Have you ever thought of buying your garden accessories from HomeSense? I always thought of it as being a home accessory shop but you can literally buy anything and everything to kit out your house and garden.
I think it’s fair to say that I’ve had a love affair with HomeSense since we moved up to Northamptonshire 6 and a half years ago.
Their Northampton store sits on a generous corner plot, in one of the town’s retail parks; and walking through the doors is literally like walking into an Aladdin’s cave.
The stock — and the layout of the store — is constantly evolving and shifting.
Go in for a lampshade and you may come out with an armful of bright cushions or a bunch of beautiful faux florals.
Wanting bathroom accessories? There’s a good chance that you’ll be sidetracked before you find them; and will end up being bewitched by a vast and gorgeous array of stationery.
So when I went to our local store the other week — to buy a new coffee pot — it really came as no surprise that I left with various other treats, that I hadn’t actually been looking for.
HomeSense is so good at this.
The HomeSense Effect
HomeSense lures you in and before you know it, you’re led on a merry treasure hunt around the store.
For those of you familiar with the store, you’ll be nodding at this point and will know exactly what I mean.
But if you’ve never stepped inside a HomeSense shop you’d probably just assume that — as it’s name would suggest — it’s a homeware brand.
And you’d be right.
To a degree.
But it’s so much more than just homeware store.
It’s part of the TK Maxx family and if you like TK Maxx home, you’ll be blown away by HomeSense. The choice and variety of product is so good — my friends and I often arrange HomeSense missions and will often spend a happy afternoon browsing through the products.
Sure — there’s furniture and accessories — but they’re not run-of-the-mill by any stretch of the imagination.
You may find a jewel coloured velvet chair. A Moroccan style lantern. Bedlinen in the perfect shade of blue, that you weren’t able to find anywhere online.
You’ll find unique pieces — one-off items that (and I know this from bitter experience) — if you don’t buy it there and then, chances are you may never see it again.
There are also gifts; toys, books and the quirkiest of items for practically any interest.
Gorgeous Garden Accessories
I wrote the ultimate Christmas gift guide for the hard to buy for a couple of year’s ago. All the items were from my local HomeSense store and covered a huge variety of gifts; for gardeners, cyclists, gourmets… to name a few.
You’ll also find branded homeware and gifts which are always up to 60% less than in other stores.
So whilst I did, indeed, find a new little stove-top coffee maker, I also found the world’s cutest garden bench, on which to drink my morning coffee.
In fact, I found so many gorgeous garden accessories from HomeSense.
I found the sweetest little bench, that looked like it was made for our garden.
I found some comfy cushions to go with it.
Blue sky. OK — I lie — it’s a gorgeous garden accessory, but I didn’t get this from HomeSense!
The little Moka coffee pot that I actually went in for.
Along with a pretty new cup to drink my coffee from.
Amazing what you find when you’re not really looking isn’t it?
Shopping with an open-mind sometimes produces surprising results.
Had I been looking for a garden bench I probably wouldn’t have found exactly the one I was picturing in my mind.
But going in with no agenda — and without my shopping blinkers on — presented me with lots of lovely things that I hadn’t necessarily been looking to buy.
And from all these things, I found a little bit of peace and happiness amongst the craziness of life.
Thanks so much to the lovely team at HomeSense for providing me with the items to style this post. To find your nearest store — and begin a journey of endless shopping inspiration — simply click on the link.
This is a collaborative post but all thoughts, words, images and styling — as ever — are entirely my own.
Rich Tyler says
When you go looking to buy a dog, end up with a cat lol
George Wright says
A giant peg! It’s a bit of fun but also keeps hold of important bits of paper until they can be dealt with!
Kim Draper says
Went to a local pub for dinner, left with a holiday! Amazing who you run into when you’re not expecting it.
Natalie Holland says
I went in john lewis to look at the gifts, I was looking for some nice stationary. Then came out with juicer!
