Amid all the excitement of looking at the boutique stores and the new designers, we (well all right I) sometimes forget about the good old High Street. I don’t know why because it’s great for clothes so it should be a regular part of shopping for the home too.
But, all too often, the pieces are a little bland, a little safe, a little too much of what you might find in every other house in the street. But then there’s Zara Home. This Spanish company used to be a well kept secret among fashion editors. It wasn’t yet open in the UK and they would buy shopfuls of the clothes on trips to Spain and even, I seem to recall, from Calais where there was a last frontier branch before the UK.
I remember one photographer at The Independent actually refusing to tell me where her fabulous suit came from, she was so anxious that the secret shouldn’t spread.
And then, finally, it did open here. And it’s just as good as they said it would be. Then the homeware store opened. Now I often overlook it online because the photography isn’t quite me. It can be a little too frou frou for my taste but, it’s a but like TK Maxx, you gotta get in there and rummage. And here are the results of my rummage.
Leather cushions, a leather lampstand – hate the shade but you could replace it with a linen one and it would totally transform it – brass tables and, look at that white cut out cube. It’s a bit ho-hum like that but imagine painting it with a high gloss navy blue? Yes I know. It would look lacquered and that’s very luxe and fashionable. Or even spray it gold.
Endless possibilities. That rug? Paisley printed leather. Or the square one with a gold pattern. No it’s not cheap at £349 but have you seen anything like it elsewhere. At least not at that price. And the doorstop, it could almost be a handbag.
So the moral of the story is; don’t rule out the high street but go when you have time to filter. A few well-chosen pieces will fit in well with the rest of your belongings and you can add Zara Home to your secret list. Or, you can share, as I have done here!
I love Zara Home and have purchased quite a few small home accessories from them online. At least in the U.S., they offer free shipping and free return shipping even if there’s nothing wrong with the item, you just don’t care for it. Their customer service is excellent (in the rare instance that you have a problem.) I’ve been very happy with the quality of the items as well.