Online High Street Shopping: A Mini Best Buy Edit
There is no one who loves a High Street shop more than my Mum. There is nothing that she likes better than wandering around the shops, stopping for coffee and lunch. Whenever she comes to stay with me here in York, we always allocate a day to pop into the City to do the rounds. It’s a rare occasion that she doesn’t manage to find something to buy (albeit generally a white t shirt, of which she has a collection big enough to clothe most of Europe) and I always enjoy just having a walk around, something I never do unless my mum is visiting. When I say ‘enjoy’, I mean enjoy up to a point. There are only so many times you can peruse the rails at TK Maxx, or get lost in the Maine aisles at (dearly departed) Debenhams. When we were children, visits to Department Stores were approached with the same dread, if not more, as going to the dentist or having injections. I am one of three and we were only taken High Street shopping if my Dad needed a new suit or it were absolutely essential and there was no other option whatsoever. Our local Department Store in Harrow was the regular object of focus and I can still remember the feeling of the cold floor on my bare crossed legs as we all sat outside the mens changing rooms waiting, hoping and praying that the mission would be accomplished pronto. I can also still remember the desperate sense of relief as we ran past the beauty aisles and finally pushed through the exit doors to escape, akin to the relief that I imagine Andy Dufresne felt when he broke free from Shawshank. That being said, I would now do anything to be able to go on an extended shopping trip with my Mum after not seeing her for so long. Godammit, Covid.
Would you like to sit next to these children in a restaurant? No, I didn’t think so.
With this in mind, you would have thought that I would have thought twice before embarking on family shopping trips when we had three children under the age of eight. But no. It seemed that I had learned nothing from those suit shopping days and when they were small, Joe and I were gluttons for punishment. I lost count of the amount of times that I had to buy complete new changes of baby clothes in H&M after sick/poo disasters and The Oracle parent room was like my second home. On one memorable occasion when Ella was six months old and I bravely ventured out of Reading to Kingston for the first time since birth to meet a friend, she projectile vomited all over a rail of clothes in Gap. Sigh.
Eating out was equally stressful. It didn’t take us long to realise that going to a restaurant with very small children is just ridiculous. More of an endurance test than a joy, we would sit, edgily, waiting for their dinner to arrive to stop them arguing/fidgeting, throwing every crayon and drawing sheet in front of them to keep them occupied until the dough balls arrived. We’d eat our own dinner as quickly as possible, then rush to pay the bill so that we could escape. £40 well spent - basically paying Pizza Express for the stress. In retrospect, we should have walked past the door, laughed in the face of a hot Diavolo and a cold glass of Pinot Grigio Blush, but the adult bit of us desperately wanted to sit down in a restaurant as though life remained the same as it always had been BC. Fools, indeed.
Anyway, parental learnings aside, I have missed visiting the High Street stores since this lockdown commenced. I’ve written a lot recently about shopping your home and working with what you have, but one of the key parts of building a home that you love is the joy of the new purchase. This doesn’t have to be a big purchase - just a small addition to your room can bring happiness if you’re keen to incorporate a new trend or idea without blowing your budget. Whether it’s a new cushion or a lampshade, a vase or a plant, it’s a nice feeling to add to your space with a splash of something different. However, essential purchasing restrictions and the sad closure of our High Street stores - albeit temporarily - means that we are missing those in store browsing moments that my Mum loves so much. But worry not, I am here to assist. This week, I’ve taken four popular High Street homeware stores and curated an edit of my top buys from their websites, all of which will add that little bit extra to your interiors, whilst not blowing the budget and being delivered straight to your very door. You’re welcome. And my favourite find? The leopard candle holder which I ‘might’ have popped in my virtual basket. Happy shopping.
Dunelm
1. Sofie scalloped pendant, £12; 2. Cortado natural wicker floor lamp, £75; 3. Amber retro vase, £8; 4. Claudia wide TV stand, £209; 5. Green & gold ribbed glass vase, £20; 6. Chunky gin glass, £4; 7. Elements shaped wool rug, from £55; 8. Apartment 80cm round framed mirror, £55; 9. Sienna cushion, £7; 10. 12 pack artificial fern spray, £37.80.
JYSK
1. ARVE basket, £14.99; 2. TORLEK coral ornament, £10.99; 3. VILLIN runner, £15; 4. SARA peach striped duvet, from £12.50; 5. FELIX green vase, £12.50; 6. STENROS dusty green throw, £10; 7. ABBAS face plant pot, £3; 8. SIGVARD bamboo light, £29.99; 9. VIMORELL rust cushion, £6; 10. BJERGHUSE woven cane end table, £45.
H&M HOME
1. Pistachio soft wool blend blanket, £24.99; 2. Dusky green low side table, £39.99; 3. Bamboo pendant light, £79.99; 4. Porcelain plate, £6.99; 5. Khaki green tablecloth, £17.99; 6. Blue floral duvet set, £17.99; 7. Powder pink tasselled rug, £69.99; 8. Large light beige ceramic vase, £19.99; 9. Violet napkin rings, £6.99; 10. Cream tasselled rectangular cushion, £34.99.
TK MAXX
1. Gold tone mirror, £29.99; 2. White leopard candle holder, £16.99; 3. Vita pine cone lamp, £29.99; 4. Faux eucalyptus, £9.99; 5. Cream and ivory bath mat, £9.99; 6. Evalina towels, from £4; 7. Hardwick chevron print cushion, £12.99; 8. Pink herringbone throw, £16.99; 9. Vidrios San Miguel vase, £19.99; 10. Round banana bark basket, £16.99.