City Furniture is a recent addition to City Road, and has presumably arrived to take advantage of…read morethe student demographic in this area. It has stiff competition from A1 Furniture on Albany Road and The X Catalogue Shop and Star Furnishings a little further up City Road itself. City Furniture is smaller than the other outlets mentioned, but still occupies a sizeable space and they have rammed it to the rafters with stock. This doesn't do a great deal for appearances, but it does show you a good range of products. I would say that on the whole the furniture on offer at City Furniture is a little bit more upmarket than you'll get elsewhere in this area... some of the beds look really comfy and robust, and are clearly made with quality materials. I'm in the market for a bed, and called in to City Furniture a couple of weeks ago to see how good their opening sale was. Sajid, the Managing Director, was just about to close up shop, but still made time to talk. He' a really affable fellow, and promised to deliver me a bed anywhere I wanted. Double beds start at £90.00, which is pretty competitive! They also stock sofa's, dining furniture, bedroom furniture, including some Italian stock. In addition they have a limited range of ornaments and soft furnishings.

This furniture store is competing with the likes of Star Furniture at the other end of city road…read more The stock range is varied and full to bursting point so much so that they stack items. As with discount furniture you can benefit from very low costs, I'm not to sure of the build quality but with these prices I wouldn't expect hardwood material. Students and other temporary residents can get some bargains that are cheap enough to leave behind when they relocate. As with most home furniture stores they have beds, bookcases, draws, wardrobes, tables, chairs and many other types of stock as well as some soft furnishings.

Now that The Pier has sadly left our little Welsh lives forever, Habitat is the next best thing for…read morehigh street home furnishings and furniture. This is a giant and unmissable store located in The Hayes in the centre of Cardiff, near to all the new glory of St. David's 2, yet still I speak to local people who don't seem to know where it is. I'm sure you'll be fine though; Yelp is populates by sensible people. Habitat is great for items such as picture frames, vases, cushions and candle holders, as well as larger items and items that you didn't even know existed before. But now you must have it. They go in for quite a modern style; combining sleekness and practicality with traditionalism and ethnic designs. If The Pier and Ikea had a lovechild, it would be called Habitat. My mother is now pointing out that habitat apparently came first (?), but I'm sure you know what I mean despite her confusing the issue. Although Habitat can be quite pricey, it's a great place to go for cheaper frames and small items. If you're ever stuck for a mother-in-law type of present, this would be a great start.

I'm a big fan of interior design, so I have a real soft spot for Habitat. This furniture here is…read moretrendy with a capital T, if you like traditional items this is not the store for you. The pieces available for purchase are incredibly modern, I recently purchased a glass desk from here, and it really has become a key feature in my office. I must admit the prices are rather high, but the uniqueness and quality of the furniture in my opinion really justifies this. On the cheaper side of things they do sell a wide variety of clip frames (both glass and Perspex), which are often on sale and great for art lovers.

Why has this only just opened? Why couldn't it have opened last year when I was looking for…read morefurniture and was forced to go to Ikea instead? I was convinced that City Road/Crwys Road were populated with second hand furniture stores when I moved into my new house, but I was clearly hallucinating. So, I was so pleased to find this store had opened, next to that most ethical supermarket, The Coop. The shop has a vast floor and has a wide variety of new and used furniture, electricals and general stuff for the home. Sofa's a-go-go - ranging in proce from really cheap (and look it) to really reasonable three piece suites, leather and modern funiture. There is bedroom furniture from brand new pine stuff to more 'retro' good as well as a vast array of TVs from £10! We may not be talking plasma, wide screen HD TV here, but good enough for a games console or student bedroom to keep up to date with Corrie. Most pleasing was the appearance of reasonably priced and reasonable condition 1930s furniture including sideboards, wardrobes and dressing tables. When looking for this stuff before I was reduced to online and pseudo 'antique' shops which charged an arm and a leg. If you're a student, moving into your first house or generally want a slightly more retro look to your home then please check this shop out first before hitting the obvious!

Moving into a new place is an arduous process. You've got bills to worry about, bank accounts to…read morecontact and drain dry, boxes to move and people to buy beer and pizza for, parties to plan... Moving into an unfurnished place is even worse. Especially if you're of the studenty bent. Not only do you have all the previous issues to deal with, you've also got to source new furniture, gather funds to pay for said furniture, or buy and eat enough pizza to build furniture from the leftover boxes. You may think I'm joking about that last one. I'm not. I've seen it done. Wasn't comfy, but what you lacked in comfort you more than made up for in lots and lots of pizza. Here's where BHS steps in. Their second hand furniture and electrical store lets you furnish a house cheaply, and on top of that, you know your money is going to a good place, which appeals to all those kind-hearted students, and the cynical gits who are trying to hope on the good foot and do the bad thing with said kind-hearted students.

