The best shops in Beijing for homeware and furniture
Kit out your home with stylish buys from these boutiques
Decorating your home just as you like it is an evolving task – the first flat you rent will most likely look very different to the place you're living when you're 40. That said, there are plenty of shops in Beijing that can help you on your interior design journey, from antiques to contemporary classics to unique, handcrafted pieces.
Lost and Found
This Gulou boutique is the place to head if you like your homewares to come with a healthy dollop of character. Carefully selected vintage Chinese products sit alongside sustainable soaps and accessories.
FNJI
On quiet Guozijian Jie, FNJI (pronounced 'fanji') stocks high-end furniture from Chinese and Japanese designers – and it is sleek, with mostly polished ash and walnut pieces. With all that high design comes a high price tag, but there is a selection of handmade home décor and stationery available at a more accessible price point. If you're not in the market for high-end furniture, that's okay, as the expertly renovated courtyard is still worth a trip – stop in its sunny café where you can simply take in the view over a latte.
White is Good
At the west end of Guozijian Jie, lies a stylish boutique that shines bright among the often greyish hutongs of Beijing. If, like the owners, you believe that White is Good, then this is a place for you, as every single product here is only available in one colour – white. Curated by the owners, the goods range from furniture, decorations and kitchenware to stationery, books and even clothing, and are mostly imported from Europe, Japan and Taiwan.
MUJI
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
You can't go wrong with the minimalist magic that is MUJI. Bedding is exceptionally comfortable, while bathroom, storage and organisation solutions are plentiful, and once you've sorted your home out, you might as well kit your entire wardrobe out with minimalist MUJI gear too. Because less is more, right?
The Beast
One of Shanghai-based brand The Beast's six Beijing stores, this Sanlitun outlet brings a dash of youthful Marie Antoinette elegance to the corporate neighbourhood. Flowers are the focus – the brand did grow from a small, online bouquet service, after all – but a range of homewares, jewellery and furniture is on show in its fantastic setting.
Miniso
Miniso does its best to defy classification, but it's fair to say the Chinese-Japanese brand has been a revelation since breaking out big-time circa 2015. It’s endeared itself with its budget homeware, bathroom gear and toiletries, while some of its electronics (130RMB bluetooth speakers, particularly) make great additions to the living room.
Nome
Supposedly recruiting a team of Nordic product designers, Nome is a more aesthetically conscious take on Miniso, but largely at the same price. And it's convincing: its range of decent quality, stylish enough homeware is bigger and better than its counterpart, and it also boasts a line of clothing.
IKEA
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Seems obvious, we know, but flat-pack fun from Sweden plus meatballs equals a good time. All the familiar homogenised furniture and interior accessories you've either come to love or loathe can be found in abundance at Beijing's flagship IKEA megastore, though the bed-hoggers and sofa-surfers make things rather crowded at peak hours.
Hay
A good rule of thumb to follow in the world of interior design is: Scandi equals cool. With that in mind, a visit to Hay is sure to leave you pimped out with reliably stylish homewares.
Gaobeidian Furniture Street
This kilometre-long strip is home to over a hundred stores selling handcrafted wares and trinkets, and while the 'antique' in the name often refers more to style than age, it's still a great spot to pick up beautiful pieces of traditional Chinese furniture, including chairs, carved tables and decorative panels. Some of the European antique shops are spectacular, and there are several outlets selling modern takes on Chinese classics and imported Nordic pieces.
You might have missed