Kim Neville says
Needed to buy some new oven gloves but came back with some pet rabbits ?
NINA MOTYLINSKI-DAVIES says
Everytime I come out of Aldi, I end up buying something completely random by accident!
Claire says
Actually from Home Sense, I went in looking for a picture frame and came out with a very cool whale stool for my daughter’s bedroom
Tricia cowell says
I had in my mind to buy a new toaster and bought a novelty egg timer
Sarah Parker says
an expensive blender :)
Saran Benjamin says
Went out to buy paint and come home with a pasta maker!! Which I must add has never come out of its box!
Jessica Hutton says
I once went to buy my dog a life jacket from a specialised shop and came home with a 6 year old 150 pound newfoundland. Best thing I have ever bought! Xx
Simon Keeping says
My dad once went out to buy a cauliflower for my Mum to make dinner and came back with two Raleigh BMX’s for me and my brother!!
lynn neal says
A large bag of teddy bear eyes!
Stacey Holmes says
I once went to Aldi to get a lettuce, and left with a hedge trimmer! Quite the upgrade, but so cheap! xx
Rachel Bonness says
A vintage flower press!
Jamie C Millard says
a 10kg box of mini eggs. Cadburys clearance, insane amount of eggs, couldn’t say no though.
Teresa sheldon says
Went to a local auction and ended up coming home with 6 garden pots which were lovely however i didn’t have a garden or no plans to get one
Susan Williams says
A caterpillar ornament for the garden. Looked ok in the shop but ghastly on the grass. Even our cat seemed to think it strange ?
Marie Elvin says
I went into a second hand shop for a powder compact to add to my collection and came out with a stuffed bird. Once getting it home It gave off such bad feelings to everyone that looked at it I had to throw it out!
Noreen says
I went to the pet shop to buy a budgie and came home with a parrot and two guinea pigs!
millia says
bought a goldfish in Scottsdale
when I only went to go for afternoon tea !
jayne hall says
looking round a farm and ended up buying a horse
karen watt says
Love going into T K Max they always have unusual decorative items which I cant resist buying something.
adrian price says
A VERY STRANGE NEOPRENE JACKET
Kirsty Woods says
I went shopping for new lights for my living room and came home with a turkey baster
Heather Haigh says
A giant caterpiller
Hayley Colburn says
I went out for groceries and came back with an ant farm (yep, pretty darn random I am lol)
ellie spider says
a little mermaid wig and a police mans hat from claires they were reduced to 10p each so a bargain but id onlly goe to get some plain studs
Juliet Wilson says
I LOVE Homesense, it’s easily my favourite shop! I went in looking for my mum’s birthday present and came out with a huge black glass sugar skull plate, it was a bargain at £8 and so beautiful.
gemma blake says
I’m not generally an impulse buyer, especially for large purchases, but I bought my bed on a whim, laid on it in the shop and couldn’t believe how much more comfortable than mine it was! Worth every penny for a good nights sleep!
Katy Malkin says
A fondant picnic blanket for a birthday cake
Hazel Rush says
I always have a tendency to pick weird stuff up in Ikea like a pack of several hundred straws that have lasted almost a lifetime!! ?
Gill Mitchell says
A teapot shaped like a cat! I saw it and just had to have it haha.
Lorraine Mabbitt says
A waffle maker never used it , never will
Stevie says
I once bought a pair of braces from a charity shop for 50p.
sharon martin says
charity shop went in for books came out with a sugar bowl
Diana says
A really old watch, it was lovely :)
Anna Horrocks says
I once went out to buy my husband a birthday present and ended up adopting 2 guinea pigs!!
Veronica Lopez-Smith says
A bus map from the 40s in the Museum of Transport just because it featured the area I live in
Laura Whittle says
Went to buy some tealights, came out with a life size Father Christmas reduced in the sale.
Andrew Hindley says
A pile of old 78rpm records
Natalie Crossan says
I’ve bought space invaders ice cube shapers before. That was pretty wierd!
