Home Zone is all about interior design for the kind of person that knows what they are looking for,…read moreand doesn't need to leave it all to a designer, (although I bet that interior designers use Home Zone just as much as we do, for both inspiration and ideas, as well as purchasing their products and services). Home Zone have only been around for five years, but have established themselves really quickly, and are generally considered to offer us a benchmark of what is both tasteful and innovative. In addition, Directors Jayne Bishop and Sean Kerr offer a full and attentive service, which has also gone a long way to augment their standing. Specialising in made to measure curtains and soft-furnishings, upholstery, blinds, and tracking with a comprehensive measuring and fitting service, they draw on their combined 40 years of experience, which puts them in the enviable position of being able to work with trusted people that they have had regular dealings with over the years. These days they have a dedicated, highly experienced team of sewers, upholsterers and fitters who work alongside them, as well as a network of crafts people who can be commissioned to make accessories when required. Some of the beautiful things that the crafts people make are amazing, and prove that everything is possible! Using every material imaginable, and every technique available, they are able to produce practically anything you could dream of for the house and home. Home Zone can do conventional as easy as falling off a log, but where they excel is when they are pushing creative boundaries and coming up with unique solutions for clients that have a real appreciation of what is possible.

From the owner: We are a small, local, team of specialist curtain makers, upholsterers and fitters and we offer a…read morefabulous service, providing you with made to measure soft-furnishings, upholstery, blinds, shutters and tracking along with a comprehensive measuring and fitting service, to make the whole process a bit easier for you!

Like most of the stores that have recently opened in Mumbles, I'm incredibly impressed with The…read moreMulberry Bush (what a fab name).

If I had a thousand pounds to decorate my room, I would come to Sense…read more Very contemporary, very chic, very nice! I couldn't help but feel a little in awe wandering round this shop, they have thought of just about everything from furniture, to decoration, lighting of every kind even garden accessories. At the moment they have some huge, and I do mean huge, cups and sauces outside which I assume you would plant a pretty plant in, though they looked way to good to put soil in if you ask me! As well as quite extravagant things they do have a good selection of affordable bits and pieces ideal from presents or to brighten up your room, like picture frames, fairy lights, and statement cushions! Not everything in here is to my taste, I think you will either love or hate some pieces but it's definitely work popping in on your way past.

"DO NOT ENTER if you have a dreary, grey, misty, Autumn outlook, as you may be distressed by the…read morecontents of this shop and might have convulsions". This sensory warning should be displayed prominently at the door of the excellent shop - 'Sense Clifton' - all bright and glittering, colourful pinks, blues and shiny metals. On the other hand, if you have a sparkling magpie persona, fine. Or if you just want to be shocked out of your November torpor, come to Sense for a quick fix. You dont have to buy anything, just browse and you'll fell much better. Though of course, the owners would also feel much better if you did buy something, so why disappoint - they will have done you a good turn. According to some blurb, Sense "...offers a smart mix of design-led products with a contemporary edge...". Apparently, the owners' frequent trips to Holland have given them a new perspective on design. They wanted to attack all the senses and create a complete home environment, everything from comfortable leather seating, exciting lighting and soft furnishings to unusual gifts. Pay a visit yourself, check it out, but take heed of the sensory warnings - highly recommended.

If you like exotic pictures, statues and ornaments then you'll love this shop. I was amazed at how…read moremuch they sold and was almost captivated by all the products. Their products range from giraffes as tall as you to animal masks to brightly painted pictures to unique African style ornaments. They could really spice up your home. With all this going on it made the shop look a bit cluttered this was a minor issue for me because I was so amazed at the products. Who knew a little taste of the exotic could be so close? The prices are good as well and if you've read any of my other reviews you'll now I like a bargain. The paintings were about ten pounds and small ornaments were on offer for less than £5.00. Being in here temporarily took my mind of the real outside world. If I had the money on me I definitely would have taken something home!

