Furnishing a home is a project, and part of the fun is the hunt. These eight places cover everything from flat-pack to antiques. A tip before you go: big pieces go by delivery, but the lamps, rugs, cushions and boxes you pick up on the day can come home with you.
Whether you are moving into your first flat, doing up a family home or looking for one special piece, there is nothing like seeing furniture in person. You can sit on the sofa, feel the fabric and see the colours in daylight. The places below range from huge stores where you can furnish a whole house in a morning to little towns where every shop is full of treasures.
1. IKEA
The big blue boxes near most cities, including Ashton-under-Lyne and Warrington in the North West and several around London. Allow a whole morning. The Swedish store’s first shop in the UK opened in Warrington in 1987.
IKEA’s stores are laid out as a one-way route through room settings, so you can see how the furniture looks in a home. Then you collect the flat-packed boxes from the warehouse. The restaurant, famous for its meatballs, is a good place for a break.
The stores are huge, and a visit can take much longer than you plan. Make a list, measure your rooms and take the measurements with you. Take photos of the labels of anything you like, with the aisle and location numbers.
Flat-pack boxes can be long and heavy. Smaller items, such as lamps, cushions, rugs and kitchenware, fit in the boot of a car, while bigger pieces are best delivered. Choose an estate or a people carrier for the journey home.
2. Tottenham Court Road, London
London’s traditional furniture street, with design showrooms and big-name stores. Furniture makers have been based around Tottenham Court Road for well over a century. Heal’s, one of the most famous furniture stores in Britain, has been on the street since the nineteenth century.
Heal’s is known for its modern design and its beautiful building, with a famous spiral staircase. Other stores on and around the street sell furniture, lighting and homeware from around the world. It is a good place to see the latest designs.
Tottenham Court Road station, on the Elizabeth line, the Central line and the Northern line, is at the southern end of the street. Goodge Street and Warren Street stations are further up. The street is close to the West End and Bloomsbury.
Many showrooms deliver, so you do not need to carry big items home. Smaller pieces, such as lamps and cushions, can come home with you. A car by the hour can take you between the showrooms and home.
3. The Trafford Centre area, Manchester
Homeware and furniture stores around the shopping centre, all in one trip. Trafford Palazzo, next to the Trafford Centre, has furniture and homeware stores under one roof. The Trafford Centre itself has department stores with homeware floors.
Trafford Park, around the centre, has big stores for furniture, DIY, kitchens and bathrooms. You can visit several in one trip. It is one of the best places in the North West to furnish a home.
Manchester city centre has more to offer, from department stores to independent design shops in the Northern Quarter. Afflecks, a Manchester institution, is full of vintage and quirky finds. Stockport, Altrincham and Didsbury have their own independent shops.
The Trafford Centre area is just off the M60, about five miles west of the city centre, with big car parks. The tram runs from the city centre. With a car by the hour, you can visit several stores and bring the smaller pieces home in the boot.
IKEA’s stores at Ashton-under-Lyne and Warrington are both within half an hour or so of central Manchester. For a big day of furnishing, combine one of them with the Trafford Centre area. See our Manchester guide.
4. Liberty, London
A Tudor-style department store famous for fabrics, prints and beautiful homeware. Liberty was founded in 1875 by Arthur Lasenby Liberty, and it became famous for its fabrics and its connection with the Arts and Crafts movement. Its prints are known around the world.
Liberty’s famous building, just off Regent Street, was built in the 1920s in the Tudor style, using timbers from two old Royal Navy ships. Inside, galleries of wood panelling surround light wells. It is one of the most beautiful shops in London.
Liberty sells fabrics, furniture, homeware, fashion and gifts, and its haberdashery is famous. Its Christmas shop opens early in the autumn, and it is a wonderful place to visit. The store is at its busiest in December.
Oxford Circus station is a short walk away. Carnaby Street is just behind the store. See the UK’s top shopping destinations.
5. Tetbury, Gloucestershire
A Cotswolds market town known for its antiques shops. Tetbury has dozens of antiques dealers, selling everything from fine furniture to curiosities. It is one of the best places in Britain to hunt for antiques.
At the centre of the town, the seventeenth century Market House stands on stone pillars. The town’s streets are lined with honey-coloured stone buildings. The church, with its tall spire, is a landmark for miles around.
Highgrove, the home of King Charles, is just outside Tetbury, and its gardens can be visited on some days, with tickets booked in advance. Check the dates before you go. Westonbirt Arboretum, famous for its autumn colour, is nearby.
Tetbury is about twenty five miles from Bath and Cheltenham, and it is close to the M4 and M5. With a car by the hour, you can visit several antiques towns in a day. See our Cotswolds villages guide.
6. Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire
Antiques dealers around a hilltop square, and a lovely place for lunch. Stow-on-the-Wold is the highest town in the Cotswolds, and it has been a market town for centuries. Its large market square once hosted great sheep fairs.
The town has many antiques shops and galleries, as well as tea rooms, pubs and restaurants. The north door of St Edward’s Church, flanked by two ancient yew trees, is one of the most photographed doors in England. Some say it inspired a door in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
In 1646, the last battle of the first English Civil War was fought near Stow. The town is surrounded by beautiful villages, including Bourton-on-the-Water and the Slaughters. It is a perfect base for exploring the Cotswolds.
Stow is about half an hour from Cheltenham and Oxford is about an hour away. With a car by the hour, you can visit the villages and the antiques shops without worrying about parking. See our Cotswolds villages guide.
7. Hungerford, Berkshire
A small town with a big name for antiques, including an arcade of dealers. Hungerford has many antiques shops along its high street, and its antiques arcade is home to dozens of dealers under one roof. It is a favourite with collectors and dealers.
Hungerford sits on the Kennet and Avon Canal and the River Kennet, in the countryside of the North Wessex Downs. Walks along the canal towpath are lovely. The town has cafés and pubs for lunch.
The town has an unusual tradition called Hocktide, when officials called tutti men visit homes in the town, carrying poles decorated with flowers. It is one of the oldest traditions of its kind in England. It takes place after Easter each year.
Hungerford is just off the M4, about an hour from London and half an hour from Newbury and Marlborough. It has its own railway station. With a car by the hour, you can combine it with other antiques towns.
8. Reclamation yards
Old doors, fireplaces, tiles and garden stone. There is one near most big cities and they are treasure troves. Architectural salvage gives old materials a new life, and it is good for the environment too.
Reclamation yards sell materials rescued from old buildings, such as floorboards, bricks, radiators, doors, fireplaces and stained glass. They are perfect for restoring a period home, or adding character to a new one. Many also sell garden ornaments and stone.
Prices vary a lot, and some items need work. Measure carefully before you buy, and check the condition. Ask about delivery for heavy items.
Many reclamation yards are on the edge of towns or in the countryside, where taxis are scarce. Smaller finds, such as tiles, door handles and lights, can come home in the boot. Heavy items are best delivered.
Getting it home
Tell us how many bags and boxes when you book, and only the cars that take them are offered: an estate or a people carrier has far more room than a saloon. Anything that will not fit in a boot, from sofas to wardrobes, is best left to the shop’s delivery.
For a day of hunting in the antiques towns, a car by the hour waits while you browse, with the finds in the boot. See 10 ways to use a car by the hour.
Ride with ZeroLanes. A car booked ahead, at a price fixed before you confirm, with the driver and the car on your journey page before pickup. Book a car by the hour.