London shopping: Muji
One of my most satisfying shopping experiences in London is spending a bit of time in Muji. And with eight stores in the Greater London area, you don’t have to go far to stock up on some “essential” stationery items and “must-have” accessories.
OK, so maybe not “essential” or (at a stretch) “must-have”, but it’s deeply satisfying to pick up a functional (and nicely designed) product at a reasonable price.
Muji is a Japanese brand that has grown wildly in the past few years, with 15 stores spread throughout the UK. They stock a range of fashion, homewares and furniture, but I seem to always get stuck in their stationery, gifts and accessories department.
They are masters of minimalism – so there’s no jarring prints or florals here, folks. I’m a fan of Muji's clear acrylic storage range, because they make your bits and bobs look like tasty pieces in a cool gallery (see my postscript in the Tatty Devine post). I like the acrylic three-drawer box (£9.95) and the acrylic cosmetics box (£7.50).
You can also give your desk a Muji makeover with the acrylic hole punch (£2.95), large stapler (£4.95) and tape dispenser (£3.71). There’s also a lovely selection of notebooks and sketchpads, starting at 75p.
I also like Muji's fun gifts like the Re-Used Yarn Bunny (£6.95) and chunky tub of coloured pencils (from £7.95).
The best buy (and my personal favourite) is London in a Bag (only £3 now): a wooden set of all the iconic London buildings from the BT Tower to Big Ben. You can also get Tokyo and New York in a Bag (also reduced to £3 each), which look fab set up on a bookshelf. Check out my brother-in-law’s New York (which is actually in Sydney, Australia):
Muji
www.muji.co.uk
Click here for store locations.
I visited:
41 Carnaby Street
London W1V 1PD
Tel: 020 7287 7323
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 10am-7pm
Thursday 10am-7.30pm
Saturday 9am-7pm
Sunday 12noon-6pm
Tube: Oxford Circus
For more shops in W1, click here.