Sue Dorking says
I went to buy a new kettle and came back with a microwave that was on offer!
Julia @ Rainbeaubelle says
The oddest thing? Hmm probably the time I bought my wedding dress when I was casually browsing a sale and fell in love with it! x
ELISHA says
I bought a letter box.. I have 2 old ready
ELISHA says
already*
Allan Fullarton says
This happens all the time to me, i go to buy ONE thing from a shop and come back with a whole bag full of items!
carol boffey says
went for paint and came back with garden furniture
Amanda Johnson says
I went to a carboot sale to get a suitcase, ended up coming home with a kitchen sink. I still don’t have it fitted and it’s sitting in my outhouse lol
Liam Bishop says
Went out for a shirt, came back with a 2 foot long metal pig-shaped candle holder.
Michelle Carlin says
Not me, but when my Mum and Dad first became parents to my eldest brother, they went shopping for a new coat for my Mum. They had very little money and she desperately needed a new coat. However they came home with a teddy bear instead! She never got a coat that year, but my brother still has his much loved teddy over 50 years later!
Faye Reed says
A deformed light up rubber bear from the pound shop. I felt sorry for it.
Cat Williams says
I went into a wooden art shop in Thailand to buy a small wall plaque and bought a table that looks like an Elephant – arranging shipping back to the UK was hard work!
Rachel Livett says
I once bought something on a whim that i thought was a teapot however was in fact a chicken shaped money box… It was an extremely odd experience when i tried to put it on the stove!
Lauren Old says
I came back from a holiday once and bought some guinea pigs!
Sandra Fortune says
Loads of Christmas wrapping paper and labels didn’t get the 40th birthday card I wanted that was a few days ago. !
Pete says
Before I tell you this, you need to know that my wife was with me and was more than happy to approve this unplanned purchase – A Harley Davidson! We’ve had lots of fun on Fatboy, so was a great way to spend my redundancy money :)
Clare Davies says
a comedy cd from a gig i went too -they were the warm up act – who ended up being johnny awsum that was on bgt recently
so funny x
Ben C says
I once had to buy a microwave as when out food shopping I decided I fancied one of those microwavable syrup sponge puddings… definitely worth it :D
Cheryl says
A rubber duck from the Titanic museum – I don’t know why
Maddy says
We went to a local auction looking for a cupboard and ended up buying 5 solid wood dining chairs – £7 !
Mary Houlihan says
I went to buy a bottle of wine and ended up buying a car off a neighbour. It was £50 and alas, a pile of crap.
Sarah N says
I went into a shop to buy a duvet cover and came out with a huge vase.
Lisa Wilkinson says
A sundial for the garden
Tracey Belcher says
I bought a large dog kennel once – with plans to convert to a toddler play den
rebecca nisbet says
we brought a sign for £30 rusty as anything dirty and old but looks really cool!
Jodi hill says
A garden bistro set!
(I didnt have a garden)
I put it in my kitchen!
Tracey F says
A ton of weird stuff for Halloween! Such a sucker for that stuff, but our house does look great on October 31st!
Gwyn Sharps says
A huge mirror like a French window.
Becky Yeomans says
I do this at Ikea, I go in for practical items that I need totally forget and get carried away come out with candles and decorative items and never come out with what I need!
lyn burgess says
Went to buy some paint, came home with a kitchen sink – well, it was on offer, and ours was chipped – honest!
Emma Nixon says
Went to buy some antique jewellery but came home with a pretty fireguard. Random..dont even have an open fire in our house!
Kate Woods says
I bought a massive buddah garden ornament from Asda which I did not need but just had to have, I had it in my room for years and now it is safely where it should be in my aunties garden!
Alica says
I went food shopping once and next door was a pet shop and I ‘accidentally’ went home with a kitten!
Victoria Easton says
I went to look for a little side table and came back with a table and chairs!
