The best Etsy shops, as picked by interior designers and editors
A butcher's block from Etsy in food writer Juana Pepa's kitchen.
Online marketplace Etsy.com is a brilliant resource for one of a kind, vintage and handmade items. However, with innumerable amounts of shops offering ‘bestsellers’ and ‘must haves’, it can be daunting to know where to begin. Yes, there is pleasure to be found in the trawling, but it's nice to take the guesswork out of things too. In light of this, we asked some of our favourite interior designers to open up their little black books of top Etsy sellers and point us in the right direction.
What are some popular Etsy shops?
Many of the interior designers on our pages are also huge Etsy fans and no one has a better nose for a bargain or a hidden gem than a designer on a budget. As the pandemic made visiting antiques markets and real life shops much harder, many small businesses had to innovate, bringing a wealth of new Etsy stores and talented people into the world of ecommerce. These designers have haunted Etsy's infinite selection of store fronts, bouncing from shop owner to small business to find our readers the absolute best Etsy shops. Below, you'll find their top Etsy shops for furniture, accessories, textiles and more.
The best Etsy shops, according to interior designers and editors
My go to, one stop shop for adding some French charm to projects is MyFrenchAntiqueShop on Etsy. They offer a huge range of items from beautiful, unique light fixtures, to antique fabrics and linens, kitchen accessories and beyond. I fell in love with one of their tole chandeliers which we hung in our old sitting room, it remains today as one of my all time favourite Etsy finds.-Catherine Olley, dauphineinteriors.com
Bristol based KnicKnackNook have such a vast range of all things tassels, trims and pom-poms. One could easily lose an afternoon scrolling through the Etsy shop and daydreaming about all the projects yet to be sewn, trimmed and glue-gunned to the nines. We used some of their appliques, latkans and trims in our 2021 December Style Story to put the final touches on gift wrapping. It’s a shop you will revisit time and time again. -Rémy Mishon, House & Garden
I came across the Thefoundryman when hunting for cupboard knobs in my old kitchen. They offer an affordable and wide range of beautiful, well made, brass hardware - perfect for kitting out a kitchen or adding to a tired piece of furniture for an immediate upgrade! Such a refreshing Etsy find, I always go back to them and recommend them to clients. -Catherine Olley, dauphineinteriors.com
I recently decorated a 12-bedroom pub and needed a lot of lamps. I bought old ones at auction and love mixing them up with these faux bamboo ones from this Etsy seller in different colours. They are a great price and perfect size for small spaces. This red one is very smart - and I have been mixing with shades from Alice Palmer and Rosi de Ruig. -Octavia Dickinson, octaviadickinson.com
The Brighton Bombay Company are a fair trade Etsy shop selling handmade and vintage pieces from India. They have an amazing selection vintage Kantha quilts for around £100 each which make wonderful bedspreads. -Emily Senior, House & Garden
Stylish rugs at fair prices are hard to come by. Luckily Mohini Rug Store is on hand to provide just that. Their Swedish flatweaves are hardwearing, attractive and they'll even make you a custom size and design if you message them. What more could you want! -Arabella Bowes, House & Garden
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There's something so charming about ceramic fruit. They provide a permanent solution to empty bowls everywhere and add a pop of colour to a dim corner. El Consulado are especially good a ceramic pomegranates, which are weighty and perfectly imperfect. -Arabella Bowes, House & Garden
Another brilliant, customisable maker with good rugs in a variety of styles. Select from Indian dhurries, kilims and Swedish flatweaves. Whilst we haven't purchased anything from them, their reviews are excellent.
Etsy is packed with rug sellers, but I always go back to TheRugMakers. They have a large and varied range of inspiring carpets and suzanis in every colour and size, never failing to meet your rug requirements. -Catherine Olley, dauphineinteriors.com
Etsy is the most brilliant resource and it is hard to pick a favourite shop. It is particularly good for my greatest interior love though, vintage textiles, and it has been a saving grace for sourcing special one-offs while we can't travel. For reams of pretty block print fabric, (perfect for lining curtains, wardrobes and making lampshades), I love Indian Stores and this pretty plum-coloured sprig print is heaven. -Lonika Chande, lonikachande.com
I don't have a permanent favourite Etsy shop - I always tend to search for something new as I mostly use Etsy for something small to decorate a table or wrap a gift or fill a stocking - but my favourite shop du jour is BeelightCandleCrafts.
