Beijing is not the best city when it comes to kitting out your house with creative furniture brimming with personality and flair. In fact, let’s face it – our fair city is downright lacking in small furniture stores with character. Thankfully, if you are looking for something for a special occasion or to burn some of your bonus, the Dairuhe Handmade Art Store at Xinyuan Nanlu is a solid option to do just that.

Dairuhe is full of goods carried over by Japan

The name dairuhe (待入荷) means waiting for the arrival of goods, which luckily you won’t have to do once you’ve perused and filled your basket with household furnishings, accessories, tableware, and other knick-knacks that were personally carried from Japan by the owners.

Rock candy-like houses by Satoko Narita & Mellow Glass

The unique items are spread out across the store’s airy two-floor space, which is made immediately appealing thanks to its white façade, and is just as dedicated as looking good inside, using lighting that’s reminiscent of a museum’s. What’s more, that theme continues, with the owners inviting artists to hold monthly exhibitions at the venue. This past month’s exhibit was conducted by Satoko Narita & Mellow Glass from Japan, who are famous for their glass artworks, some of which were still on display in the store and include tiny transparent houses that look like they’re made from rock candy.

The heartwarming wood-carving figures by Mokko Kumakichi are heartbreakingly expensive

During our visit, there was also an individual exhibition called Wander on Forest by Japanese artist Mokko Kumakichi, who was exhibiting his wood-carved and painted animals in China for the first time. “Every figure has its own expression, which I believe allow specific ones to connect with you; take one of them home with you, let it accompany you through all your memorable moments,” reads an introduction to the exhibition by Kumakichi.

The shop’s second floor

Art, of course, doesn’t come cheap, meaning the goods from Japan here are priced at RMB 400 or more on average. That shouldn’t phase patrons looking to splurge on something special, however. That wide range of slightly upscale wares, along with the shop’s bright lighting, spacious but not empty set up, and other mindful elements make Dairuhe a pleasure peruse.

Dairuhe Handmade Art Store
Wed-Mon 11am-7pm. 1/F, One World Apartment, 16 Xinyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (6461 1687)
待入荷：朝阳区新源南路16号世方豪庭1层

Photos: Tracy Wang
This post first appeared on our sister site, the Beijinger.

I am a big IKEA lover; I go there for fun. But many people have had enough of their style, and want to find other furniture and home accessories stores in Beijing, apart from the good old Swedish favorite. I have been browsing around town to find some more options for us international folk to shop, if we don’t want a home that looks like a 70s disco.

ZAOZUO

I ran into this store thinking I would not be able the afford a thing, and I would just have a look. Well, to my pleasant surprise I found a great throw for my couch, and the prices were pretty reasonable. Very modern sleek design, and located in Indigo Mall together with some other stores that will make your home look fabulous again. Check out their website for inspiration.

MUJI

MUJI is a Japanese brand; all their things are very easy on the eye. Plain and simple is what they are known for. I love their essential oil blends, and organization baskets and boxes. MUJI can be found in almost every mall in Beijing. They stock most of the essentials for a new home.

F & M Home • High Quality

I stumbled across this furniture store in the basement of Indigo Mall, and the array of different colored towels made me wish I hadn’t got my white (now grey) towels at IKEA. F&M is a home textile brand. They sell bedding with great designs and towels in every color you can imagine.

ZARA Home

Zara Home has something for everybody, from bedlinen to soap dispensers and nicely smelling candles. I love looking around for accessories for my home. Zara Home is located in many shopping malls like Solana and in the CBD area.

QM Furniture

QM has sleek designs and furniture that looks the part; modern European designs that are a bit less IKEA and more personalized. I love wandering around this store to take pictures, and then finding the stuff cheaper on taobao.com. Don’t tell anybody!

Photos: Vendors and Pixabay

Most of us expats live in rented homes, and most likely they are not decorated to our own tastes. Beijing has its own melting pot of apartment decor, which can be, shall we say, highly original. But I don’t want to live in it.

That aside, you have picked your new home in Beijing and now you need to lie in it; or spruce it up to make it a bit more bearable for the eyes. Here some tricks and ideas to turn your house into a home.