South Wales Furniture is one of those places that has always got a sale on, or is offering some…read morekind of inducement to go into their store, or as they say in legal terms 'invitation to treat' - quaint eh? The façade makes the shop look a little bit more up market than it actually is. This is a rock bottom price, cheap and nasty furniture shop that I would be loath to buy something in. It's not that I'm opposed to a bargain, I love them, but when it comes to badly made furniture made from questionable materials, then I draw the line. They are always false economy. Not only do they generally look entirely naff, but they fall to pieces very quickly. I'd much rather buy second hand and pay around the same, but get myself something that has been made out of something solid and appealing. I'd even buy a secondhand bed rather than buy it here, although I'd be pretty careful about the mattress. I suffer from a bad back, and know from bitter experience that cheap beds are generally inferior to a good old fashioned sprung mattress. I think South Wales Furniture relies on first year students who don't know all of the great places to pick up second hand furniture, and aspirational people on low incomes that wouldn't be seen dead buying anything second hand, Good! Better pickings for me!

This is a fairly uninspiring furniture shop but it does sell some very low price beds and other…read morefurniture if you're after a bargain. There's basically a permanent sale on, probably in a bid to shift some of the less attractive items - and there are plenty of those scattered about the shop floor, including some shockingly hideous vinyl-covered sofas that I honestly find hard to imagine anyone buying. Despite all of this, I've seen basic, plain wooden bed bases in this shop that are inoffensive and incredibly cheap, so if you're trying to furnish a place cheaply it might be worth a look around - but I don't know how long they'd last!

Unusually for a Cardiff suburb, this shop in the centre of Whitchurch village is a specialist bed…read morecentre. The premises extend over two floors and they have a wide selection of bed available, including orthopaedic beds. Although not to my taste the shop stocks a range of cane furniture, small tables, cupboards etc... and a selection of paintings. I must admit though the shop has been there for over twenty years it never seems to be busy (it does look rather drab from the outside, however I have seen their delivery vans out and about in Cardiff, so some people must be buying their beds!

I've only ever properly explored the part of Rossiters that sells lots of gifts and knick knacks,…read morejust near the shop's entrance inside Royal Arcade - but in this section alone there's lots of lovely stuff I'd like to be able to afford! From funky ice cube trays to fridge photo frames, it's a great place to pick up small presents. There are some beautiful greetings cards, items of jewellery, well-made children's toys, a few men's accessories, travel bags, purses, umbrellas and much more. The whole place is more intimate than large department stores such as House of Fraser or John Lewis, and the feeling is one of quality over quantity. For me, the gift and homeware areas are probably the most appealing, but glancing into their other 'departments' they have a Homes & Gardens area, a kitchen department, a range of furniture, plus some fabrics, lamps, mirrors, and more. They also offer an interior design service, though I dread to think how much that costs.

Shops like this get me really excited. I'm a big girl when it comes to furniture, home and…read morekitchenware. I just want everything. If I had my way, my house would look like something out of 50s magazine. This store is surprisingly big, considering it's in an arcade, and there is so much in there. The kitchen section is my favourite, because it sells the most adorable retro baking things and teapots and really funky utensils and gadgets that I've never seen anywhere else. Their gift section is also fantastic with brands like L'Occitane and Burt's Bees for toiletries, some really pretty scarves and jewellery, and then beautiful gift bags and paper to wrap them in. It's a shame this department store is hidden away and now has to compete with John Lewis, because it sells such beautiful things and it could be so easily missed if you didn't know about it. It's expensive, but everything is so nice that if I want something, I have to have it however much it costs.

Pontcanna Flea Market is the real deal. You are guaranteed to find a really good selection of…read morequality Kitsch, both for the home and garden, as well as loads of classic and retro clothing, antiques, electrical goods, records, books, and furniture... essentially all the kind of stuff that you'd expect at a flea market, but with the added bonus of this one being a particularly good one. I don't know where the traders get their stock from, but some of them must have an incredible address book! A lot of them seemingly have endless access to the most incredibly desirable objects. Their lives must be heavenly! I considered becoming a trader myself a few years back, but decided that it would be an overtly dangerous career choice. I'd be great at scouting out my stock, and have fairly well tuned haggling skills. So far, so good! But, the problems would arise when it came to selling any of it on. I know I'd want to keep everything! Those confounded attachment issues! They also hold regular auctions at the King's Road site. I've not been to one, but I hear that they are as much fun as the flea markets, and just as well stocked with eminently buyable stuff.

