If money was no object, Weekend Trader would be my number one stop for furniture and home decor…read more The new location looks like it's come straight of the pages of Architectural Digest. Lots of clean lines, raw metal, marble and rich fabrics. I am particularly taken with their brass anglepoise lamp, which I am saving my pennies for. I'm also a fan of their horse prints, which, dare I say it, are similar to the ones in St Clements. Slowly, as I start to buy pieces for the new house that I plan to cherish for a long time, I predict there trips to Weekend Trader will become more frequent, even if it's only to dream...

Mooi mooi is a gorgeous little store tucked away at the back of Matakana. It was originally an…read moreonline shop and they sell a variety of things for the home. The children's section is very cute. Most of the clothing is the Sticky Fudge range; littler hipster hoodies for boys and floral prints for girls. It's good quality all-natural fabrics and averages about $30 an item. There are a few bits of furniture and the Wonki Ware kitchen range which I love. They also do a nice rage of bird and flower jewellery. Mooi Mooi has a natural but contemporary feel to it; lovely for gift buying or to pop into and have a browse

Coast and Country is a gorgeous little gift and home store, perfectly themed for the area. It's a…read moregood place to go shopping for Mum or Nana; think candles, soaps, ornaments, vases and jewellery. They also have a few really nice pieces of furniture (but are unfortunately out of my price range). I always love the cushion covers (for when I one day buy a couch). The back part of the store has high quality kitchenware and funky utensils. They also have a few cool (but thankfully not tacky) Kiwiana items. They have loads in there (I've not even really begun to cover it) it's definitely worth a browse.

I recently visited the Design Store in Wairau Park looking for some stylish pieces to spruce up the…read moreliving area. This fabulous contemporary furniture and accessories store has really top quality furniture and items that make your home look a million dollars. If you can spare a bit of change the items at the Design Store do not come cheap, it's the price you pay for elegance and character. Stunning mirrors, paintings, leather couches, ottomans, coffee tables. You name it; they can spruce up any home or office. Sometimes, like me you're just looking for that signature piece to place on a table and emphasize colour, I found exactly what I was looking for in the form of a lime green bamboo place mat! Just perfect and matched up with the colour theme throughout the house. The staff are very approachable, which is wonderful as sometimes in expensive stores you can feel a bit ignored. They will give you tips and choices if you explain exactly what you're after. If just browsing however, you can do so with leisure.

I very often pop in here for a wander. There is a shitload of stuff to look at and it can take a…read morewhile to make your way around the entire store to take in all the cool stuff in it's entirety. Because of this I'm very thankful that the staff aren't the kind to be breathing down your neck and constantly asking if you need a hand! There's a wide range of home decor things in here. mirrors, candles, kitchen things, furniture. A bit of everything really. If you're buying you mother or your grandmother or your aunt a present pop in here and there will almost certainly be something appropriate. Some things can be a bit pricey but there are other smaller things to take away too. Pretty much something to please whoever I'd say.

There's this bright pink sign catching your attention on Cascades Road, which immediately signals…read morethis is no mechanic shop along a busy industrial district. What a Girl Wants is a second hand store, but packed with top quality bits and pieces. There are bags, clothes, shoes, books, furniture and ornaments, all geared towards the classy women of East Auckland. I thoroughly enjoyed having a browse, and picked up a nice singlet for a whopping $2! It's next to a coffee place and also an antique store, so your vintage tastes can be quenched, along with a nice spot of coffee afterwards. You can just park on the gravel outside, which is really handy. The shop assistant was friendly enough, and the way things are set out is really eye catching. It's awesome to see some creative thought going into the layout of a thrift store, considering most of the time, you have to rummage to find anything particularly useful. Here, it's all on display, in order of size and product. Good stuff.

What a Girl Wants would be a solid four star shop if it weren't for the staff…read more The two times I've been in I've wanted to stay longer, they have some amazing bargains and a very well organised shop, and overall the quality of their stock is excellent. The problem is, the two ladies who work there were very, very loudly talking politics both times I went in. As there's a dance school directly above them, it's fair enough that they need to raise their voices a little to be heard. But maybe don't stand on opposite sides of the shop? Or don't go on loudly about how much you dislike beneficiary bludgers who just sit around all day doing nothing. I mean, you're running a second hand shop, people...perhaps put two and two together and come up with four?

I once came in here for a quick look around with my sister and nephew. We wondered around for a bit…read moreand I was thinking all the furniture was very cool but there were no major bargains around so nothing for us to take home. We were about to walk out when my nephew spotted a little chair that he decided he absolutely must have. It was a small, green rocking chair. We asked how much it was and then, after realising it wasn't really in the budget we set off to leave. But we didn't make it out the door... the very friendly shop owner bounced over and knelt down to my nephews level and said "you know what, I think we might have one of those upstairs that's slightly damaged so we can't sell it... if I go up and find it you can take it home". Well I don't need to tell you how obviously happy this made the little boy. He pulled out his best manners and said thank you and we walked away with an awesome rocking chair! The only thing that was wrong with it was a small chip on the bottom - nothing major! Wonderful service and a good little experience here.

This is a great place to have a rummage around in. It's big and filled with all sorts - from…read morecrockery to prints, jewellery, postcards, furniture, and vintage mangazines. It's a more approachable kind of antique shop, by which I mean, you can go in and actually find things you can afford, plus, it's not the kind of place that gives you that dreaded feeling in your gut that if you turn around too quickly, you're going to break something worth more than your earn in a year. Which is never that much fun, is it? I recommend coming here to sift through their excellent button collection, which they sell individually - so handy if you're into reworking vintage clothes or crafts of any kind. Also, they have a cute and extensive range of vintage postcard, which are great for making unique birthday cards from. The jewellery is also definitely worth a rummage.