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For the last word on good value and quality bedlinen, accessories and furniture, visit Whites of London. Woven wood and seagrass seats with inbuilt storage, laundry baskets, curtain panels, tablecloths, napkin rings and duvet sets all form part of the collection, with these Faux leather coasters (£12.50 for a set of six) an essential for those wishing to preserve the surface of their dining or living room tables.

Belle by name, belle by nature, the aptly named Belle Maison Home Interiors Ltd is in a class of its own when it comes to hand finished furniture and accessories

Started in 2001 as an independent retail shop, Belle Maison has since expanded to form its own UK factory in St Helens Merseyside. Today it manufactures its much sought-after designs for many other companies, but you can still buy and view its collection from BelleMaison.com.

One good thing about the approaching winter is the end of the bikini season; out goes the diet and in come the delicious homebaked buns and bread. A colourful and stylish place to put those wheat-based delights, these quilted bread baskets (£9) from the newly launched BoutiqueProvencale.co.uk, bring a welcome flavour of France to the meal – and that’s before you get stuck into the baguettes. Matching sets of two tablemats and napkins available for £22.

If your inspiration for gifts grinds to a halt at The Sock Shop, Wheesh.com should be your new best friend. Filled with a plethora of goodies, helpfully arranged into Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Children Gifts and Baby Gifts, this is a great one to line-up in time for the Christmas shopping. A particularly inviting section of the website can be found under Wall Clocks where there is a huge choice available. The Aged Metal Wall Clocks are particularly fabulous, with models such as this La Poissonnerie priced at £37.95.

The collection of art at Adila is reason enough to visit and buy from this well-presented website. The fact that it is all good value and fair trade is an added bonus. Combining ethical production with innovative design, it offers a small but perfectly formed range of art and accessories. Ten per cent of profits made from painting such as this example (£520) by Altaf Kramer are donated to Bowy House, a care home for children and babies diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, and throughout the month of September its African Mohair throws are reduced from £85 to £63.

I've just discovered The Wooden Gifts co.com and fallen in love with its range of charming hand-painted wooden boxes. Whilst sunflower patterned tissue boxes (£20.40) help mask the unsightly cardboard of a branded tissue box, the Rome Rose decorated business card boxes (£12.30) make an attractive table-top ornament and offer a handy way to keep track of good restaurants and bars around London and the world. There are many more florally designed boxes to be found here - for pencils, necklaces, sewing kits and more.

Better known for its range of exquisite, hand-made personalized gifts, Aspen & Brown has recently unveiled a new Home & Garden Collection. Decorative ironware to delicate glassware, smart storage to vintage enamel – the collection is highly eclectic with prices starting from as little as £2.95. This Botanical Metal Wall sconce brings an unusual decorative touch to the home. Featuring delicate flowers and leaves, it holds two candles and is easily wall mounted – and it costs just £19.95.

Don’t miss the House Couturier summer sale this month where a selection of its fabrics, furniture, cushions and curtains have been reduced to make way for new stock.  Crystal lamps in burgundy are down from £395 to £149, black silk shades from £248 to £125 and Burgundy cushions with crystal trim (pictured) reduced from £169 to just £88. The sale ends 31st August 2007 - not one to miss.

With the British weather living up to its reputation this summer, snuggling up on the sofa with a DVD has never been so appealing – particularly when the thing you’re snuggling up  to  is this luxury Mongolian cashmere throw from BLACK. As part of a July promotion, BLACK is offering its Grey & Ivory basket weave throw and its Cream & Taupe throw for £119 instead of the usual £170. Great for the sofa, brilliant for the bed – and utter bliss as a travel blanket on those long haul flights.

If you like to shop, shop online and shop ethically, Swallow Tail Hill.com will be right up your street. The site offers a wealth of fair trade, recycled, organic and sustainable products sourced from around the globe including wooden photo albums (£15) handmade in Klungkung, handcrafted wooden toothbrush holders (£7.50) made from reclaimed birchwood, and colourful recycled glass bottle stoppers (£5 each) – perfect for those unfinished bottles of wine fresh for the next day.

Browsing through the attractive collection of home and kitchenware at Un-usual.com, this Hommage modular Candelabra caught my eye as a fun idea for the kitchen table this summer.

With a well-deserved name for good quality, design-led lighting, furniture and homeware accessories, The Conran Shop more than makes the cut when it comes to summer sales. It is offering up to 75 per cent off over 1000 lines available to buy in store and online ,  with pieces such as this Balance Shelving unit reduced from £ 245 to £150.; its Strips Four Seat Sofa down from £2,385 to £1,015 and its Barcelona Chair from £1695 to £1,269. But quick, the sale ends 8th July.

Those with an eye for high design should beat a path to Covent Garden and the wonderful Aram Store, where there are discounts of up to 70 per cent on selected items. Lighting, furniture and accessories by top designers such as Alvar Aalto, Ron Arad, Zeev Aram and Eileen Gray (Aram Store holds global rights to produce and sell Eileen Gray furniture) all form part of the collection.