I really like wooden carved ornaments and unique art pieces, so I thrive on visiting these sorts of…read moreplaces. When I first discovered Exotic Homeware, I was literally amazed at the amount of cultural creativity that they sold, especially considering that the store is not far from where I live; I feel like I should have discovered it sooner. From wooden crafted giraffes to elephants to masks to brightly coloured birds to cages to canvases, the shop sells a great selection of organic and hand created objects, which really do make your home look more interesting and cultured. The price of items isn't bad either; usually when you go to similar shops, they put a high cost on these sorts of unique gifts. But here, you can pick up a medium sized collection of three wooden owls for £5! Bargain! I really wouldn't mind buying every item in this shop to be honest. Then I'd be able to develop my own haven of all things exotic to escape the drudgery of Birmingham. (from time to time)

I love this store, so many lovely things for the home and lovely surprise bits of jewellery or a…read morelovely scarf, always something adorable

I normally don't get excited by lighting shops, as I've come to terms with the fact that I am and…read morealways be a lifetime home renter. But I will admit, Litecraft has an amazing range of lighting fixtures, with extras like dining room sets, cushions, and mirrors thrown into the mix. They carry your usual traditional bedside table lamps for about £15, but also offer Illuminati bright red cygnet chandelier with 12 lights for £999 (a bargain considering the original price was £2450). My favourite showroom piece was the Dali-esque, life-sized aluminium male torso or "table figure" as the tag explained, priced at £269. A close second was the majestic porter's chair in black that stretched to what looked like nine feet tall and embellished with faux diamond baubles. If I ever get any say over the lighting fixtures in my place of residence, I'm definitely coming here, as the varied selection has something for all tastes and budgets.

Although this store is a little bit tucked out of the way, and is nothing particularly special to…read morelook at from the outside, it's a diamond in the rough. Almost quite literally. There are some spectacular lights and fittings available, many of the usual stuff, but also some quite eccentric stock too. If yo would like a glowing ball of wire that lights up when you touch it, or a chandelier that looks more like a supernova, this is the place to come. They also have some more regular lights too, don't worry. The staff here are very friendly, and are quite obviously enthusiastic about their product, it's nice to see. And the prices are all remarkably reasonable, especially when such lights would make a key feature in any room they were in. They make all their own lights, and so you can be guaranteed to get something different a unique. Go and light up you life. Ha, see what I did there?

Calico is located at the Newport end of city road and close to many other competing fabric stores,…read morewhat set this store apart from the competition is the type of material available that Is more suitable for furniture upholstery and home décor such as curtains. There is a range of lighter materials but nothing close to the volume as Terry's or Butteryfly fabrics can offer. The shop also sells a range of furniture and this reflects the heavier materials on sale. The Calico sales people adds just the right amount of helpfulness to the shopping experience allowing you to browse, until you engage them with questions. As home improvement or curtain retailers go this ones got the smaller independent shop atmosphere providing the material for soft furnishings such as cushions, drapes, throws, upholstering etc.

Calico is a furniture shop but it is also a fabric shop. In case you hadn't yet realised I am a big…read morefabric shop fan. I couldn't make an outift for the life of me - unless it involved making holes in a bin bag, tying a belt round the middle and insisting I was creating garbage-bin-chic - but I do love to go and just look at and stroke fabrics. Is that weird? Regardless, this is the last of the fabric shops that we visited on City Road and it wasn't as much fun as either of the other two. The fabric was absolutely beautiful but it is more of a home improvement shop, than a fabric for dressing up shop. Having said that, it is beautiful and the prices are pretty good for what it is. The people who work there are friendly and I felt free to wander around for a while.

I love this store, I am madly in love with about 3 of the windchimes on display here, I already…read morehave 2 from here - there are only so many chimes a person needs, but they are so pretty. I know nobody needs a geisha snowglobe in their life but again, its hard to resist when you are surrounded by cute trinkets! It isn't just cute and silly, it sells some nice accessories. I got a bag from here which got loads of compliments. This is a great place to buy some pretty pretty gifts or just treat yourself to something fun.

Evolution is a gift shop in The Galleries in Broadmead. I think this is my favourite shop to buy…read morepresents from thus far! They used to be quite a Balinese style gift shop buy quickly has moved towards a more Brittania, cutesy and kitsch feel lately. I would happily decorate my apartment with the stuff here. There are great welcome mats here that I've been eyeing up recently that look really well made and are affordable too, at £12. They have a few pieces of kids wooden furniture, some chairs sold here are so very cute, with carvings of animals on the chair backs- however I have no children to buy them for as yet! A few presents I have bought here are their rustic metal gifts; like wall clocks made to look antiquey and wall hangings with old style postcards printed on them. I bought my best friend one that said 'live well, love much, laugh often', which she loved. When on sale, I bought a huge amount of candles here which lasted me ages, and smelt great (they were mighty cheap). I could go on talking about the many various things they sell, but the best is if you keep this place in mind to check out for when you next need a gift!