I first came across this lovely store years ago when I was just visiting Melbourne. I didn't have a…read moreclue where it was at the time because my sister who was already living in Melbourne drove me here. I fell in love with this store all those years ago but never thought take a business card or find out where it was. Years later, after moving to Melbourne myself, I finally found Crate Expectations in Malvern. And today I made my inaugural trip for 2011. This fantastic little store always has the best homewares and gifts. Today I fell in love with the printed fabric poufs and cushions. It's amazing how much is available in this store, which is just off busy Glenferrie Road. They've also got a gorgeous range of home scents and body products, flowy kaftans and dresses and a great mix of home products, kids's products and fashion accessories.

Lock up the credit cards! You're going to want just about everything in this store to make your…read morebathroom smell better, your kitchen look pretty, your bedroom feel cosy and your loungeroom more achingly hip. From the rafters adorned with leather bunting down to the floors that hold baskets overflowing with nic-nacs and gorgeous items you simply can't live without, The Shelley Panton Store is an absolute delight to explore. I love the tables filled with colour co-ordinated items, the book selection (food, design and travel genres all well represented), hand-made ceramics and the items dangling from the roof (THAT bunting, light fixtures and even feather dusters!). There's complimentary gift wrapping too, which is perfect if you're in the market for a special gift. They'll offer a variety of papers and twines to match your purchase and the vast gift card selection makes this a one-stop-shop for all your gift giving needs.

Quick! Hide your credit card when you come here! It has an amazing array of home wares and art for…read moreevery single room of the house, and every occasion you can think of. This is my idea of heaven. Seriously. OK, I admit it. Sometimes it feels like us Southsiders are a little hard done by with a lot of cool crafty places north of the river. Shelley Panton helps to fix this with an eclectic range of products - whether you're looking to buy for yourself or for a gift, you're bound to find something here that tickles your fancy. The shop is beautifully decked out - visualise baskets of good overflowing with cute little pieces, colour coordinated products lovingly laid out on tables and also friendly service. Leading into Christmas and special occasions, they will have late night trading (complete with glasses of prosecco and a cheese platter - for real) and special dinners for events such as the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Best of all? Shelley who own the place also has her own pottery for sale (visualise gorgeous plates and kitchen goods) and Jess the resident rescue dog is a beautiful black lab that often wanders around for a little bit of customer love. OK, I admit it. I want to work here. I want to be surrounded by beautiful things, play with Jess all day and lovingly wrap presents and adorn them with ribbons

Combining a range of different styles and looks under one roof can be difficult but Maison Est fine…read morefurniture seem to have nailed the look wonderfully. Think French provincial, chinoiserie, country classic and oriental classics - all displayed within one large, light filled showroom on High Street. I love the large range of recycled timber dining tables and French inspired sideboard and according to the sales staff, they get new shipments all the time, so every shopping spree will be different. Most of the comfy sofas and chairs come with a variety of fabric options and all the timber furniture can be stained to match. Check out the range of dining tables which are available in different sizes as well. Maison Est also offers a wide range of décor items and classic favourites such as versatile bell jars, photo frames, large storage canisters, vases and sculptural artefacts. The great thing about this store is you can pick up bits and bobs to match your current decor scheme without breaking the bank. Think affordable elements with loads of style.

Extremely bad service - rude and dishonest…read more One salesperson quoted us $50 for delivery of an item. AFTER putting the sale of the item through, he checked with his workmate/manager re delivery. This woman was so rude - to cut a long story short she said that delivery should cost $65 and implied that we should know (picks up a chair and says this takes 1 person to carry, a headboard needs 2 people). How should we know or care how many delivery people it takes, we were told $50 and that's what we based our purchase on. In the end after much rudeness she relented and said that they would pay for the extra $15 (after implying that we were cheap of course). Guess what...when they delivered it there was only 1 delivery person! I guess the joke's on us. AVOID this place like the plague - hate to think what would happen if you had to deal with them because something was wrong with your purchase. I will never take my business to this place again and I will gladly tell anyone who will listen to avoid it.

Nestled among the eclectic range of staple stores in Elsternwick, Costanzo & Costabile Interiors…read morestands out among the crowd because of its chic home products and interior flair. Everytime I pass by, i always do a double take because this store is always filled with beautiful homeware and décor. Think the likes of Mediterranean blue consoles, buffets and side tables, gorgeous gold table lamps, solid wood storage chests, large hurricane lamps and thick wood framed mirrors. Themed together and styled well so you can be inspired, walk through this store and you'll find a multitude of clever ideas and exquisite products to adorn your home with. I love the rustic charm of the timber pieces juxtaposed against the more modern finishing pieces. They also carry a beautifully wide assortment of candle holders and hurricane lamps which would give any dining space, mantle place, patio or living room that romantic, serene vibe.

This place is like a bed, bath and beyond on steroids!…read more The items in the store are superb for the most basic apartment to a large home. Elegantly accented with amazing pieces ranging from large rooster pieces for the home or garden to wall clocks and furniture bits. It is definitely on our list to return soon!

Company has refused to engage RE issues with large bookcase which was delivered by their…read morestaff/removal company who damaged gyprock when installing the bookcase. Completely unacceptable and I, nor any of my friends will ever purchase anything from them again.

"The greatest collection of everything but nothing in particular." How aptly said. This is the…read moretagline from the Supply and Demand store website. Yet, as a home ware store, Supply and Demand does its jobs well enough and offers a huge range of crockery and cutlery, napkins, table matter, candle holders, vases, tea towels, bathroom gear, art and selected pieces of furniture. It also carries a great range of vintage inspired tin signs, plenty of glassware and bits and bobs to give your home a fun, quirky appeal. I absolutely love the French inspired vintage garb, new (old) milk crates, milk bottles and the elegant collection of affordable provincial style décor items. And even though the shop is quite cluttered (and it will take you some time to soak in the atmosphere), it is because of this that Supply and Demand is so much fun to shop in. Great for gifts and picking up home décor items that you don't necessarily need but just add a fun touch to your décor scheme.

If you are a devoted interiors person like I am want to be, Supply & Demand does fill in the gaps…read more A great go- to place for a wide variety of homewares at heavily discounted prices. Some are contemporary, some provincial, some industrial, some retro kitsch... You get the idea here. It does offer a lot, and they seem to be working on their layout of things, which these days seem more grouped according to style and also function. Yay visual merchandising! Makes for a more pleasant buying experience. True, a selection of the items sold do make you wonder about the longevity and overall quality, but like I said, an interior stylists needs the range to work with, within budget and most importantly looks great and looks the part that they are crafting in terms of achieving the style. Good stylists know that you do NOT put a room together with things from ONE single store alone even though you could and no one will stop you. But beware the raised eyebrow! Sometimes, things just need to look good from a distance. The staff mostly leave you alone until you approach the counter with your goods. Still, don't really expect the ultimate customer service here. They have an offshoot store on High Street, Armadale called Industria which focuses more on, you guessed it, industrial furniture and home wares.