If you are already familiar with brands like Umbra, Fred, Kirkland, then you'll know what this shop…read moreis about. When I came into the Homeless store, I feel like I'm back in Toronto. My gifts (like Janice T.) are also from stores like these. Because receiving kitchen gadgets is better than receiving mittens! I guess! Staff will leave you alone. They do not follow you around and they don't try to sell you anything. HK people are always trying to sell/recommend you something, not here! Directory: 1/F - main store 2/F - furniture (neighbour: Yoga boutique) 3/F - sales, discounts on broken and old stuff (neighbour: hair salon) 1/F Homeless main store: mainly small accessories, small things, home decor - kitchen gadgets - picture frames - useless but tasteful wall decorations (I received these as gifts before! But I'm not tasteful enough. I mean they look so pretty anywhere except where I put them) - book stands - music boxes - umbrellas - chairs, some furniture. Lighting. - GERMAN MEASURING TAPE (see photo) 2/F Homeless furniture: clocks, tables, chairs - funky clocks of all sizes - wall hooks - dining tables and chairs, mismatched but so cute together (if that makes sense) - desks - cups and plates and bowls 2/F neighbour is a small boutique that sells amazing quality clothing for yoga for about $500 each. And yoga mats and yoga bags. Also random leather purses and wallets. 3/F Homeless discount store: a $3000 lamp for $1000 - broken things, unsold things. The room of the unwanted - if you don't mind a scratch here or there, the discounted item is worth the price for your pretty HK home! - lamps, lights - tables, chairs - plates, cups - wall decorations, like cardboard deer heads and horse heads - but things are so dusty there 3/F neighbour is a busy hair salon! If your question is... do I have to go to 2/F or 3/F? You don't! But why not. They're so small.

This is a bit embarrassing to publicly say this... but hey, it's a review, it's the honesty that…read morematters right? This is where I buy most of my Christmas presents every year.... (friends, you might have noticed). Why? Simply because the items they have here are so innovative and fun. Come on, everyone could use something like that in their lives. Who wants a boring ol' bookmark? I always shop here, because I feel like the stock they bring in, are always unique and every time interesting. From a laundry bag that has a money sign on it (money laundering, get it?), to a comb that's shaped like a shotgun. The products aren't exactly the most useful but it will bring a smile to people's faces. They have this umbrella, where the handle is like a sword! How much fun can you have with that? The physical store itself is quite cool too, it's a small store but it's still got doorways, small rooms, corners and other space to make it fun to walk around. On weekends, it's actually quite busy there, you will find it quite packed and because of the amount of products they have, a little hard to navigate without running into something. They have another area of the store that sells bigger pieces of home goods, such as stools, coffee tables, larger photo frames, etc. These ones are fun too, but most of the time, a little hard to feature in someone's home, that is, unless their homes are very creatively renovated. Smart, fun toys that can cheer anyone up. Take a peek!

I am not a person that cares too much bout style of living or any style at all but it doesn't mean…read morei do not take pleasure while shopping in furniture shops like this. Located at the top levels of The One in TST, I wasn't even aware of the name of this shop at first. I just remember there is a place that was rather dim and sells mainly designer appliances and gadgets above the cinema of The One and is not a place that I would normally go. Nonetheless, when it comes to present giving seasons, this shop is always at the top of my list to go to; not least because there is some real originality in the items sold there and would make decent gifts. Thick card boards puzzled together into a stool? Check. Chessboard that is not flat but with creases and dimples? Check. Put it this way, for the items sold here, certain time has to be allowed before you can figure out what exactly the object is; that is what I call design with thoughts. This make the gifts that much more interesting as finding out how the thing actually works become part of the fun. I am most certain that if I am keen on decorating my room or have the say in what to put and how to put, the whole shopping experience would definitely be more engaging; yet the space and the placing of the items make it already enjoyable enough to just walk around and fussing around with the stuffs there.

This will be one of the cutest stores that you will ever walk into. Not only is the sign cute and a…read morefunny play on the name, the way they decorate the whole store makes you want to plan your future home's rooms in here! I know I did, which kind of freaked my love out a bit. Anyways they have so much stuff here from umbrellas and lunchboxes to really cool clocks and neat organizing shelfs. I actually bought bento boxes here to bring back to the states because the quality seemed too good to pass up and I wasn't wrong. My sisters really liked them because they were from the brand black&baum i believed in england and they were just good. Yes, I know, I will stop boring you with details about bento boxes. They have a ton of cute stuff for your home and decor for random stuff too so be sure to check this place out if you care about living in style as well as practicality.

