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!

I love this place, the perfect place if you like interiors, stock amazing furniture and bits for…read morethe home, and the staff are really helpful , every time I go I want to redo my whole house

From the owner: FREE Parking FREE in store interior design…read more Knowledgeable staff with wealth and experience. Carpets and rugs. Bespoke Furniture. LARGEST selection of mirrors in Wales. Quirky, unusual items. Wallpaper & fabrics. Huge choice of sofa's. Garden furniture. Accessories. Bespoke artificial plants/ flower arrangements

Wyatt's Home and Garden is just around the corner from Flowers With A Twist and Over The Rainbow…read moreGifts, making this area a very attractive proposition to prospective gift buyers of discernment! It is a pretty little shop offering everything for the country style home and garden, particularly retro reproductions of time honoured favourites like roll top baths and iron bed frames. Yes, despite having limited floor space, it manages to pack in some pretty hefty items! Like Flowers With A Twist this is a relatively new business in the area. Jane, who also owns another shop of the same name in Ledbury, this one's predecessor, opened the Pontcanna branch about three years ago. (Jane wasn't about when I called in recently to take some pictures... that's Jan in the pictures!) During my recent visit I managed to keep my purse in my bag... I'm always overcome by an incredible urge to spend money when I walk into this shop, and could quite easily spend a small fortune! I love everything from the pretty floral doormats, as well as the multi-coloured wavy modern ones, to the garden furniture, crockery and kitchenware and the beautiful iron beds. They intersperse the retro reproductions with the genuine articles. A sign out front invites you to come in and browse, and makes the distinction between antiques and second-hand items, both of which they stock. They also offer an interior design service.

This is a relatively new addition to the shops in the Pontcanna area, and it's been a long time…read morecoming if you ask me! A home and garden shop is exactly the kind of thing that Pontcanna-ites are into, and this shop is flourishing. For anyone who is a fan of the traditional country home feel, this shop is a must, and offers an excellent range of homely items and gifts. A very tempting little place indeed. This is the kind of shop that does well because the products on sale turn a house into a home. With the classic type of resident in the area being arty, Welsh-speaking and middle class, I really am surprised that we've not seen something of this ilk sooner. Although I'm personally more of a fan of collecting items that are personal to you, rather than mass produced items which you are told are personal to you, I can certainly still see and understand the appeal of this shop.

Quaint and kitschy - that's how I'd sum up Polka Dot…read more Much to my surprise, the shop, which appears diminutive from the outside, is actually situated on three floors and filled with crafts, stationery and other goodies like vintage-style home goods (I nearly bought the "My farts hospitalise small children" magnet but decided against it). I'd say this kind of shop caters mostly to tourists looking for a creative souvenir to bring back for their female friends, but that didn't stop me from eying up several items worthy of birthday gifts for my girls here in Cardiff - I dare you to walk in here and not find something you like! Polka Dot is definitely one of the better shops in Mermaid Quay, and a perfect place to buy a knick-knack that you admittedly may not need, but would be a sweet addition to your home or office.

Pop your head in an feel very uncomfortable. Half the stuff and I literally mean stuff, as in…read moreuseless tat, is everywhere. I read the previous reviews and so it seemed odd that it was popular, well at least to me. Yes if your a bloke and your other half drags you in kicking and screaming, your alternative is to check out a bar or pub for 30minutes while she looses all common sense. I couldn't see any real use for a lot of it, unless you want to live in la la land and pretend to have tea parties with your friends or should I say your stuffed teddies etc. Oh and please don't expect you can explain to me why it's so great. I'm sure for the girly girls out there you might enjoy this oddball shop, but for me I'm out! I ridicule in jest, but seriously there are limits.

Homesense has a real hotch potch (proper phrase?) of household furniture and items available to…read morebuy; from the extremely tacky to the rather tasteful you never quite know what you're going to find. I was particularly impressed by their bedding selection; they had duvets by brands such Cath Kidston and Designers Guild selling for around only £30, which is quite incredible (though absolutely infuriating for me as I've just spent a fortune on Designers Guild bedding from the brands website). Additionally they had a massive selection of photo frames, in wide range of varieties, in my opinion these would make great gifts for those it's trick to by for. I wasn't to keen on the actual furniture available in Homesense (mainly just small chairs). The quality just did not appear quite good enough, and many of the pieces looked rather tacky. I was surprised to find that they also sell a small range of specialty foods. Nothing to grand, mainly pasta, olive oil, and Italian biscuits, but they're brands that you won't find in your local supermarket. I've really only touched the tip of the ice berg, Homesense just sells so much! It rather reminds me of TK Maxx, you need time and patience, but you could come away with some real bargains!

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.

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

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.

Miss Holmes is a boutique home ware and gift shop on Barry High Street that sells a range of…read morefurniture, keepsake mementos, and other accessories. Admittedly, most of the items here are a bit frou frou for my taste (I can't really imagine hanging a £600 giant gilded mirror in my flat), but I can see why this place is doing so well: the shop is beautifully laid out, making the most of the available space with warm, inviting product displays. It's like a posh auntie's living room in here. I personally like the vintage signs like "If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen", while others will enjoy browsing the range of home accesssories from Wax Lyrical, Cavania, and Cath Kidston. When I walked in, I wasn't acknowledged until I piped up with a "Hi", but I assumed it was because she (Miss Holmes, perhaps?) was busy stocking the shelves. Not much conversation after that, I'm afraid. I'd go back though, if I were gift shopping for a fussy female in my life as there's a fine selection of items here to suit most tastes.

Fabulous shop. I was visiting my accountant in the same road. Bowled over by the beautiful layout…read moreof the shop &n my type of gifts. i bought a fabulous cath kitson towel. Could have bought everything in the shop. Will be back to shop soon-all my girlie dreams in one place. Will tell everyone about this fab shop. Think they would do really well too at my Absolutely fabulous shopping events at IKEA etc. Hope they would want to try-as I think I would be their best customer etc.

F A Jones is a decorator's dream, offering everything from paint and paste to wallpaper and…read morebrushes. If you want to change your walls, this place should definitely be on your list. The array of colours, textures and designs are enough to leave you scratching your head in confusion, but I imagine the sales guys at F A Jones are probably used to this reaction, because I was only browsing for about a minute when a smiley gentleman asked if I needed any help; I didn't, but it was nice to be acknowledged, especially in such an expansive showroom. In the small room off to the side, you'll find a large table strewn with wallpaper books, where you can flip through for design ideas (if you need more, there is neighbouring four-shelf high bookcase bursting with sample books). If you're looking to take an armful of samples with you, wallpaper swatches are priced at 30p each for a 12" square (or 4 for £1), with 1/2 metre samples priced at 50p each. A4 samples of Crown paint colours are priced at 50p each.

FAJones, must be the best wallpaper and paint shop in Wales, i needed an old wallpaper so armed…read morewith a sample i started to search shops without success then i was told by a friend to try FAJones on penarth road in Cardiff, i was amazed at the array of different wallpapers not only that the assistant took one look at my sample and said we have a roll in our archive upstairs, a few seconds later and hey presto a roll to match mine, amazing, i will defiantly be shopping here again