Wall stickers

Easy to put on, and make your room a bit more snazzy. Easy to remove so your landlord will return the deposit (hopefully). Taobao is the place to go for these sticky artistic treasures. Find a map of the world here.

Throw Blanket

A nice throw blanket – I have seen many very interesting couches hunting for homes in Beijing. To cover up some of these thrones you will need a big throw. Get a Latin vibe into your home, and hopefully you can lounge without feeling like a king. Find them here.

Play Tent

Hide away from the pollution in this kid’s tent. A big contender in my book, as I don’t like ugly things in my home, and this will suit well with a “adult” living room. Find several kinds here.

Rug

A cute rug that will burn some energy when those polluted inside days come in the winter. Cheap and easy decorations for the home and kids’ rooms are easy to find online in China, so take advantage! Buy “hip hop skip” rugs here.

Storage

Storage is the most important part of a child’s room. A cute pull along storage bin will do for the small stuff, but for the big toys use a foldable bin. Find them here and here.

Cute Bedding

Make your child a cozy bed they want to jump into and fall asleep in seconds. Or at least try to do this. Bedding makes or breaks a room, and this cute kid’s bedding is a winner. Check out several types here.

Photos: www.taobao.com, www.baopals.com

According to the China IKEA English recall page, the furniture retailer received reports that PATRULL safety gates have come undone, and therefore they are urging customers to stop use immediately:

“IKEA has received customer reports where PATRULL safety gates have opened unexpectedly and children have fallen down stairs. Some of the incidents have required medical attention. A third party investigation has shown that the locking mechanism is not reliable, posing a risk for small children, despite approved tests to applicable standards.”

Their child safety policy is at first glance a refreshing and welcome stance in a country full of scandal, from vaccines to formula to school running tracks.

“At IKEA, we have a zero tolerance regarding child safety. We want to offer safe and healthy products and we think that children are the most important people in the world. Whenever we get indications of a possible safety issue with any of our products, we act. We cannot accept that there is a risk of injury while playing and as an immediate and precautionary action we recall all PATRULL safety gates,” says Maria Thörn, Acting Business Area Manager at Children´s IKEA.

In addition, CHOKLAD MÖRK 60% and CHOKLAD MÖRK 70% are being recalled “due to presence of milk and hazelnuts being insufficiently declared.” This presents an obvious problem for those with allergies.

Beijing customers can take both chocolate bars and safety gates to any IKEA store for a full refund.

Although these recalls are specific to China, expats and Chinese parents should be aware of the recent recall in the United States of America. Based on a voluntary industry standard, they’re recalling approximately 29 million units of the MALM dressers and chest drawers along with miscellaneous adult and children units in the US and Canada.

Three death incidents involving the MALM chests have been recorded, two in 2014 and one in February 2016.  “None of the chests or dressers in the [three]incidents had been anchored to the wall” reported the USCPSC.

“In addition to the three deaths, IKEA received reports of 41 tip-over incidents involving the MALM chests and dressers, resulting in 17 injuries to children between the ages of 19 months and 10 years old,” the recall stated.

Customers in the US can take the dressers back to any store in the US for a full refund. Alternatively, customers can apply for a free wall anchor kit, as the tip-over threat is removed when properly anchored to the wall, as explained in the original directions.

These incidents have no doubt spurred on IKEA’s recent campaign released on their weibo account to educate about the importance of using wall anchors – which were neglected in the cases of the child deaths.

In a statement issued to bloggers Sixth Tone, Ikea China spokeswoman Xu Lide said there have been no complaints and no accidents reported in China and the store does not intend to issue a recall.

Sources: USCPSC, IKEA PATRULL Recall, IKEA MALM Recall, IKEA CHOKLAD MÖRK Recall, Sixth Tone, and IKEA Weibo.

