Vancouver Magazine
Beijing Mansion Hosts Chinese Restaurant Awards New Wave 2023 Dinner
A Guide to the City’s Best Omakase
5 Croissants to Try at the 2023 Vancouver Croissant Crawl
The Best Drinks to Bring to a Holiday Party (and Their Zero-Proof Alternatives)
The Wine List: 6 Wines for Every Holiday Wine Drinker on Your List
Nightcap: Spiked Horchata
PHOTOS: Dr. Peter Centre’s Passions Gala and the BC Children’s Hospital’s Crystal Ball
Gift Idea: Buy Everyone You Know Tickets to the Circus
5 Things to Do in Vancouver This Week (December 4-10)
Escape to Osoyoos: Your Winter Wonderland Awaits
Your 2023/2024 Ultimate Local Winter Getaway Guide
Kamloops Unscripted: The Most Intriguing Fall Destination of 2023
2023 Gift Guide: 8 Gorgeous Gifts from Vancouver Jewellery Designers
Local Gift Guide 2023: For Everyone on Your Holiday Shopping List
Local Gift Guide 2023: For the Pets
Your guide to shopping for home decor, furniture, accessories and more in Gastown.
The streetlamps and cobblestones may give Gastown a yesteryear vibe (despite the fact that, ahem, these old-world aesthetic additions are actually from the ’70s), but the design shopping here is fresh, modern and downright playful, with plenty of international inspiration to be found.
Stocked with bedding, bath and sleepwear, Sömn is a haven for linen lovers. The m.o. here is luxe fabrics—uber-soft washed linens are a specialty—paired with a stripped-down modern design sense that lets the fibres sing. 28 Water St. somnhome.com
Warm and inviting, Old Faithful hosts an assortment of minimalist lighting and Scandinavian accessories from Denmark-based Skagerak, Ferm Living and more. Look for coffee table books, thoughtfully designed home goods and an extensive Japanese craft collection—including Hard Strong glassware. 320 W Cordova St. oldfaithfulshop.com
What started as an online-only dishware company is now a full-fledged home decor destination. Find beautiful, Portuguese-made ceramic plates, bowls and mugs in matte pastels or speckled white alongside ultra-durable glassware and feels-just-right premium cutlery. 205–332 Water St. fable.com
The shop may specialize in Japanese fashion, but you’ll find plenty of conversation-starting decor pieces here, too. Case in point: satisfyingly stackable mugs in cheery hues, arresting artworks, sumptuous herringbone twill face towels and quirky dog-shaped vases. 321 W Cordova St. outnaboutboutique.com
It’s impossible to miss Inform: the family-owned design shop takes up practically the whole block. A walk through the sweeping, multi-level showroom is like a visit to a design museum—discover global brands like Herman Miller and Vitra alongside local heroes A-N-D lighting and Christian Woo. (A thoughtful selection of books and accessories make it a top-notch gift-sourcing spot, too.) 50 Water St. informinteriors.com
Sister store to Neighbour and Neighbour/Woman, Neighbour Objects carries the same quiet luxury into the home goods sphere. There are a few pieces of furniture here, but beyond the big bits, you’ll find everything you need to make a house a home, from coffee-geek-approved Moccamaster brewers to sculptural Nathalee Paolinelli candleholders to confetti-patterned Fredericks and Mae chopping boards. 51 Powell St. shopneighbour.com
Step into the Resource showroom prepared for a magic show. The niche furniture design store specializes in modern, multifunctional and transforming furniture—bookshelves turn into queen-sized beds and compact desks expand into 12-seater dining tables. Condo dwellers, take note. 124 W Hastings St. resourcefurniture.com
The espresso is strong; the croissant skills are even stronger. Grab a caffeine fix (and maybe a little sugar fix, too—snag a raspberry pavlova cruffin if you can) in Nemesis’s bright, Scandi-minimalist space to get your head in the design-hunting game before you hit Gastown’s cobblestone streets. 302 W Hastings St. nemesis.coffee
Cult-fave coffee shop The Birds and the Beets transforms at night into Juice Bar, an equally cool wine bar—so end your shopping day on the patio here with a glass of something small-batch and probably pét-nat. The bottle selection is constantly in flux, but you’re in good hands with passionate wine nerds Siön Iorwerth and Sarah Coxon. 54 Alexander St. juicebaryvr.com
This story was originally published in the July/August 2023 print issue of Vancouver Magazine—find the digital issue here.