concept to kitchens and lighting, and bed linens and bath, respectively.
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Imperial Porcelain
This famous factory has an outlet shop on site, where you get anything from the company catalogue at prices lower than in the department stores. You’ll also find a branch of the Hermitage here. From the metro, turn left (east), walk under the bridge to the embankment, then left – the factory’s ahead. If you don’t want to drag yourself this far out, go to either of its city centre shops.
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Futuramic
Looking for that 1960s jukebox? Or a real-life parking meter? Just about anything you can imagine in memorabilia (either original or in replica) from the 1930s to the 1980s is available here. Not everything is for sale (the life-size London phone booth, for example), as many of the items are in demand for movie sets, but much of it is. Ring before you head here as it’s often out on location.
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Black + Blum
You might see ‘James the doorman/bookend’ (a human-shaped doorstop/bookend) and ‘Mr and Mrs Hangup’ (anthropomorphic coat hooks that can indicate your mood through a choice of eyes) in numerous gift shops across town, but this Anglo-Swiss partnership produces more wonderful stuff in its shop, such as the intricate wire ‘bowl’ called a Fruit Loop or the Spudski potato masher inspired by a ski pole.
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Le Patio Lifestyle
There are lots of high-quality household accessories here, from wrought-iron chairs and lamps forged by Bohemian blacksmiths to scented wooden chests made by Indian carpenters. Plus you’ll find funky earthenware plant pots, chunky crystal wine glasses in contemporary designs, and many more tempting items that you just know will fit into your already crammed suitcase…
reviewed
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Abdulla Natural Products
The first of the Western-style designer stores that are now appearing in this ancient marketplace, Abdulla sells cotton bed linen, handspun woollen throws from Eastern Turkey, cotton peştemals and pure olive-oil soap. It’s all top-quality, but it’s not cheap. There’s another store in the Fes Café in Cağaloğlu.
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Maurizio Grossi
Do you have an obelisk gap? Here’s your chance to fill it. Maurizio Grossi is part gallery, part shop, with an eccentric collection of classy repro marble sculptures and busts, including copies of various famous statues. From busts of Julius Caesar to deceptive bowls of sculpted figs and apricots, there’s something for every home, from mansion to bedsit.
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Labour & Wait
Dedicated to simple and functional yet scrumptiously stylish traditional British homewares, Labour & Wait specialises in items by independent manufacturers who make their products the old-fashioned way. There are school tumblers, enamel coffee pots, luxurious lambswool blankets, elegant ostrich-feather dusters and gardening tools. Note the limited opening hours.
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Mr N
Maurizia Dova’s brightly striped and flower-strewn textiles, both in plain cotton and pvc-coated oilcloth versions, can be had by the metre right off the roll, or come beautifully made up into wallets, pouches and luggage. Illustration-adorned handbags, cheekily-inscribed knickers and Sandrine Fabre’s sweet tin boxes are also to be found in this imaginative shop.
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Habitat
Started by the visionary designer and restaurateur Terence Conran in the 1950s, Habitat still does what it originally set out to do – brighten up your home with inventive and inspiring furniture and decorations. Artists, actors, musicians and fashion designers are often employed to design something of their own. The chain is found across London.
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Şişko Osman
The Osmans have been in the rug business for four generations and are rated by many as the best dealers in the bazaar. Certainly, their stock is a cut above many of their competitors. Most of the rugs on sale are dowry pieces and all have been hand woven and coloured with vegetable dyes. There’s another store at Halıcılar Caddesi 49.
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Nádortex
Goose-feather or down products such as pillows (from 10,800Ft) or duvets (comforters; from 21,600Ft) are of excellent quality in Hungary and a highly recommended purchase. Nádortex, small and monolingual but reliable, has some of the best prices; a pure down ‘summer’ (ie 500g per sq metre) measuring 200cm x 220cm costs 38,500Ft.
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Dhoku
One of the new generation of rug stores opening in the bazaar, Dhoku (meaning texture) sells artfully designed wool kilims in resolutely modernist designs. Its sister store, EthniCon, opposite this store, sells similarly stylish rugs in vivid colours and can be said to have started the current craze in contemporary kilims.
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Glasklar
Owner Jan Hinrichs knows which glass to use for wine, water, tea, grappa, champagne or a martini, and his shop has nothing but floor-to-ceiling shelves of beverage vessels in their infinite, timeless variety. They’re complemented by a smallish assortment of vases, ashtrays, teapots and bowls. Prices start at less than €1.
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Vinçon
Conceived in Barcelona when the city was Europe’s centre of cool, Vinçon’s presence in Madrid reflects the fact that the Spanish capital is fast becoming Barcelona’s equal. Sleek, often fun and always cutting-edge homeware and all sorts of gadgets that you never knew you needed is what it’s all about.
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Orientální Koberce Palácka
The ‘Oriental Carpet Palace’ is a sumptuous showroom stocked with handmade carpets, rugs and wall hangings from Iran and other Central Asian states. The colourful pieces come in all sizes and prices and in intricate traditional designs, and the knowledgeable staff will be happy to help you make an informed purchase.
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Derviş
Gorgeous raw cotton and silk peştemals share shelf space here with traditional Turkish dowry vests and engagement dresses. If these don’t take your fancy, the pure olive-oil soaps and old hamam bowls are sure to step into the breach. There’s another store at Halıcılar Caddesi 51.
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Bel Postel
This lovely linens store carries a sumptuous selection of bathrobes, blankets, sheets and towels. For a unique souvenir, take home a set of richly coloured tablecloths and napkins made from Russian linen. You will find some international designers, but most of the product line is soft Russian fabrics and unique Eastern prints.
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Retrospect
All you children of the 1960s and ’70s can relive the era that taste forgot (or took off, depending on your viewpoint) at this vintage interiors shop. In here you’ll discover fantastic plastic objects of desire, Formica-top tables, original lava lamps and swinging egg seats, all of them in glorious technicolour.
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Spazio Sette
Even if you don’t buy any of the designer homewares at Spazio Sette, it’s worth popping in to see the funky modern furniture set against 17th-century frescoes. Formerly home to a cardinal, the palazzo (mansion) now houses a three-floor shop full of quality furniture, kitchenware, tableware and gifts.
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