MANDY DOHERTY says
Went for some milk and came back with a pressure washer
Kelly Hanson says
I bought a grain of rice with my name on it on holiday once, only wanted fish n chips
T. Brailey says
I bought a lot of old craft items when I gone for some cutlery. I was able to make lots of cards etc from it. Excellent find.
Mel Turner says
I am forever going out for something and coming home with lots of stuff but not the one item I needed
Keshia Esgate says
A cat shedding arch
Louise Smith says
We went to buy my daughter some stationery from Smiggle and we came home with an eternity ring from Beaverbrooks!
Jo Carroll says
I was recently on ebay searching for a gorgeous new lampshade and came away buying a small figure of a bald man reclining in a tea cup – as if he was relaxing in the bath ;) It was actually a tea infuser. x
Carole E says
I once bought a large massaging slipper when I went to our nearby garden centre looking for plants
rebecca beesley says
I once bought a dozen kids beakers as they were reduced to 2p each in asda!
Elena Cid says
Hard to pick just one thing cause I am always buying random things. I am the worse shopper ever!
Robert Price says
A roll of plastic at a bargain price but not used
Lorna Ledger says
Not me, but my other half once came home with a huge lump of concrete?? He was on his bike too, he only went out to get a few bits, he cycled past a local auction and got it for £5 – he some how got it back in a Lidl bag for life! He turned it into a garden feature! Like a rockery thing! It looks quite fetching really! x
The Twinkle Diaries says
Hahaha!! This really made me laugh!!!! LOL!!
Ursula Hunt says
I once bought a flexible torch! I was looking for garden furniture, still cant believe I got it, and guess what I have never used it
Laura Jeffs says
An old style rotary dial telephone
Stacey Carnell says
A toilet brush last week from IKEA, amongst a trolly of other stuff i didn’t need :/
Kathy Cakebread says
hmmm a door hanger
Emma Pattrick says
Went looking for a birthday present for my niece came home with a rose made out of recycled coke cans – for me!
Jen says
I recently bought a cuddly baby toy – for myself, it was just too cute to leave alone in the shop!
Sharon Worsley says
I go into Ikea for a coffee and cake and always end up coming away with a load of things I hadn’t planned to buy or really had no use for! This happens in a lot of shops I go into!
terri kelly says
I bought a bag of red mohair wool cos it was a complete bargain!
Sheila Shepheard says
I bought some broken wall tiles from a hardware store – I had gone to buy paint. I thought I’d use them to make a mosaic but they are still in the shed!
Kerry Taylor says
Mine are usually charity shop finds – went in for some books once, came out with vintage Tonka toys. My little boy loves them, and I think they’re so much happier being played with than sat on a shelf! (Disclaimer – I may have watched Toy Story too many times :-D )
Nicola Marshall says
Went to get potatoes and came out with a garlic crusher.
Lazy Daisy Jones says
Loving your choices girl! i had a difficult time deciding too! hope all is well with you and yours?
bestest wishes
Ashley xxxx
The Twinkle Diaries says
Aaah thanks Ashley!! SO hard to pick — it’s like an Aladdin’s cave isn’t it? :) xx
Amanda says
A dishrack when I went looking for curtains
Brenda M says
Walks into shop looking for toaster….walks out with duvet cover…as you do!!
Emily Knight says
It’s always IKEA where I do this! I went in literally just to buy a toilet brush, and came out with some artificial flowers and some frozen meatballs. Totally forgot the toilet brush too…
Sarah Mackay says
Went for some salt bought a mannequin
Tammy Westrup says
I went to get a new pair of jeans and came home with a fish tank and fish…!
Sarah Cooper says
A bunny rabbit cake tin
Sinead ORourke says
Sugar tongs and I dont even take sugar in my tea or coffee
MM says
A wooden seagul on a stick. When i went to buy a pint of milk
Sophie Grayling says
It was a banana holder ?
Kelly Glen says
Brought a high chair from a charity shop but don’t have any children, I only brought it because it looked nice and it is now used as a plant holder.
