The Sterling shopping guide

Have yourselves a very stylish Christmas with our guide to the most intriguing shops in Sterling’s destinations. From design classics to gourmet treats, we’ve got your gift list covered

words by Luke Buenaventura, Anna Nicholas

Amsterdam
Frozen Fountain

Among other things, this cutting-edge gallery-cum-shop sells products from celebrated Dutch designer Tord Boontje, including a set of crockery and textiles in his distinctive, nature-inspired floral designs. Piet Hein Eek’s eco-chic furniture made of reclaimed driftwood lacquered with varnish is exquisite and the range of Hella Jongerius’ quirky take on traditional Delft porcelain will certainly be antiques of the future if you can stump up enough euros to make the initial investment. The Ceci N’est Pas Un Livre invisible bookshelf, which seems to float on the wall when you stack books, is one of their star products and would make a perfect stocking-filler.
» Prinsengracht 629, +31 20 622 9375, www.frozenfountain.nl

Amsterdam
Droog Design

The Netherlands’ premier design collective was launched over a decade ago and has since become the toast of design fairs across the globe, thanks to their innovative and witty products. Shipping home some of the funky furniture (and squeezing it under the Christmas tree) may prove a little tricky – and certainly pricey. But interiors accessories like Cynthia Hathaway’s Digital Cuckoo Clock and Bas Warmoeskerken’s shiny plastic bowls inspired by imperfect medieval pottery will go down a treat.
» Staalstraat 7a, +31 20 523 5050, www.droogdesign.nl

Barcelona
Vinçon

Vinçon has been supplying the design-savvy of Barcelona with furniture, lighting and interiors accessories since it launched in the ’60s and now also has a large branch in Madrid. Best-sellers to take home include the Non-Drip Drizzler which you can fill with premium olive oil from the Boqueria market, the stackable Zig-Zag bottle rack, which could store bottles of Rioja, and lightly-scented, triple-ply black toilet paper to jazz up the smallest room in the house. If you really fancy splashing out, head up to the third floor to the in-house art gallery and they’ll ship your one-off canvases home.
» Passeig de Gracia 96, +34 93 215 6050, www.vincon.com

Barcelona
Lobby

You could argue that Y-3 shoes and menswear by Yohi Yamamoto, Etro perfume and Classified cosmetics are available for purchase at boutiques all over the world. But the expertly edited selection of fashion and accessories at Lobby in Barcelona’s trendy district of El Born make it an ideal one-stop shop for picking up prezzies for your loved ones for the festive period. Clavo organic chocolate, which comes in a tin emblazoned with groovy graphics, and a slick black bottle of top quality IO olive oil are among the Spanish goodies on sale.
» Ribera 5, +34 93 319 3855, www.lobby-bcn.com

Copenhagen
Normann

Formerly a cinema, this cavernous design emporium stocks mainly furniture, but there are plenty of great little portable purchases that you can fit in your hand-luggage. A chic black ashtray by Tom Stepp, an elegant plant pot by Julie Storm and Ole Jensen’s nifty little dustpan and brush all make great gifts and for the designer foodie there are salad servers, glasses and even paper towel holders on offer.
» Osterbrogade 70, +45 35 554 459, www.normann-copenhagen.com

Copenhagen
Holly Golightly

This tiny, whimsical boutique has everything for the modern girl about town who has a penchant for Breakfast at Tiffanys. A carefully selected collection of frocks, bags and accessories by the likes of Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Marni and Bottega Veneta (all pretty hard to come by in Denmark) can be found on its exclusive shelves and rails. There are plenty of cute outfits for kids, too, as well as quirky little gems from around the world that make great stocking-fillers.
» Gl. Mont 2, +45 33 141 915, www.hollygolightly.dk

London
Tea Palace

Near London’s Portobello Market in Notting Hill, the newly opened Tea Palace is a combined tearoom and shop where you can taste any of the 150 varieties of tea available before you buy. Founded not by some elderly aunt but by a young, blonde and glamorous Londoner, Tara Calcraft, the chic shop at the Tea Palace is the place to pick up such quintessentially British gifts as a silver tea-leaf strainer, delicate white pot with matching cups, or a purple satin sack of your favourite brew. And if you’re having a hard time making up your mind, there’s even a tea sommelier at hand to talk you through the subtleties of flavour.
» 175 Westbourne Grove, +44 (0)20 7727 2600, www.teapalace.co.uk

