How nice would it be to have an AGA? I used to live above this shop (best location ever, by the…read moreway) and every weekend I'd go down and pretend I was going to buy one and put it in my flat, they caught on pretty quickly that I was a fantasist but they were still respectful of my baby pink and lilac choices. They are beautiful things - one day maybe eh? They also hold cooking classes here, who knew?! Even if they are primarily based on using an AGA rather than the food itself. I once cooked a chicken from frozen in the microwave so I guess these classes are a million miles away from my reality. Give them a phone and enquire.. they seem to have barred my number?

I love Aga's. To go with my dream of being a country bumpkin housewife, an Aga usually makes an…read moreapperence in my visions of the perfect kitchen. However, Alex James of Blur fame once raved about his on MTV Cribs so much that it put me off, because I hate the man, but this store really reignited my love for them all over again. Aga's are not cheap! But if you can afford one, this shop is the place to be. They have them in an array of colours and shapes to suit the individual. A purple Aga!!!!! I couldn't believe it. It must be mine one day! The fridges are also lovely, but again, super duper expensive. I love this place, if just to dream about things I could never afford!

I swear to gosh, this shopping complex is like the land customer service has forgotten!…read more Ok, first thing you should understand: it hurts me not to give this a four star or above. I LOVE homeware stores - between my constant DIY projects and frequent, spontaneous need to repaint walls in my house, I was tickled pink to find a paint shop/homewares store closer to the house. Plus, I quite enjoy the Habitat stuff... sure it's a little knock off hipstery but the prices are far better than real hipstery items and I really like how darn cheerful the throw pillows are. All the makings of a solid four star review... except... The two times I've been here so far, the service has been dreadful. Besides one very lovely lady in the curtain section (thank you!), it's even bordered on rude. I'm not sure if I have to up my adulting game and wear high heels to look less like a 12 year old when shopping for home supplies, because I apparently do not look like someone who would spend money on things. This is mainly down to an interaction in the Habitat section: I've been trying to find an interesting bookshelf to host my ever growing library and one caught my eye in this section. It had a cute little matching desk/storage, which happens to be #2 on my "to buy" list. The gal in the section was helping another lady at the time, so I waited for my turn. When she finished with the other lady (who was quite a bit older and very well dressed), she turned to where I had been standing for the last five minutes, looked me straight in the eye... and walked away. I was so perplexed that it would have been funny, had it not been irritating as all heck. What does one do in that situation? Run after them? Call out? I understand she may have been going on break but it would have taken all of 15 seconds to acknowledge me and call someone else over. Needless to say, I did NOT buy the bookcase and left with a sour taste in my mouth. So, I will continue to come here because of my need to paint things pretty colours, but this spot isn't taking a #serviceninja stamp any time soon...

Had most tremendous help and knowledge from a chap called Marc Cole about 2weeks ago. Just new in…read morehis job and a knowledge of joinery. I appreciated do much his ability to envision what I was trying to build. A raised garden bed. Can't recommend him enough. All the staff were lovely at the Blackhall homebase. Thankyou.

A giant shop with all items you could ever want if you are some kind of DIY addict. Not that I am,…read morebut I still appreciated the extremely large selection of... things. Floors. Walls. Tiles. Kitchens. Lights. Carpets. Lino. Fixtures. Fittings. Screws. Nails. Toilet seats. Wallpaper. Glue. Plants... Pretty much an entire town of houses waiting to be built under one roof. Friendly staff too. I appreciate that they hire folk with experience and knowledge. Oh, and if you're over 60 you get an extra 10% off of a Wednesday. Nice touch, that.

B&Q at Hermiston Gate was where the madness started. With all daft projects like - lets try and…read morerenovate the entire house and garden top to bottom including fixtures and fittings in a month and hold down a steady job, go racing and go on holiday all at the same time - it had to start with the tipping point - in this case, 'window shopping' for a kitchen. Having found our dream kitchen elsewhere, we were in the doldrums at the price of said dream and entered B&Q to see if there were any alternatives to the dream that would come close to acceptable. If you are anything like me, acceptable and dream are virtually identical i.e. one and the same. Makes things a little tough, no? Well, lucky for us, Cooke & Lewis came to our rescue with an identical kitchen. Except for the price. So we're getting our dream this weekend, and I can't wait. It even has a dishwasher, so I can look forward to having model-esque hands, probably. See me in a magazine soon!

Dropped in a couple of minutes before closing time on a Friday afternoon, half expecting doors to…read morebe closed or at best a cold reception. To my surprise I was given a warm welcome by staff who then proved to be extremely helpful in finding exactly what I was looking for. Staff members and the service they provided a fine example of a rapidly dying art - where customer satisfaction is everything.