Life Goods is one of those stores that should be on every corner. It is a "general" store that just…read moreseems to stock everything that one would need for life! What I like, is that provide across a number of household needs; home-wares like Japan Home Centre, stationery like the mom and pop shops, hardware like the guys on Wellington Street. It seems that if you need anything, you can get it here. It is moderately cramped in the store, I suppose the stock has to go somewhere, so if you have shopping bags or a ruck sack, be careful! There are two floors, with mainly stationery, kitchen-ware, and hard ware downstairs, and bigger home-wares upstairs, like ironing boards and plastic boxes. Some of the store highlights include; photo albums, plastic boxes, paint pens, plastic spiral key chains, lots of carabiners, toys, and decorations, and a few items that I would not have expected, including; gas torches and soldering kit for plumbing, and thick transparent plastic sheeting, like stuff they drop down the sides of the junk boats to stop the splashes coming in. The staff are very friendly, if not a bit difficult to spot as they don't wear any uniform, and will help you to get out stock, or cut rolls of linoleum. The prices are very very reasonable, basically cheap as chips, so fill your boots! The store is also very close to Tin Hau station, so only a short walk if you are carrying a plastic box full of stuff!

Mr Blacksmith is cool, super cool. It is a design-ware store that mixes practical designer…read morehome-ware items, with retro-chic throwbacks, and beautifully craft but perhaps useless gifts. It's the sort of place you would wander into on a hot Saturday afternoon to get out of the heat, but then end up in there for an hour playing with the cool trinkets and funky gadgets. You'd come here to buy one or two quirky things for your house, especially if you have had enough of the local flavour "OMG, not another set of chopsticks in a little silk purse", or gifts for the person who has everything. The products aren't particularly Hong Kong or local (unlike GOD), but still interesting anyway. The stores are piled high and somewhat crammed with stuff, so you will need a bit of patience to find that ideal gift. To give you an example of the sort of thing you can buy, why not try a bath whistle. This is a small plastic bird you half fill with water and then blow into. The water makes a chirping bird noise which is pleasant enough in the bath, but utterly useless! If the bird whistle doesn't interest you, how about a chair made out of radiators, or a massive wine cork stool? It's not cheap, I suppose designer gear isn't really supposed to be, but it is pretty. They do offer some wedding list services, but this seems to be in it's infancy as I found it hard to organise this with their head office. There are a couple of locations, one in Central and one in Wan Chai.

Finally! Another H&M open on the Island side as of late October…read more I like H&M because the clothes actually look good (the only exception is probably the Uniqlo UT line), and doesn't break your bank balance. And this store is actually big meaning lots of variety and something for everyone. Not only that, theres also a homewares section (decorations, bathroom stuff, etc) on the top floor making this store a very worthy rival to Muji.

This, my friends, is an exemplary H&M - hence the 5 stars…read more Notice how the merchandise at most H&M's is typically squeezed so close together, you end up inadvertently knocking stuff off the racks as you sift through it? This happens to me, anyway... and regularly. But not at this new Asia flagship location. The goods are dispersed over 4 floors and a whopping 47,000 square feet. That's a huge deal in Hong Kong, where space comes at a premium! All that extra room results in a wholly enjoyable, stress-free H&M shopping experience. You didn't think it was possible, did you? In addition to the well-organized fashion, this location boasts an H&M Home store on the top floor! There you'll find a slew of well-curated and affordable goodies for the home... anything from soft duvets and chic pillow covers to plush towels and rustic kitchen knick-knacks. For an upcoming Thanksgiving dinner that I'll be hosting in my flat, I purchased some place mats and kitchen items (I don't often cook, so now I'm set with the essentials). I also found a pair of perfectly-distressed slim-fit boyfriend (I know, an oxymoron) jeans that I LOVE. I'm soon going back to fetch a back-up pair as I know I'll wear those babies to an untimely death. Well-done, H&M! And welcome to Causeway Bay.

