Life has been on overdrive lately. Moving to Dubai, living in a serviced apartment, house hunting, car shopping, furniture shopping, taking care of 3 kids, working full time and trying to set up a life here has been extremely exhausting. Every time I try write about the millions of things I have on mind, I end up getting distracted. Now, it is Friday night, and after a long day I have a few minutes of quiet to sit with my laptop.

Shopping has been a big focus of mine lately. We only brought over some of our personal effects (to arrive in a week or so) and are in desperate need of some essentials like beds, linens, kitchen things (this is a large area from pots and pans to appliances), rugs, etc. I don’t want to make any hasty decisions so I am shopping around. With the size of Dubai, this is not an easy task. The main stores I want to visit are all spread out. Here is what I have visited so far for furniture and liked:

Q Home Decor – I liked it better then Home Centre, however, Home Centre has some good things too.

United Furniture – this was not my taste but I did find a very basic, nice bed that was on sale at an incredible price. We couldn’t resist and bought it for our son.

Crate and Barrel – there are very few Americans that dislike this store, filled with lovely pieces of furniture and home accessories. I visited the Mall of Emirates location – there is also a store in the Mirdiff City Center  – and found several things I may go back for soon.

Natuzzi – lovely sofas

And So To Bed – dream mattresses and beds, however, we needed one in a few weeks and their’s are special order with a 2 – 3 month waiting list.

Marina Home– they have several locations including the Mall of Emirates, Madinat Souk and a few others. They have lovely pieces of furniture that will make your home look like you’ve been collecting furniture from around the world for years.

Dwell – lovely sheets and towels. I bought a great set of sheets for my 4 year old in the store in the Dubai Mall. I noticed they also have a location in the Oasis Centre.

Index Living – I popped in here while in the Dubai Mall recently and found lots of inexpensive kitchen things, a stepping stool and a few other goodies. They have everything and it reminds me of IKEA a bit.

The Dubai Mall has loads of home furnishing stores. They even have them all listed out nicely on their website.  However, I fell in love with Irony Home on the Lower Ground floor. The furniture is gorgeous and they only have a few of each piece so you end up with something quite original. The salesman was so lovely and helpful and the store smelled gorgeous as they had lit candles on many of the tables. Everywhere I turned my head, I saw something else I would love to have.

Stores I would still like to visit before I rush into any major decisions or investments:

Laura Ashley – my favorite bedspread and sheets growing up were Laura Ashley. There things are so pretty.  A friend told me she bought 2 of her beds in Laura Ashley in the Mercato Shopping Mall. I will be there soon. I have yet to even visit the Mercato Shopping Mall so it’s an experience that I hope will be happening in the next couple of days.

Roche Bobois – I have been dreaming of a sofa from Roche Bobois for almost a decade! They didn’t have a showroom in Budapest, however, I visited some of their showrooms in other countries (literally I’d seek them out whenever / wherever we were on vacation) and love, love, love their beautiful furniture. I’m thrilled that they are located here!

Pottery Barn – another American favorite and they have a store in Mirdif City Centre and Dubai Mall.

Ligne Roset – another store I saw while driving down Sheikh Zayed Road. Maybe I may find a place in our new home for their gorgeous TOGO sofa that I have always loved and admired!

Western Furniture – I have only driven by (again on SZR) but I may have to pop in sometime.

ID Design – we had this store in Budapest and I have bought so many things from the years for both our office and our home.  I have yet to visit their store here but I know it exists.

ModaCasa – who can resist good quality Italian furniture. I will have to explore their show room here sometime soon.

The Rug Company – I cannot believe they are here! For years I have loved their products that filled the pages of my Elle Decor mags!  Now I will actually have the opportunity to see them in real life… Maybe I will even be able to take one home.

Ace Hardware – this may sound funny but they have everything from Fat Boy beanbags (I will be picking these up for the kids once we move into our home) as well as great outdoor furniture.

IKEA – everyone can use a little IKEA in their home! I have yet to visit their store here in Dubai but I have the catalogue marked up with all the things I desire.

I’m sure this list is only partially complete. After all, this IS Dubai! As I slowly make my way through this list, I will try my best to keep you updated on the must sees, must haves and must skip…