MINT Vietnamese Pho & Snacks
There’s a new arrival on Pinnacle Plaza, with MINT Vietnamese restaurant replacing Tapas Plus. During the current soft opening, diners can enjoy complimentary dessert of the day until the end of July. MINT is a member of the Eatalicious Group, which includes popular restaurant chain Loft Eatalicious, and are working in partnership with Dickson Noodle.Delivery service will be available in the very near future.

MINT Vietnamese Pho & Snacks
Daily 11am-11pm. 709 Pinnacle Plaza, Shunyi District; (6143 8910 / 6143 8951 / 13041177292)  

Moon River Farm Summer BBQ
Head to Moon River Farm for a full day of organic BBQ, beer, kids activities, and music on Saturday August 1, from 2-9pm. Feast on dumplings from the team of Mr. Shi, followed by BBQ food from Sue Zhou, including pork belly bao sandwich, lamb skewers, roasted eggplant, baked potatoes, salads, and curry’s. Drinks will be available or you can bring your own wine. Family and kids activities by The Hutong education team, music by DJ Tiger snake, a bouncing castle, and kids can help feed the farm animals, including pony’s, sheep, and pigs.

Ticket price includes organic snacks, full organic BBQ dinner, free flow local draft beer, lemonade, and tea, goodie bag of 500g seasonal organic vegetables, and if you book for 4 persons or more you get a free picnic blanket. RMB 280 (early bird RMB 230), RMB 100 kids aged 6-12 (early bird RMB 80), family ticket RMB 620 for 2 adults, 2 kids (early bird RMB 500). Early bird ticket prices: book before 26th of July.

Moon River Farm
1 Liqiao Shougang East Road, Shunyi District (138 1169 1305, hello@suezhoudoesfood.com) www.suezhoudoesfood.com 月牙河农场，北京 顺义区李桥首钢东路 1号

Chen Hao Furniture Closing Sale
Chen Hao Furniture has been given notice to move. The whole row of stores along Tian Bei Lu will be demolished in the coming months. They hope to be up and running in a new Shunyi location next month. In the meantime, they are having a clearance sale across the majority of their furniture stock. Beautiful hand-made items of furniture, including chairs, tables, consoles, and beds, plus a good selection of lamps. The owner assured me the new location would be bigger and better, with a significantly larger furniture making workshop on-site.

Chen Hao Furniture
Daily 9.30am-6pm. Tian Bei Lu; (5145 1102, chenhaofurniture@163.com); 天北路

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: insatiablemunch, Alpha (Flickr), courtesy of Chen Hao Furniture

Chen Hao Furniture is a furniture store located in Shunyi, and is popular amongst the ex-pat community. They design their own furniture, incorporating traditional Chinese influence. From medicine cabinets and horseshoe armchairs, to altar tables and Chinese daybeds. Everything is competitively priced. Crafted in a variety of natural woods, some with lacquer finishes, they sell a great range of pieces for furnishing your home. They also custom make furniture, to a design and style of your choice. All of their furniture is handmade using high quality wood, and made in the workshop behind their store.

A major part of the joy of owning high quality handmade furniture is in the knowledge that the people who made the pieces have brought years of experience, and take great care in their work. These subtle differences are only found in true craftsmanship and give the furniture that special something. We recently took delivery of a beautiful elm wood dining room table with eight chairs, handmade to our design by Chen Hao. The tall ladder back chairs have a distinctive curve to them, the table a very simple design. We chose elm because it’s a beautiful color wood. We wanted this key piece of furniture to be a little bit different from standard design tables and chairs, in a style which reflects our personality.

Whilst the table and chairs look great in our Beijing home, the design and style we came up with, is really for our home back in the UK. So for us, this purchase is a long-term investment. In fact, it would have cost us more to have a similar table and chairs made by a British furniture maker. Over the years, we have inherited a few unique pieces of furniture, from both my parents and my husband’s parents. The hope is that one day some of our furniture will be passed on to our children. When you’ve come up with your own design, had it crafted by hand, and then dragged it all the way across the world, there’s a good chance it will remain in the family.