Ikea, located in the Causeway Bay area, was downstairs to the hotel that we had stayed at (Park…read moreLane Hotel). This review can only comment on the food bistro section as we opted to grab a few treats during our stay in HK. The food bistro at Ikea is located on the basement floor. They are completely cashless where you do have to order from a kiosk. Once you finish ordering from a kiosk, you bring your receipt to the food pick up area and staff will prepare your food for you. What was neat was that Ikea in Hong Kong serves breakfast items, lunch, as well as desserts. Their soft serves also often change from time to time and we were lucky that they were offering a triple pistachio sundae during our time in HK. There is a small space (standing only) with tables where you can enjoy your food items as well. We stopped by Ikea on a weekday afternoon to grab some triple pistachio sundaes. What was frustrating was that we did have cash we wanted to use, however, the food bistro is cashless only where there was not even a cashier where we order from. We were forced to use the kiosk and pay by card. After paying I wasn't sure how it worked with picking up our sundaes but I figured that we would need to go to the food pick up area. Once we gave our receipt to the correct staff, she made our sundaes quickly. The pistachio sundae was delicious and full of pistachio flavour. A nice treat on a hot HK day for sure!

IKEA is literally right downstairs from the Park Lane Hotel where we stayed, so we made a point of…read morestopping by for ice cream--because that's kind of our thing. In Taiwan, we really loved their black sesame ice cream, which was rich and creamy, so we were curious to try it in HK. Here, they offer the "yuen yeung" flavor, a split of Hong Kong-style milk tea and coffee. You can also order either flavor on its own, but we went with the mix. Unfortunately, the milk tea side was quite weak--very subtle in flavor and more icy than creamy. The coffee side, on the other hand, was much stronger and more noticeable. It cost HKD 8 (a little over USD $1), which isn't bad for a unique flavor, especially for those who haven't tried it before. We didn't explore the rest of the store this time, as we were really just there for the ice cream.

I am a fan of Marimekko and I do try to pop in to this store tucked in on Leighton Road in Causeway…read moreBay. Marimekko is a brand that started in Finland and has a history and philosophy of making clothes, accessories, fabrics and houseware rooted in bold, fun prints and patterns. This spot is not large (as none of them are ever really), but it is bright and open, welcoming and well laid out. The store is probably 65% clothes and 35% housewares and accessories. It is an easy ready to wear line I pesonally like very much.

There are two Scandinavian exports that the world loves: the first is of course Ikea and the next,…read moreViggo Mortensen (betcha didn't see that one coming..) but there's a third one that the world loves because it is the artistic representation of what Scandinavia is: hopeful, simple and optimistic: Marimekko. Hong Kong's first standalone Marimekko store is located in Causeway bay. It carries a fair range of Marimekko's homeware, stationery, kids and women's wear. There is also a good selection of its classic fabrics for those who wish to bring a piece of the cheerful patterns home. As ikea has successfully demonstrated the great quality discount Scandinavian furniture can be, one would assume Marimekko would be in a similar price range- boy, were they wrong to think this way. Marimekko is not cheap! Granted, the quality of the fabrics and ceramics are great, but they are certainly not worth this price for something so simple. No wonder there are so many counterfeit Marimekko lunch bags in town. I'm a huge fan of their dresses as I love the fabric and the shape allows me to channel my inner Jackie O. The one thing I suppose justifies them charging US$500 for a simple cotton shift dress is that they actually match the patterns on the fabrics as the dress is sewn together. Bet you didn't see that coming either.

We saw that there was an art installation of Grand So at this store, so we wandered to OVO and…read morecheck it out. This review is based on our experience at OVO Studio. Although it took us asking some questions of the nice staff person, we figured out the OVO brand in Hong Kong. So under the OVO umbrella, there is 1) OVO Home (modern, high end, custom made, oriental based furniture - located at 16 Queen's Road) 2) OVO Garden (floral design - located at 1 Wanchai Road) 3) OVO Cafe (vegetarian cuisine and coffee cafe - located at 1 Wanchai Road and also at 173 Des Voeux Road Central) 4) OVO W Hotels (OVO has a partnership with and operates the gift shop at the W Hotel in Hong Kong) 5) OVO Studio (some furniture, lighting, art, jewelry, pillows, gift ideas, etc. - located at 1 Wanchai Road OVO Studio carries a variety of simple chic and cutting edge contemporary collections designed for home or gifts. We thought this store was amazing, current, up to date and was up our alley on all things home decor, contemporary and cool. From hand made throw pillows of the animals of the zodiac to unique jewelry to funky cake plates and urban lighting and fun furniture....they have two floors of all sorts of fun things for the home. They also had an exhibition of the local artist Grand So, which we thought was a cool use of the space to add to their product line. The building where OVO is located was once a local market, so we enjoyed showing patronage to any company that embraced urban renewal and reuse of an old building.