Add a bed to your next weekly shop
Supermarkets have upped their game with quality homewares
BROCCOLI, washing up liquid . . . three- piece suite? Supermarket shopping is no longer just about stocking up on store cupboard essentials. Now you can buy the store cupboard, too.
With big names, from Marks & Spencer to Asda, offering key trends at lower prices than other High Street interior emporiums, it’s no wonder shoppers are flocking to their aisles.
According to Ross Cowie, one of the 22- strong in-house design team at Sainsbury’s (made up of ceramicists, printmakers and graphic designers), it’s also down to the improved quality of supermarket homeware.
‘Our techniques are authentic, these aren’t mass- produced replicas made in China. We use handwoven fabrics from India and our designers go on two Far Eastern trips a year for inspiration,’ says Cowie.
You’re not just getting walletfriendly prices, but long-lasting quality items, too.
With this in mind, here’s our pick of the bunch:
CRAFTSMANSHIP
SAINSBURY’S: Had your fill of pineapples and palm leaves? The Japanese- influenced Shibori range from Sainsbury’s is just the tonic, with cool navy blues, handdyed fabrics, dark woods and white marble.
In the lead- up to the 2020 Olympics, Japanese style will be big news and this is a cost-effective way to embrace it. The indigo textiles are particularly lovely, featuring patterns influenced by ancient Japanese techniques, and there’s an elegant marble-topped wooden jewellery box that looks expensive but costs just £12.
Design manager for Sainsbury’s Home, Andrew Tanner, says: ‘Many of our products demonstrate a high level of craftsmanship that people might be surprised to find in the supermarket.’
Meanwhile, the zesty Case de Cuba range features engraved wood, recycled glass and a twist of citrus.
A fabulous Havana pouffe (£40) would put some zing into any neutral living space with its piquant neons and abstract floral pattern. See also the deliciously bold lemon platter, £12.
STYLISH SOFA
TESCO: Who knew you could buy sofas at Tesco? And a sumptuous bottle-green velvet one at that. As well as tempting trinkets such as the gold ombre barrel vase (£14), Tesco is great for larger pieces.
The Fox & Ivy Dexter 2.5 seater sofa (in the sale for £264.50) blends tradition and modernity, with velvet upholstery and stylish slender arms. Steven Rowe, head of design and product development at Tesco, says: ‘ Our collections enable people to update their homes without breaking the bank — be it refreshing their interior style each season with select small furnishings like lamps and cushions, or achieving a complete new look with larger statement pieces like our dinnerware sets and throws.’
If you can’t fit the sofa into your trolley, give your living room a metallic kick with the Fox & Ivy faux fur cushion for £18. Or add some texture with a knitted pom-pom throw in grey for £40.
TRAVEL INSPIRED
ASDA: It’s been selling homewares for 20 years, but the modern incarnation, George Home, offers so much more than the sturdy white crockery and oven gloves we’ve come to rely on. You can snap up anything from marble tables to a gold crocodile ornament (£8). One standout piece is the industrialcome-Victorian inspired coppereffect bell jar lamp from the Urban range, which looks a lot more premium than its £35 price tag. Asda’s collection is big on rich textures, abstract patterns and exciting accessories. On a metallic note, the geo brass effect coffee table, £119, makes a bold centrepiece. Colour lovers will rejoice at the exuberant Iberia collection, inspired by South America. For under £10, you can breathe new life into a bedroom or lift a bathroom in need of some oomph with a hot pink paisley cushion, £5 (pictured left), or co- ordinating circle and stripe bath sheet, £9 and kaleidoscope dispenser, £5.
BRIGHT IDEAS
MARKS & SPENCER: While M&S has been criticised for its uninspiring clothing range, go into the homeware section and you could emerge with a glamorous chandelier. The shimmering Margot Chandelier is £229 — less than half the price of similar offerings elsewhere.
You’ll also find textiles in country meadow- inspired greens; buttercup yellow, layered neutrals and fresh whites. Or how about livening up the bedroom with a bug-printed linen set for £49.50?
Larger items include the smart Sandford Coffee Table (£299) and the Aragon Two-Seater Sofa in Green Linen (£1,399). Or liven things up with smaller accessories like a cactus in a vivid green ceramic pot for £25.
Karen Thomas, head of design, says: ‘The way that we live today has informed our approach this season with entertaining, well-being and cooking as the prominent focal points.’