Liberty, London

One of the most attractive thing about Liberty is the setting - a timber-framed Tudor building with the upper floors arranged as galleries, looking down onto the lower levels. The period feel of the building is still very much in evidence, making it stand out from its glitzy, clinical and brightly lit competitors. Even the lifts are wood-panelled and charmingly small and creaky. Many of the products - the gorgeous homewares, fabrics and furniture in particular - are equally beautiful to look at, making Liberty the ideal store to wander around for window-shopping. Liberty stocks more avant ... more

The store is great and everything and well worth a visit in the flesh, but I particularly enjoy the online store. I have found that service in the store can be a little bit snooty, I get eyed by security and it is too full of frantic tourists for my taste. So the online store is right up my cyber-street. Liberty being as posh and expensive as it is, is only my choice for gifts (mainly for Grandma who loves their stuff) around Christmas time. For two years' running I have spent a fortune but not regretted the expense. I spent £35 on one box of chocolates for my chocoholic boyfriend and it was ... more