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.

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

If you need to buy gifts for anyone, then this is the place to go. You can browse around, and there…read moreis nobody looking over your shoulder. The store is laid out for a quick stock turn around, leaving one item on show and the rest packed in boxes ready to become much loved gifts. I have yet to enter this store and not find a suitable gift for anyone and everyone. They stock vases, bowls and home decor pieces. During the Christmas period, they were selling the most beautiful decorations you could find, and they were cheap as chips. Initially I thought they were just opening up to cash in on the Christmas gift rush, but this outlet store's popularity is making them it the one stop gift shop on the Shore. The lady that served me offered to wrap my gift, a service that adds to the five stars they've already achieved.

I go into Finishing Touches to dream. To dream that one day I will be able to afford the gorgeously…read moreluxurious curtains and furnishings inside. The fabrics are beautiful and, I'm told, sourced from all over Europe. You definitely get that feeling when you're in the store; that you're in some decedent manor in the south of France. It's not just curtains though; there are striking mirrors, candle holders, vases and other home wares. Perhaps my favourite (and definitely more in my price range) is the large table they have at the front of the store loaded with lush creams and aromatherapy. There are plenty of testers to delve into, and on a Saturday morning this is one of the busiest places in the village

"Run a mile or have your solicitor check the invoice fine print before you part with your money!!!!…read more I am 50 years old. The after-sales service I experience from Melisa Davies MD of Finishing Touches Matakana is probably the worst and most shocking that I have experienced in my life. Reneging on a hand written refund promise, many telephonic excuses and broken appointments is all that I received after I parted with my money. It was only after a lengthy bank- intervention process that Finishing Touches were forced to refund my monies. " - Cary

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.

I love Freedom Furniture, becouse I feel like it is the closet I will ever get to IKEA and its…read moreofferings and prices. Auckland has a lot of furniture stores around, and many are great but Freedom Furniture is perfect for several reasons. They have great products in general which is awesome, but they also have a lot of make it yourself products which I love so much. They have a great selection of items in this store as well, due to its massive floor space. You can move from looking at kitchen items to bedroom items and so forth, it is awesome. The prices are also what helps in liking this space. We were there just yesterday, and were able to look at a few furniture stores which offered very similar products, and Freedom Furniture had by far the best price range overall.

My home is decorated in what can best be described as a collision between old farmhouse and modern…read more I love antique Kauri tables, Yellowwood bookshelves and oak chests. I love pop art on the walls and display cases to show off items I've acquired from my world travels. What I don't like is mass-produced boring furniture. With my eclectic style, you would not really see me as being a regular Freedom Furniture shopper, and you would be correct. It's not that they sell bad stuff, or items sans style - it is just that they don't come with a story. For my office however, I needed a place for people to sit, a place where they could see presentations, and a place that will put them at ease. I needed a place filled with Freedom Furniture's furniture. The staff was helpful and the furniture just what I wanted, so while it is not suited for my own home, it was perfect for the office.

Damask is a sweet little shop in Matakana, with a nice range of well-priced items that would all…read moremake for very special, unique gifts for a daughter, mother, grandmother or friend. Much of the stock seems to be rose themed, which ties in well with what is printed on the window: 'a rose is a rose is a rose', and is both internationally and locally imported. I was greeted in a very friendly way and asked if I was looking for anything in particular, which was very helpful as there are so many nice things you don't really know where to start, especially if you are looking for something specific. Beautiful looking and charmingly smelling shop.

The Beach is a store that looks like a uppity gifts store sans gifts. What you are left with are…read moremass produced items of furniture that are cheap replicas of modern antiques. Simply raise the prices threefold and tell people that all New Zealand beach houses look like this and you have yourself a store. In reality, New Zealand baches are full of musty, outdated and badly matched furniture from decades ago. The Beach is the inside of an interior design magazine like House and Garden. Most of the wicker baskets and beach chairs are not going to survive in a closed up, damp beach house. The best thing to do in this shop is take note of the designs and colours you like and replicate it via your nearest Salvation Army furniture, some sand paper and a lick of paint.

The Beach is a fantastic store, stylish homes, retail or other spaces would find the perfect pieces…read moreto adorn their rooms. The furniture is all wood, often what would be referred to as possessing rustic charm, while some is oriental in style, brightly coloured in blues and yellows. These are stand out pieces and in particular the draws and cabinets are amazing. They also offer some interesting storage options, shelves that look like ladders, ladders made from wood that serve no purpose but to hang from a wall and large boxes and baskets made from white washed cane. The Beach offers something really different, if you want you home to look Vogue Living worthy then this would be the place to come.

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...