London
twentytwentyone

Pick up a selection of British glossy interiors magazines any month of the year and it’s only a matter of time before you stumble across a credit for twentytwentyone. This small boutique in Islington, the heartland of London’s chattering classes, stocks such a great selection of new and vintage design goodies that it’s impossible to leave empty-handed. Stick to perusing the long glass cabinets on your left for stationery, limited edition ceramics and groovy gadgets like Naoto Fukasawa’s lightbulb-shaped torch, and head for the back of the shop for portable Christmas presents like the Skuggflora self-adhesive vinyl illustrations and Gerd Arntz’s hare-shaped doormat.
» 20/21 Upper Street, +44 (0)20 7837 1900, www.twentytwentyone.com

Palma, Mallorca
Anavida

In Palma’s old town, with its warren of cobbled streets and gracious yet run-down aristocratic houses, there’s been a revolution. The place is being cleaned up; art galleries and design shops are popping up left and right, and a whiff of fresh paint hangs in the air. On Can Sales, Anavida has arrived, bursting with colour and life. This welcoming emporium of style presents an eclectic mix of glassware, 19th-century Swedish furniture, cushions, drapes, inspired and eccentric gifts, candles, mirrors and rugs. A home design service is also offered.
» Calle Can Sales 5, Palma, +34 666521437, www.anavida.com

Paris
Lancel

The Lancel family started selling smoking paraphernalia to well-heeled Parisians 130 years ago, producing the first ever automatic cigarette lighter in the 1930s. Since then, they’ve branched out into elegant, branded luggage, wallets, belts, gloves and brollies, exquisite gold and silverware, crystal and porcelain. A hand-made iPod cover, blackberry-holder or change wallet for those pesky left-over eurocents are just some of the original gifts you can snap up for the man or woman who seems to have everything in this gorgeous, glass-roofed store on the most famous avenue in Paris.
» 127 Avenue des Champs Elysees, +33 (0)1 56 89 1570, www.lancel.com

Paris
Colette

Although Paris’ legendary concept store turns 10 next year, its 700 square metres of heavenly retail space remain as fresh and funky as ever. True to its ‘styledesignartfood’ tag-line, the collection of designer fashion labels, edgy streetwear, limited-edition coffee-table tomes, jewellery, watches, rare CDs and cult DVDs offers the complete package for the lifestyle-conscious urbanite. If you have time before or after your shopping spree, stop off at the Water-bar to tuck into an elaborate salad, sample one of their 100 mineral waters from around the world and check out what le tout Paris is wearing this season.
» 213 rue Saint Honoré, +33 (0)1 55 35 33 90, www.collette.fr

Rome
’Gusto Emporio

’Gusto has been a mecca for fans of Italian cuisine since it opened in the ’90s. The pizzeria, wine bar and restaurant are a magnet for Rome’s beautiful people and its in-house store sells all manner of slickly designed culinary gadgets and kitchen implements. While you’re stocking up on quirky parmesan graters, cafetières, ice-cream scoops and pizza slicers, make sure you add a few of their excellent cookbooks to your shopping basket. And if you have room in your hand-luggage, the enoteca’s expert staff will help you fill it up with a few bottles of their finest wines.
» Piazza Augusto Imperatore 9, +39 06 322 6273, www.gusto.it

Rome
TAD

Located a stone’s throw from Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, the TAD concept store makes for a perfect retail pit-stop during the cultural steeplechase of Rome’s major sites. There are slick fashion and footwear boutiques, a florist, an excellent bookshop selling a selection of international art magazines and a music section that stocks all the best international compilation CDs on the ground floor. Upstairs is devoted to interiors, fabrics and all manner of nicknacks sourced from Italy and further afield. And if you’re not too pushed for time, you can get a quick trim at the hairdresser’s and refuel at TAD’s own in-house café.
» Via del Babuino 155a, +39 06 3269 5122, www.taditaly.com.

Stockholm
Svenskt Tenn

Svenskt Tenn has iconic status in the world of Scandinavian interiors. Established way back in the 1920s, it has always promoted a certain lifestyle before the term was even coined, so much so that outlet stores have since opened in London and New York. But the flagship store in Stockholm is quite something else as it is constantly re-issuing classic retro furniture and textiles as well as promoting the new stars of the Swedish design scene.
» Strandvagen 5, +46 (0)8 670 1600, www.sveskttenn.se

Stockholm
Konsthantverkarna

This little gem of a shop is an Aladdin’s cave of gift ideas for design fans. It works like a very high-end collective for over 150 craftsmen from all over Sweden, who create top-of-the-range jewellery, textiles, ceramics, sculpture, glass, silver, woodwork and one-off objets d’art with prices to match. You won’t regret making that dent in the credit card, though, particularly when you leave the boutique with a selection of beautifully-wrapped presents with that where-did-you-get-that cachet.
» Sodermalmstorg 4, +46 (0)8 611 0370, www.konsthantverkarna.se