The Best Home Stores in the World (Brick and Mortar Edition)
Our founder Matt is obsessed with home stores. He becomes so giddy in a good home shop he has a physiological response. His heart rate quickens, and if the place is really special, a nice mug or bowl may induce a tear or two. He knows it’s a little weird, but he can’t help it.
For us, the best home stores sell more than home goods—candles, spatulas, and the same tea kettles you see everywhere. And they feel more home than store—allowing you to imagine pieces in your own space. They’re also filled with unique objects that are not priced so out of reach they might as well be in a museum.
We debated whether home stores were an appropriate topic for us to cover, given our focus on art. The truth is, many of the stores on this list feel most like galleries filled with beautiful objects. So here goes…
Utsuwa Maesaka (Tokyo, Japan): If you love home and kitchen shops, Kappabashi Street in Tokyo might be your utopia. Kappabashi is a long boulevard, where every other shop sells Japanese knives, ceramics, kitchen supplies, and more for your home. We could write a book on Kappabashi Street but we’ll focus on Utsuwa Maesaka. Unlike many of the Kappabashi stores that start to become nearly indistinguishable with literal piles of bowl and plates, Utsuwa Maesaka is a carefully curated “gallery” of Japanese ceramics (from cups, to plates, Sake vessels, and much more).
Pro tip re: Kappabashi Street: If you’re in Tokyo and want knives, Kappabashi Street is the place to go. Many of the knives you’ll find are truly works of art.
Source: Google Maps
Cutipol (Lisbon, Portugal): Portuguese flatware brand Cutipol has a fantastic brick and mortar shop in Lisbon. They carry a wide array of global homeware brands at very reasonable prices. Shipping to the US is also pretty reasonable (or at least it was when we were there in 2021). Their website doesn’t do justice to their incredible selection (it’s more focused on their own brand), so we’d encourage you to check out the shop if you’re in Lisbon.
Source: Lisbonshopping.com
Orangerie Garden and Home (Millbrook, NY): If Nancy Meyers had a farmhouse with a massive nursery and sold fairly priced home products, she’d be wise to take inspiration from Orangerie. Everything here feels classic, but not in a stuffy, expensive sort of way. The place feels more coastal grandma—filled with things you’d imagine Diane Keaton probably has in her home. Orangerie also has a lovely nursery. There are some pricier items, but there’s enough that’s not over the top (think vases that start at $8) that Orangerie should meet most budgets.
Source: Orangerie
Illums Bolinghus (Copenhagen, Denmark): Most department stores have a floor dedicated to home goods. Illums Bolinghus is an entire department store dedicated to home. They have multiple floors of accessories, as well as furniture and lighting sections. Even if you’re not buying furniture in Copenhagen, it’s a great place to get inspiration if Danish modernism is your thing. Their Tokyo location is much smaller than the mothership in Copenhagen (and also feels more artisinal than mass market), but has a solid selection of Japanese-inspired pieces and is definitely worth a stop.
Pro tip: Other regional locations are a mixed bag. For example, we were pretty underwhelmed by their Stockholm location.
Source: Google Maps
Natural Selection (Brooklyn, NY): To say we’re obsessed with Natural Selection is an understatement. The shop’s owner maintains a constantly rotating collection of ceramics, art, and other home goods. And it is all extremely fairly priced. Run, don’t walk to Natural Selection. We chose to host our first popup here because we’re such big fans. At our kickoff event, numerous members of the Wallace community came up unprompted to tell us how much they love the store.
Source: Google Maps
Tadaima (Copenhagen, Denmark): Tadaima is a clean, minimalist shop featuring unique goods from Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Don’t be thrown off by their website, which features $535 silver fruit bowls. We bought some things that were all under $35.
Source: Google Maps
Cibone (Brooklyn, New York): Japanese home shop Cibone opened its first US outpost in 2022. Aside from a shared name, the New York location is almost nothing like its Tokyo cousin. The NYC shop features a rotating selection of Japanese ceramics, knives, and other home goods. They also regularly host pop-ups to feature different Japanese brands and artisans. Parts of Cibone feel more like a ceramics gallery than a store.
Pro tip: The inventory is constantly rotating, as are the popups it hosts. Some are better than others, so return a few times. While you’re in the neighborhood, the cafe and ceramics shop Acre (just around the corner), is also worth a visit.
Source: Google Maps
Marché aux Puces De Paris Saint-Ouen/The Paris Flea Market (Paris, France): Not so much a single store but a network of warehouses, stands, alleys, stalls, and small stores that go on for blocks. The Paris flea market, on the Northern end of the city, dates back to the 1870s and features ~1,700 merchants. We’ve read it’s the largest antiques market in the world. There are stores for anything you could possibly want (e.g. numerous record stores, art stores, etc.). If you’re in Paris for more than a few days, it’s definitely worth a stop.
Honorable Mentions
Other spots worth Googling if you're in the area.
Big Night (New York, NY): Big Night should have probably made the full list, but it gets a ton of (well deserved) publicity so felt less original to include. We love both of their spots but are slightly partial to the West Village location since it’s bigger than their Greenpoint (Brooklyn) outpost and feels a bit like a home.
E. Dehillerin (Paris, France): This one didn’t make the full list because it’s more pots and pans and kitchen supplies. BUT, this is where Julia Child would buy many of her kitchen supplies in Paris. The place is incredible and worth a browse even if you’re not buying anything.
La Trésorerie (Paris, France)
Jamais Assez (Montréal, Canada)
Point of View (Seoul, South Korea): More stationary than home store, but they have some really lovely objects.
Dansk Made for Rooms (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Ferm (Copehagen, Denmark): A bit more mass market, but cool stuff nonetheless.
Heath Ceramics (Los Angeles, CA)