Cushions, curtains, bedspreads, CD racks, vases, candles, incense, ornaments, gifts, furniture, mirrors, rugs, outdoor entertaining, clocks, picture frames, dried flowers, lighting, stationary, storage, tableware, you name it the Pier has it.

The Pier is a little known home store that have been one of my favourite home stores for some time now. Over the years I have made a number of purchases from stores, including cushions, candles, pcitures and gifts and I have always found the products of a high quality. The Pier are always more than willing to wrap your purchases for you, which is an especially nice touch if you are buying a present and I have always found the staff helpful and friendly.

The stores are relatively large, spacious and well-lit. They are generally city center based, with an Oriental/Asian twist and a little more hefty a price tag than places such as Ikea but cheaper than Next Homes for example. The products take influence primarily from Africa and Asia which makes them quite different to your average home store. Your standard candles start from about £2 up to about a tenner for the larger and more decorative types, cushions cost between £10-25, picture frames from £5 up and furniture with prices up in the £100's. The produce is high quality and individual, although admittedly the Asian/oriental touch means that it is unlikely to suit all tastes.

I've personally visited stores in central Cardiff and in Newcastle, the latter is a strange store hidden away at the back of Eldon Gardens where you could easily miss it as the shop has no outside access. There is also a store at the metro centre just outside Newcastle.

Additionally there are stores in the following locations: Aberdeen, Basingstoke, Birmingham, Bluewater (Kent), Bourmouth, Brighton, Bristol, Bromley, Cardiff, Chester, Croydon, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guildford, Hull, Kingston Upon Thames, Leeds, Leicester, Livingston, London, Manchester, Merry Hill, Nowich, Nottingham, Reading, Romford, Southampton, Southport and Wimbleton.

If you don't live in one of the places given above or if you are a fan of online shopping than check out there website and shop online at http://www.pier.co.uk/. The website is easy to use and navigate although I have never personally bought anything from them online. You must allow up to 28 days for delivery and you must be resident in the UK unless you are willing to pay additional costs which they do not explicitly state on the website. Apparently not all items are available online because of the possibility of the breakage of delicate items during delivery which I think is fair enough. For furniture, delivery is FREE for orders over £750, otherwise there is a £30 per order. For smaller items a postage and packing charge of £4.95 or for some items £12.95 will be added to your order.

There is a seven day return policy provided goods are still in good condition. For furniture you can get a full refund if you change your mind before delivery. After delivery they will deduct £50 for re-collection

Gift vouchers are also available in-store in the usual denominations.

In summary this shop has my full recommendations and if you're up for something a little different to brighten up your home then check this out!