Devon's Best Interiors Shops

Antiques, rustic baskets, pottery and rugs - Devon’s homeware shops are some of the most interesting in the UK. Here are our favourites.

Nkuku, Totnes

Baskets from Nkuku, Totnes

Signposted by a fashionably rusting modernist sign, Nkuku, on the outskirts of Totnes, is a rustic-chic repository of artisan creations from India, Vietnam and Africa – all handpicked by husband-and-wife team Alex and Alistair Cooke. Think pyramid terrariums created by a latch maker in Uttar Pradesh, hand-loomed Rajasthani block-print jute rugs, ceramics, pretty Mawia bead bracelets made in West Bengal, and Kadira leather journals crafted in Delhi. They have a lovely cafe.

The Shops At Dartington, Totnes

Artistic education centre Dartington Hall also houses an unusual shopping experience – you’ll find everything here, including natural beauty products including colourful kitchenware. At the lovely Re-Store shop, volunteer artists restore and upcycle old materials into covetable homewares. And the Tanner Bates Leather School produces hand-stitched and high quality leather goods, from luggage tags to messenger bags.

Fountain Antiques, Honiton

The small market town of Honiton has no less than 85 antiques shops, selling everything from carriage clocks to leather-bound books. Most have stalls at Fountain Antiques, on the High Street, with a handful selling the lace for which Honiton was once famed. Honiton Fine Arts sells gorgeous mid-century English oil paintings, while Strummer Pink, sells colourful artwork, mirrors, lighting, rugs and blankets made by local artisans. Take a breather at rustic café Toast.

Powdermills Pottery, Dartmoor

As the name suggests, Powdermills was once a gunpowder grinding mill, the gunpowder being used to blast rocks in the local tin mines. Located near Two Bridge, the granite buildings of the former mill now house a rustic pottery and traditional tea shop.

Quay Antiques, Topsham

The estuary-side town of Topsham is a delight: its narrow lanes wind towards the harbour, which is ringed with restaurants, pubs and antique shops. Other attractions include an appealing run of 18th-century Dutch-style gabled houses, a long riverside strand, huge antiques market on the quayside. Many shops close on Sundays. 

Ashburton Antiques, Ashburton

Dubbed the gateway to the moor, Ashburton is an elegant town whose fortunes were founded on cloth and mining. It is one of Dartmoor’s four stannary towns, where tin was bought to be taxed – and its fine slate-hung frontages house a well-to-do selection of antique shops.

Devon Guild of Craftsmen

The Devon Guild is the largest contemporary crafts centre in the South West, displaying beautiful pieces in an idyllic riverside setting, this former millhouse on a river in Bovey Tracey stocks a lovely range of products made by local artisans, including pottery, wrought iron pieces, jewellery and leatherwork. There are art and craft exhibitions, housed in airy white-walled studios, and upstairs is a rustic café, which sells a delicious salads and homemade cakes.

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Like Our Style? Get The Look, Part II

Seen something you love at the cottage? In the second of this two-part series, we reveal where we bought our favourite items, from wallpapers and paint colours, to lamps and mirrors.

BATHROOM

Our beautiful copper bathtub with tin inner was from Boundary Bathrooms. We bought the chest of drawers from a local furniture shop, then cut a hole in the top and shortened the top drawer to convert it into a sink unit. The sink, taps and shower hoop are Lefroy Brooks. The Normandy mirror above the sink is from India Jane. The Bisazza glass mosaic tiles are from European Heritage. The wooden horse on the window sill is from Oka.

DINING AREA

Our extendable French dining table is from French Finds, and the pretty Carmague dining chairs are from Oka. The wall sconces are from Graham & Green. On the dining table, the crockery is from Sophie Conran , the glassware is from John Lewis and the hemstich linen napkins are from Brissi. On the cabinet, the mirror was from Pinehouse, the pewter mantle clock is from Brissi and the table lamp is from India Jane.

WC

The birdcage mirror is from Not On The Highstreet, with a flower stem from Olive and the Fox. The glass bonbon jar was from Neptune and is filled with White Company flannels. The Moroccan soap dish, which we use for sweets, was an Ebay find, and the three etched glass jars were from Topsham antiques market. The Cassis room diffuser is from The White Company.

This is not a sponsored post and we have not been paid to feature any of these items.

Like Our Style? Get The Look, Part I

Seen something you like at the cottage? In this two-part series, we reveal where we bought our favourite items, from wallpapers and paint colours, to lamps and mirrors.

MASTER BEDROOM

Our super-soft bed linen is The White Company’s 400-thread count Egyptian Cotton range, ironed to within an inch of its life. The silk bedspread, sequin cushions and Roma bedside lamps are also from The White Company. The wallpaper is V&A Darcy Pewter wallpaper from Colefax and Fowler. We bought the mirrors from a local vintage fair. The hand-painted chandelier above the bed was from Period Style Lighting. The bedside tables were from Maharaj. The paint is Papers and Paints’ SC785.

WC

Contrasting textures enliven this bathroom corner. The mosaic mother-of-pearl are from Malborough Tiles. The shelf is a sawn-off scaffolding plank. The space was too small to fit a conventional sink in, so we drilled a plug hole in the bottom of a salad bowl, bought from George Jensen at John Lewis. The baroque gilded mirror is from Oliver Bonas. The paint is 9C, by Papers & Paints.

KITCHEN

The Lamerton blind fabric is from Colefax & Fowler. Our crockery is the Sophie Conran Portmeirion range. The wall paint is called Slate IV from Paint & Paper Library. The Provence taps are from Perrin & Rowe. The hook holding the dried lavender was hand-forged by our local blacksmith, Greg Abel. The little silver tray with tea-set is from Brissi.

This is not a sponsored post. We have not been paid to feature any of these products.