Kerry Kilmister says
I bought a 5ft wooden flamingo – I honestly can’t even explain the reasoning behind it! Luckily I lost it when I moved in with my husband
Lynda Jones says
Aldi is the worst shop in the world for this I went in for the super six veg and ended up a garden table, it was such a good buy though glass and aluminium, it still looks as good an new : )
Sophie Foulds says
We went to my grandad’s for the weekend and ended up with a puppy!!
Ritchie says
I went to a charity’s summer fair and bought a book. I thought it looked familiar. I had donated it to them a couple of weeks earlier.
John Edwards says
I bought a tyre pump for car wheels. At the time I didn’t have a car ?
Fiona says
I once bought some pom poms as I noticed them whilst passing the charity shop..only nipped out for a loaf of bread!
Andrea Fletcher says
Went to a car boot to look for books and came home with 2 wooden toy boxes for my grandchildren.
Susan Smith says
Went to town to buy a winter coat, quite a few years ago now, and come back with grave stone, passed the funeral directors and they were closing, my husbands nan had never had one, but she has now
Sheena Batey says
Well it’s usually something in IKEA and usually tea lights.
Sharon Morrison says
Went to a well known Swedish shop for cushions came out with meatballs, too many biscuits and cinnamon rolls and a cutter to slice apples which has still never been used
Carolynn Woodland says
I went to buy plants and came home with a goldfish.
Helen Stratton says
I penguin lamp that is about 1 metre tall. My husband loves penguins and couldn’t bear to leave it on the shelf.
Wave to Mummy says
Ha ha really difficult question – I’m pretty good with sticking to my planned purchases. But I have bought countless of kitchen gadgets like egg boilers and slicers when just looking for basic kitchen stuff:D
Rachelanne_bee says
Not me, but my father in law went out for a new shower head and came back with a radio controlled helicopter! Safe to say my mother inlaw was less than impressed but not entirely surprised!!
Nikki says
I would have to say their seasonal range has me on my knees I’ve come out with Halloween singing snow globes , easter bunnies in every size & themed serving dishes that life would just not be complete without ! I’ve had many a buyers regret dream over things I didn’t buy there as well – total gem of a place !
Hali Kinson says
Oddest thing would have to be egg cutters in the shape of bears who knew I needed this
Tracy Nixon says
I bought a silly tea-pot once in the shape of a hotel – I never used it and don’t know why I bought it as I never use a teapot!
iain maciver says
a pair of bellows
Kelly Hirst says
I once ended up buying 5 teapots from a charity shop on a whim after having a bright idea I could incorporate them into my wedding
melanie stirling says
This is really odd,I once bought 10 hamster cages when I was on holiday abroad because I thought they looked cute and were pretty colours.
Kelly Edwards says
How on earth did I not realise you’re from Northamptonshire?! I’ve been following you for ages as I love your style. I live in Irthlingborough! Kelly x
The Twinkle Diaries says
That’s such a coincidence!!! I keep finding more and more bloggers that live in Northamptonshire! So nice that there are more of us here than I first thought! :) xx
Ann-Marie Gould says
i once popped into a charity shop looking for some new books and ended up coming home with a random very old (50s/60s) cheese grater! i still have it and its fab
Iona Cornish says
A hammock, when I’d gone shopping for a frying pan
laura banks says
i went to get some compost and came back with tiles as they were on offer for 1p a box i figured i could do summat with them they were a bargain
Angela Moore says
I once went into an antiques shop looking for a vintage pie tin and came home with a set of 4 kitchen chairs to upcycle :)
The Twinkle Diaries says
Ha! A girl after my own heart Angela!! This sounds like just the kind of thing that I’d do!! If you have pics, you should come and link up with us on Home Etc! We love anything home or garden related. It’s such a lovely community too — so nice to meet like-minded bloggers. Here’s the link to this week’s — https://www.thetwinklediaries.co.uk/home-etc-96/ — the linky closes at 12pm tomorrow.