Looking around Laura Ashley is like looking into both the past and future at the same time. There…read moreis a certain type of timeless style and cosy middle-class Britishness that seep from every corner of this store. In Cardiff's Queen Street Store, Laura Ashley is split between two levels. The ground floor has women's fashion, shoes and accessories. These clothes are clearly designed for the more mature lady, but there are the odd pieces that are beautiful enough in design to appeal to a far broader spectrum. Some of their dresses I'm thinking of in particular. Upstairs is the home furnishing department. And this is the bit really like. Their range of sofas, curtains and bedding are all made out of beautiful and superior quality materials. Their wallpapers are classic and beautiful; in short everything up on this floor is lovely. Yes, it's old fashioned, but it has an appeal that I don't think will go out of style for a long while yet.

Wonderful store, all of their pieces scream countryside kitsch and add a touch of warmth to any…read morehome. Good quality fabrics available for craft or sewing projects. They also do a fab range of clothing and jewellery. If Cath Kidston/vintage style is up your street then Laura Ashley is definitely the place for you. Excellent central location (Queen Street), also have fantastic sales too!

The X Catalogue Shop is a really good concept, but I do question the wisdom of placing it in an…read moreinner city location. The stock would benefit from a larger shop floor, and customers would also probably enjoy the luxury of an allied car park, instead of on street parking. That said, I would imagine that a lot of students shop here, and so to site this store out of town would exclude a significant proportion of the people that are liable to shop here... Sooo, may be a City Road location is just about perfect after all? As you would imagine, the products that are sold here are ultimately the least desired items that remained in the Catalogue warehouses across the land. The X Catalogue Shop rounds them all up and slashes the price, ultimately offering them at as much as a 75% discount of the original retail price. Large household items like beds, tables and sofa's are stacked high, and as the turnover is quick, there's not as much care and attention paid to the display of these things as there would be in more pricey outlet. This is entirely understandable considering the circumstances. The X Catalogue Shop does in fact have a large warehouse situated out of town, which is regularly called upon to replenish the stock at the retail outlet. They reckon that they keep as many as 10,000 items in stock at any one time, which pretty impressive! The best thing about this shop is that all items are assembled, even if it was originally a flat-pack item when being sold by the catalogue. This allows the store to check for damage as well as offering the customer added value. I for one have been foxed by the instructions accompanying more than one flat-pack self-assembly item that I have bought, and really appreciate the fact that The X Catalogue Shop do all of the head scratching for us!

This is a slightly crazy shop filled with 'ex-catalogue' items, much of it furniture such as beds,…read morewardrobes, sofas, tables and chairs - but also office equipment, garden furniture, and other home and leisure products such as bicycles and gym & exercise equipment. It's well-placed, probably attracting lots of cash-strapped students and other budget shoppers, and being right in the heart of Roath it certainly has plenty of students in the vicinity. With some rented accommodation sparsely furnished, this shop offers cheap stock to help furnish your rooms without spending a fortune - and I'm sure a few local landlords also use this place to pick up some bargains to replace broken or tired old furniture in their student lets. If you're after cheap exercise bikes or other gym equipment, they currently seem to have plenty of that sort of gear in stock as well - you can see some on display outside the front of the shop on finer days!

Cardiff Paint Supplies is looking a little care-worn these days, but it's important not to let…read moreexternal appearances deceive you in this particular instance... Cardiff Paint Supplies are weathering the recession pretty well! This is in no small part due to the fact that Cardiff Paint Supplies have been around since 1957, allowing Nicholas Chandler, the owner, to call into play a whole raft of experience at dealing with the current economic climate. Another benefit that comes with longevity is that Nicholas has diversified over the years, meaning that he doesn't have all of his eggs in one basket, like so many newer more vulnerable concerns. Being specialists in industrial floor coverings Cardiff Paint Supplies deals with the trade as well as selling decorating supplies on a retail basis. Cardiff Paint Supplies carries a really comprehensive range of stock, with everything from filler to wallpaper, as well as all the tools and ancillary supplies you need to give your house a make-over. As you'd expect, the prices compete admirably with the big DIY centres, but the level of service you receive here leaves them standing!