Good quality homeware

[Nik2879]

I want to start replacing thing in my home as and when there needed with better quality things such as tea towels, home decor, bedding etc. Is there a shop or brand that anyone recommends? Happy to spend a bit more for quality. I get a lot of stuff from Next at the moment.

There isn't a single brand but John Lewis tends to stock the classic, quality brands.
Apart from that it's about being able to discern quality and knowing what type of materials and designs last well. I buy flour sack tea towels from Amazon which are big and square. Union linen glass cloths are also a classic.
Bedding, go for high thread count organic cotton or proper linen. Soak & Sleep, John Lewis, the White Company, Piglet in Bed, etc. I have a wool duvet and pillows from the Wool Room which I love, but not everyone gets on with them.
What else are you looking for ?
It's easy to spend a lot of money but you can also find quality second hand items if you know what you're looking for, eg. Solid wood furniture, brass lamp bases, bevelled mirrors, etc etc

We are also at this stage now DCs have pretty much left. For beds, try Enchanted House; we’ve also switched to Woolroom duvets; we have 100% linen bedding from Piglet in Bed and The Secret Linen Store; our replacement sofas (for our workhorse Ikea ones) are from Sofas and Stuff (basically, you can choose whatever fabrics you like, so you can have the style, size, appearance and comfort level to suit you and your room). We’ve tried hard to stay away from plastics and artificial materials - hopefully, what we’ve bought will see us out so we’re mindful of not adding to landfill and toxic waste for future generations to have to deal with.
We’ve also invested in bespoke curtains and blinds with thermal and blackout linings to maximise warmth through the winter (but this would be expensive if you’re planning to move in future - we’re not, so we’re spending now to future proof the house before we have to live on retirement incomes).
In terms of household stuff, we’ve focused on brands we can get spare parts and replacement bits for, so we can repair rather than chuck out e.g. Le Creuset for cookware, Portmeirion for china, Dualit. They are pricier to start with but if we break a plate, it’s not a lot to replace it in comparison to having to buy a whole new set. DH has saved us £££ simply by ordering replacement seals for the coffee machine online and fitting them himself.
Most of our decent furniture is second hand from eBay and marketplace ( be patient and keep watching, you’ll get what you are looking for eventually); we have Willis and Gambier and John Lewis Essence bedroom furniture, pretty much all second hand, 3 immaculate Laura Ashley armchairs, a Laura Ashley extending dining table, a large rug as a living room carpet. My desk came from up the road, I sanded it down, waxed it and changed the knobs - good as new. I’ve just made 2 sets of placemats from fabric I had left over from curtains and cushions too.
So basically, we’ve gone for good quality second hand where we can, natural materials and made in UK for things we’ve bought from new, brands you can get spare parts for for items that will suffer from wear and tear. We’re also looking at switching to more eco friendly brands such as Ecover and Method in our grocery shopping.
Have a look on Pinterest for designs and styles you like, then you can start looking on eBay and Marketplace for bargains!

It really depends on your style, but we get our pillows/ duvets from Devon Duvets and our bed linen from Bedfolk. For cookware I go to Borough Kitchen and for tableware David Mellor. Towels from Yves Delorme (or any good cotton/ modal mix, as they stay soft).

I just wanted to counter the recommendations for wool duvets. They might work for you, OP, but I really regret mine. It's cold, it doesn't mould around your body, and it look thin and wimpy of my bed.

I think lovely towels at homesense. Duvet covers bit hit and miss. Always a fun trip too for the random objects!!

Personally i dont like next, the womens clothes have really hone downhill over the years.
There homewear you can certainly buy better for the same amount of money

I'm in the process of doing similar.
All our furniture is good but I am using kitchen ware that has seen better days, I'm off to home sense to get everything I need for that.
I have been gradually replacing any polycotton bedlinen for cotton and muslin from Dusk and towels too.
I think there is much better available than Next, quality and prices.

I have used harts of stour before when buyong kitchen wear they used to be good value, not used them in a couple years so cant tell you if they remain the same

Harts of Stur very much still in business with good quality products and very competitive prices. We live near their shop but their website is excellent too.

M&s… love the bedding, towels etc. and house furnitures too

We used to shop there when we lived nearby but have also bought several kitchen items from their website more recently. They are great for small appliances - although our 22 year old Alessi electric kettle is still going strong so no need to replace just yet 😉

I'm also not a fan of wool duvets for the same reason as @JinksySaur , we kept ours to use in summer but haven't.

Most of our household stuff has been sourced on eBay (including our lovely Smallbone butcher's block, several antique/vintage rugs and even our antique fire surrounds) over 20+ years of it being my go to shopping destination. I only buy high end bargains and avoid cheap crap at all costs! So, eg, I love Pooky for light fittings, lamp shades etc and DH calls me their best customer, but recently I found a Pooky x GP & J Baker shade for less than a quarter of the retail price on eBay.

Our everyday rustic Portuguese dinner service was purchased at an independent store in Arundel twenty years ago and our bedding is a mix of Piglet in Bed, Sage & Claire and Society of Wanderers. We have a few Oka pieces mixed in with our mostly antique decorative items, but again these were sourced on eBay. Cushions, curtains etc were mostly made by me from designer fabric bargains, often found at Haines.

I think the key is to get good quality natural materials e.g for duvets you need cotton filling with cotton cover, for other bedding- high thread count cotton. Tbh the luxury lines at M&S are good enough.

Look online to see if you have a local antique auction. You need to be patient (the right thing wont be at the first auction you go to), disciplined (dont get carried away bidding!) understand what % commission you will pay and how the VAT is charged (on the commission, or on the total?). They will have an online list of lots & times when you can go and view. Check carefully & take a tape measure. Most sell a load of random crap, some nice decorative stuff, and brilliant furniture.

In general - dont loose sight of the fact youre buying something for you to enjoy. Not because its a bargain, or because its fashionable, but because you love it.