Whilst looking for some hard to find object or other I stumbled upon this fantastic store. I think I may have seen other things sold by them in the past and instantly dismissed them as international and therefore expensive. But I am wrong, as they are almost as well priced as fellow American stalwarts Target. CB2 by Crate & Barrel have fast become an American favourite of mine. Anthropolgie & West Elm both now have a pressence in the UK,  so i’m crossing my fingers that one day CB2 & Target finally join them. I love both of these stores output, they get so many trends just right without being pushed into an exclusive price bracket. Happily, both also ship to the UK (though postage and import duties do bring the price up). With CB2 you can either place an order through the company itself (in a slightly old fashioned way on email and bank transfer) or you can shop their collection through Borderfree who calculate shipping and tax for you (slightly higher than UK thresholds as I understand it). So, if you’re mad keen on something continent is no longer a barrier, hooray.  Which is much less frustrating than using American West Elm who no longer ship to UK, I feel I am forever finding great stock and emailing to see if it will reach their UK outlet, not so Anthropologie who trade here but will also ship from their American company – which makes me wonder if they operate different tax schemes, but I digress. I take my hat off to CB2 for being my best new homewares find of the year. So if, like me, you’re happy to shop across the ocean when things are particularly covetable, or perhaps you are American, these are my current faves from the CB2 collection:

1.   A table that asks you ‘Are you glamorous enough for me?’ is always a winner in my eyes. By far the most expensive item on the list but such a great design statement, it looks ridiculously high end.  Dahlia Marble Desk £518.99, here     2. This is so hipster and so New York but I have to admit also very stylish and I wouldn’t mind it adorning my own walls. It’s a great nod to the leather home trend Americans are obsessed with at the moment. Leather Wall-Mounted Catchall, £66.79, here     3. Just about the most glamorous wine rack I’ve seen for a while, looks like it belongs in an Art Deco apartment, tres chic. Karl Stacking Wine Rack £59.36, here     4.  Like something Ferm Living have dreamt of making, it’s pricey and I think I’d be a little afraid to use it, but it would look great in just about any kitchen. Grid Cutting Board, £37.12, here      5. I love these quilt boxes, so much so I have bought one. They are hand screenprinted so have an artisan feel making them look far more expensive. Quilt boxes from £18.52, here     6. Well, who doesn’t want to have a wooden Empire State sculpture in their home? This only ships to the uk through CB2 and not Borderfree for some reason. Empire wood sculpture £14.84, here     7. If I needed a coat rack, I’d buy this, simple but lovely. Six hook gauge metal coat rack £29.66, here     8. Another purchase I couldn’t resist, at this price point it’s pretty perfect. I think it may be sold out now, was $5.99, Pattern Picture frame, hopefully restocked soon    9. Bit of a note about this item, it’s really heavy, I mean, REALLY HEAVY! Despite sourcing marble offcuts in yards when I moved I didn’t figure on this being so thick or heavy. I bought it as a final touch of luxury in the bathroom and it does come with plasterboard plugs but having just fitted new bathroom furniture and freshly painted walls I didn’t want to risk it, especially if, horror, it actually fell and smashed an encaustic tile or two, so it ended up in our bedroom on an outside wall and I am just so, so pleased with it. Marble wall-mounted shelf £44.51, here     10. How I want this marble door stop in our bedroom, it came in after I’d placed my order but as we still need a doorstop it’s definitely on my wish list.  Marble Doorstop £22.24, here     11. Finally, the best shower curtain I’ve seen in 5 years, I toyed with this for quite a while but as we already have a lovely shower curtain left it, which I now kind of regret! According to the lovely lady I spoke to at CB2 it apparently has one extra loop than standard! Triangle shower curtain £29.66 here