A certain hypocrisy is haunting my shopping habits. Over the past few years, I’ve just about managed to slow down the way that I buy clothes – avoiding trends that I know will only fester in my wardrobe, trying to invest in nicer basics rather than cheapo items destined to fall apart in the wash, weaning myself off of impulse purchases. But at the same time, my enthusiasm for bargain homewares has bloomed. I’ve never met a wiggly-edged photo frame I didn’t like. A slightly abstract vase with no discernible function other than sitting artily on my bookshelf? Consider me sold. Pastel candle sticks to fill with tapered candles that I will never actually light? Sign me up – especially if they cost less than a coffee.
It’s now easier than ever to snap up interiors bits and pieces that are both on-trend and affordable. Following in the footsteps of trendsetters such as Zara and H&M, which launched their respective Home spin-off brands back in the Noughties, almost every other high street store now seems to have branched out into selling homewares. The same goes for supermarkets, too, meaning you can grab a handful of new trinkets to brighten up the house while you’re doing the weekly shop. Platforms such as Temu and Shein offer a dizzying array of home products at absurdly low prices, from kitsch fairy lights to knotted cushions to ladder shelves; the selection renews at hyper-speed, with new trends seeming to land minutes after you’ve spotted them on social media. Later this year, Ikea is set to open its long-awaited central London store in the Oxford Circus premises once occupied by Topshop.