I bought hand dipped candles in different colours and they arrived beautiful packaged, with a tiny beeswax bear as an extra. I have been reading the 3rd book in Patrick Leigh Fermor's trilogy, The Broken Road, where he travelled through Bulgaria almost 100 years ago, so I like to think I knew a little about where they had come from. Even in hot weather, candles are lovely outside at night under a dark sky. -Susan Deliss, susandeliss.com
We’ve recently come across Urbanstax, who source and sell beautiful hand-dyed, printed fabrics from all across Africa. We love their vibrant, unique fabrics, which really caught our eye. We regularly design bespoke pieces for our clients and have an upcoming project in which we envisage using the Ankara fabric in teal and mustard for an ottoman, which is our current favourite design. -Howark Design, howark-design.co.uk
I love House of Waltham's stripy ceramic plant pots in candy colours and a gold stripe. The French Garden Pot is my favourite piece of theirs, but the spotty and stripy tumblers are fun too! -Sarah Brown Interiors, sarahbrowninteriors.com
I collect old china, especially lustreware and Davenport hunting scenes, and this site sells lovely vintage stuff. -Harriet Anstruther, harrietanstruther.com
I’ve found some real gems at Crown Cottage Somerset in the past. They restore and revive pieces particularly well, in authentic 18th century colours and patinas. They’ve always got a decent selection of sturdy, solid chests of drawers, tables and cabinets, which I am forever on the hunt for. For a child’s bedroom I was decorating I wanted something that was of a proper size and stature and that would stand the test of time, not dating too quickly. I found a Scandinavian style bow fronted chest of drawers on here that proved to be just the ticket. -Angelica Squire, studiosquire.co.uk
I am partial to a stripe or two and this little gem of a company sells whatever quantity batches they have and then that particular fabric and pattern is gone, so what you buy is just for you. Though ticking fabric is traditionally used to cover mattresses, the selection is wide and varied and can be used however you'd like, from tablecloths and cushions to outdoor furniture, loose covers for sofas and armchairs and even as a drape. The best bit about this kind of fabric is the way they are woven cotton, meaning the pattern will never fade as printed cottons so often do. -Stephanie Barba Mendoza, barbamendoza.com
I love the heritage behind these Swedish pieces, which were typically gifted for couples on their weddings days as a status symbol. The decorative carvings add lots of character and these would look lovely in any hallway or front room. You don't have to confine patterns and colours to soft furnishings - these add a wonderful extra dimension. -Isabelle Lomas, isabellelomas.com
This shop sells a stunning range of rare vintage lighting, furniture and design pieces. I’m always on the lookout to find unique pieces for my clients, and on Vintiques you’ll always find something that is so beautiful and completely unique – it’s a true gem! I've been eyeing a brutalist ebonized cabinet for a while. It's definitely at the top of my wish list. -Miminat Designs, miminat.com
One of our favourite Etsy shops is the artist Margo McDaid’s storefront. Margot is based in Ramsgate and started by drawing a picture a day to upload to her Instagram account about 10 years ago and now sells her work on Etsy. We love her paintings and drawings as they are quirky, original and inspired by colour. We have put them in several of our projects and both have some in our own homes! One of our favourites is “Girl in Orange Hat with Mittens." -Yellow London, yellowlondon.com
In lockdown I filled my house to the brim with house plants, I had a keen desire to be surrounded by greenery. I found it so hard to find plant pots that sit well with interiors, I like them to feel timeworn and understated and this Etsy seller has exactly that. They also sell lovely bunches of dried flowers, which I like to use in bedrooms as they are so much easier than constantly buying fresh flowers. -Pandora Taylor, pandorataylor.co.uk
Currently on maternity leave
This little shop sells sweet string wrapped lampshades in various sizes and colours. Starting at £45 they are extremely reasonable as far as handmade lampshades go. -Emily Senior, House & Garden
Another shop that sells really useful, good quality stuff. Yorkshire based Vendimia Lighting sell all the bits and pieces that personalise your lights. A great source for fabric cables in all colourways, ceiling roses and exposed industrial bulbs. -Rémy Mishon, House & Garden
Female family run Turkish Dowry specialise in towels and blankets, woven on a loom that has been in the family since the 1960’s, handed down to anatolian owner Serife by her father. Their products are exceptionally well priced and can even be monogrammed for a small extra fee. -Rémy Mishon, House & Garden
What it says on the tin. It’s nice when you find go-to independent shops to replace those trips for simple things from larger retailers. Lullaby Labels is one of them, stocking good quality, good colour labels and stickers. Not a huge selection, but a perfect, well-curated one. -Rémy Mishon, House & Garden
Gouache murano chandelier heaven. Specialising in mid-century reproductions and modern glass chandeliers. In my one day home I would like one of these in a bedroom that pays homage to the Hollywood Golden age. -Rémy Mishon, House & Garden
Is Etsy a good place to buy gifts?
The online shopping marketplace is a brilliant way to discover one of a kind pieces and some of the best gifts money can buy. There is an enormous range of high quality Etsy shops where you can buy personalised gifts, from Mother's Day gifts, home decor to stationery pieces such as planners. If you’re feeling crafty, you can find everything you need for a number of projects. Card making, marbling and craft kits are all on the cards here.
What are good things to buy on Etsy?
The shops on Etsy often sell a more curated edit of pieces than you find on Ebay, so it can be easier to sniff out good deals. It's a brilliant resource for decorative pieces, like vintage textiles or hand-turned lamps so look for those special accents. If you're not sure where to start, we have some wonderful guides on how to buy rugs on Etsy, as well as buying art on Etsy and how to buy lighting on Etsy.
