This week we have an exclusive blog from interior blogger and influencer Victoria Jackson. Read on to see her experience in-store and some of her favourite shots from her visit, hoping to inspire you on your next trip.
A Must-Visit Homeware Destination You’ll Want To Add To Your Weekend To-Do…
Post in Partnership with Housing Units
Just off Junction 22 of the M60 stands Housing Units – a huge family-owned home and furniture department store in Manchester which I discovered recently after the team got in touch to invite me over.
You know me well enough to know that I happily took my camera, left my purse at home for a change, and started the hunt to find some of my favourite pieces of decor to share with you.
If you’re unfamiliar with Housing Units, it’s a retail site which started life as a single unit back in 1947 and has since grown to be Manchester’s biggest home furnishing department store. And after a quick calculation, that works out at over 70 years of experience helping people to dress and style their homes.
Housing Units spans over 200,000 sq ft of retail space, with 30,000 products from flooring to furniture, mirrors, lighting, artwork, rugs, garden accessories and so much more. Parents can even find the Coo Chi Coo baby store and Kids World, aimed at under 10’s, stocking designer clothes, footwear, toys and bedroom furniture.
Regardless of your taste, whether that’s luxe to Scandinavian – there are an incredible amount of brands under one roof for you to choose from, including Hammonds, DKNY, Sanderson Bedding, Orla Kiely, Smeg and Ulster Flooring.
And although there is certainly a department store feel rather than your typical showroom floor layout – i.e. nothing feels too pressured – the Housing Units merchandising team have paired room sets together throughout the store effortlessly to give you as much styling inspiration as possible.
If I had to sum up the aesthetics of Housing Units, it would have to be luxe glamour. From velvet dining chairs to mirrored furniture, the most amazing stone fireplaces, larger than life pieces of artwork and sculptures, alongside garden furniture that wouldn’t look out of place in acres of land, I imagine this place attracts both the affluent and the style conscious.
One of the strongest categories has to be Housing Unit’s lighting offer. With a bedroom makeover currently underway, I spent longer than I possibly should looking for the perfect bedside table lamps and ceiling light – just look at this gorgeous gold starburst statement lamp above.
The beauty of this department store has to be the fact that it’s a destination store within itself. With the various buildings, you could spend a good couple of hours window shopping, and with an onsite restaurant and cafe delivering the perfect pit-stop moment, it’s a must-visit in the north.
The Wickentree Restaurant, for example, offers everything from eggs benedict for breakfast, through to fish and chips, and the famous Bedford Afternoon Tea
On Thursday Evenings you can even enjoy a stroll around the stores and then sample Housing Unit’s Thursday Evening Special Menu where you can enjoy a two course meal for two people. Best of all you can also bring up to two children who will eat completely free.
In terms of what services Housing Units offers its customers, you can expect to find a bathroom design, carpet fitting, curtain measuring, and built-in wardrobe consultancy.
Although I wouldn’t share what the outside of a building looks like normally – I mean, granted, even the prettiest of homeware stores are usually in a standard unit – there were little snippets of Housing Units that looked beautiful on a sunny day. The dolphins certainly seemed to go down well with the children that were visiting.
If you’re interested in visiting Housing Units, you can find directions and more information on opening times etc over on the website. I’d even go as far as saying, regardless of whether you’re in the market for new homeware or not, it’s definitely worth a visit for the interior inspiration alone.
Have you visited Housing Units before or is it a new discovery for you?