Needed a single nut for a sink stopper. The guy in the shop spent time with me finding the nut I…read moreneeded and didn't change me. Super friendly and helpful. Anything I need in the future I'm headed to Edina.

great range of tiles and the price is great staff are really knowledgeabl. I recently purchased…read moresome porcelain tiles in a marble effect for my kitchen floor. At first I wasn't to sure about the til. I was then told by the salesman that I w be better taking the tile home and seeing what it looks like so glad I did after all my kitchen floor looks great I recommend checking out this store

Everyone says that Stockbridge is like a little village within the city and if ever there were a…read moreshop to back that up - this would be it. This humble little shop isn't big, it isn't fancy, they don't carry more than one brand of anything. But when a frazzled 30 year old blows in waving a broken light fixture with no idea where to start, a old man in an apron pops out of the back room and saves the day. It's like walking into a hardware store from the 50's... I feel required to wear my hair in pin curls when i'm here. Does it look a little ramshackled? Yup. Did they have everything I was looking for? Nope (apparently I seek a very rare nail to complete this project). But did I walk out with enough to get my darn light back up and working? Yes.. yes I did. This isn't going to be your go-to for big projects and if you don't live in the area, you're probably never going to need to pop in here. But if you do live in the neighbourhood, this is a good local option for last minute handy needs like duct tape, electrical wiring and stubborn light fixtures. Cash only. Pin curls optional.

The shopkeeper at this store is unpleasant and rude. I have never written a Yelp review before, but…read morethis place is depressing and bad. I bought a pair of pliers, and just after walking out of the store, I had a closer inspection, they were not the right one. I asked for a return. His response- "what do you want me to do about it, own up to your decisions". My friend had a bad experience there too.

This is a great new shop that has recently just opened on Rose Street and it is a great addition…read more They have lots of funky looking cutlery and different types of glasses and cool looking plates. The shop offers a great alternative to the likes of Debenhams and Bhs which offer the more traditional style of crockery. There's nothing wrong with this type of crockery at all, but it is good to have an alternative, that allows the kitchen to look funky and suave. The shop also has a good range of cups and plates and cutlery that are tailored for children with different patterns on them. They also have a few gadgets in here where you can try out some new techniques in the kitchen.

I went into this Creative Cookware on Rose Street in Edinburgh today for the first time and it will…read moredefinitely be the last time, i will go in there. First impressions: snooty, snobbish, racist or maybe staff who have never seen a black person before - too bad. On entry i said good morning to the two ladies at the till - no answer, no reply at all, but when a white couple entered just after me and said hello they got a cheery hello in reply - first strike. I strolled over to check out some tea strainers, which was what i had come in for and the young lady at the till, who had been watching my every movement more hawkishly than a CCTV camera on speed, pretended she needed to get something in the store room next to where i was standing and then suspiciously asked if i needed any help - to which i replied no thank you. By this time i had made up my mind, not to buy anything from Creative Cookware even if i had a gun pointed at my head. I lingered a little still watched by the two attendants and left. I must say i was really disapointed by their behaviour, in a cosmopolitan town like Edinburgh, which gets loads of visitors each year the ladies at Creative Cookware have lost one very vocal customer, who will warn all her friends and family about their snooty, cold, racist service.

Good hardware stores are a rare breed these days. Good hardware stores that sell a range as…read moreextensive as Houseproud of Morningside are like dodo eggs. From compost to pans, screwdrivers to bird tables they have it all. Split into two parts, the left hand side sells all the things you'd expect to find in a hardware store and more. They have a nifty garden section, selling pots, trowels, compost, bird tables among other things. They also have the usual range of tools, light bulbs. All the things you'll ever need. The right hand side is dedicated to kitchen products, and they have a huge range. I bought myself a hand blender from there which, at £20, was a little on the expensive side but not too overpriced. Given this place is an independent shop in an affluent area of Edinburgh you can expect to pay a little more than you would in a major chain. However, the staff are engaging and helpful and the plethora of products makes it worth a visit next time you run out of tea towels.

I have always found that good DIY stores, outside of the major chains, are hard to find in…read moreEdinburgh. Houseproud of Morningside are the exception to this rule. Situated on Morningside Road in a visible on-road location, they stand head and shoulders above all others I have tried in the city. As DIY shops go, they stock pretty much everything you would expect to find. From paints to Polyfilla, screwdrivers to sandpaper, they cover all the bases. I've visited this store on two occasions. Firstly, I went to pick up some expanding foam to fill in mouse holes in the flat. Not knowing exactly what I was looking for, I asked the assistance of a member of staff. He helpfully pointed out to me all of the different things they offered, showing a range of prices and uses. He helped me to find the product that was ideal for what I needed it for, and didn't automatically go for the hard sell on the most expensive. The second occasion was to buy a bradawl - something that is like a screwdriver, but has a point on the end rather than a screw head. Whilst this time I didn't need help finding it, the shop assistant at the counter still engaged me in some light-hearted chat whilst I was paying. It's these sort of things that I really appreciate in a small shop like this. They don't view customers as more money for the tills, but engage with you as a person. I will definitely be using this place again, as it saves a trip out of town to one of the larger chain stores. This shop is a must for all your Morningside DIY needs!