The exact cost for custom made furniture at Chen Hao will depend on the piece, materials, and designs involved. You may be able to negotiate a discount, if you’re commissioning a number of items. If you have friends also looking to have some pieces made, it might be worth ordering together. Delivery for custom made pieces is usually 30 days after the order is placed. For our purchase, Chen Hao offered a two year guarantee. The dry climate of Beijing means it’s worth setting your humidifiers to high, whilst the wood is finishing its drying out phase.

Chen Hao Furniture
Open Daily 9.30am-6pm. Tian Bei Lu; (5145 1102, chenhaofurniture@163.com); 天北路
www.facebook.com/chenhaofurniture

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: courtesy of Chen Hao Furniture, Carolyn Mackin (Flickr)

For Christmas I was given a pair of Chinese guardian lions, or Shi (獅, shī). Statues of guardian lions have stood in front of imperial palaces, tombs, temples, and homes since the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). They were believed to have powerful mythic protective benefits. Pairs of guardian lion statues are still common decorative and symbolic elements, at the entrances to restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets. The lions are usually depicted in pairs. The male leaning his paw upon an embroidered ball, in imperial contexts this represents supremacy over the world. The female is restraining a playful cub that is on its back, representing nurture. My guardian lions are made of a resin material instead of stone, so they sit proudly in our lounge. They’re also bright yellow, and came from Chievoo, one of my favorite furniture stores.

Chievoo opened nine years ago and is located on the 6^th floor of Sanlitun 3.3 Costume Building (3.3大厦). They have their own designers and offer a selection of European style furniture, with something designed to fit in every household. Their designers come from the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, and Spain, but everything is made in China. They have an extensive selection of sofas and chairs, lounge and bedroom furniture, lighting, art, and quirky accessories. Their lease at 3.3 expires at the end of February 2015, so the existing store will be reduced in size by around 50 per cent. The store will then focus on smaller furniture items and accessories. Larger furniture items will be on show and available to purchase at their existing warehouse shop. Many furniture items are now on sale, as they hope to clear stock before the store re-modelling.

If you’re in to art deco furniture, then Chievoo is the place you’ve been looking for. Art deco began in Europe, particularly Paris, in the early years of the 20th century, but didn’t really take hold until after World War I. It was not just for the elite. By the 1930s, mass production meant that everyone could live in the deco style. The style was very geometric with angular shapes, a lot of chrome, glass, shiny fabrics, and mirrors were incorporated. It was also quite theatrical, with highly polished wood and glossy black lacquer, mixed with satin and furs. Chievoo has art deco chairs, drinks cabinets, and many items of lounge furniture in this style.

Some items can be custom made, and many are made to order, so factor in a couple of months if you’re planning on buying before departing Beijing. All items can be delivered to your home, but prices vary according to your location. The collections are regularly updated, and the store’s presentation modified every month, so there’s always something new to find. Chievoo is one of the best places to go, for good quality furnishings that are a little bit different.

Chievoo
Open Mon-Sun 11am-8pm
6^th Floor, 3.3 Costume Building, Sanlitun (400 0084 085, mail@chievoo.com) www.chievoo.com

Chievoo Warehouse Shop
S11 Jingcheng Expressway, Exit 8

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: Sally Wilson

When my husband’s grandma passed away, she left behind some amazing pieces of furniture. Most of which were antiques. Over the years she had built up a beautiful collection of items. One such item, which we wanted to keep in the family for sentimental reasons, was an old rocking chair. Covered with brown leather, that was now worn and torn, it wasn’t a particularly pretty chair, but it had all that history. In our first home, it sat in the corner of the dining room, but nobody ever sat on it. In our second home, it sat in the corner of my son’s nursery. When we moved to Beijing, it sat under the stairs. The torn and scratchy leather meant it just wasn’t comfortable to sit on, which was a real shame. This chair needed to become part of our furniture, but first it needed some re-upholstering.

Brenda’s Upholstery in Shunyi provides a re-upholstery service; for chairs, sofas, stools, and headboards, they are able to provide the best cover chairs I have ever seen. Any piece of furniture that you want to change the look of, the color of, or bring up to date, this is the place to come. The store is full with fabrics, samples, cushions, and curtains, in a wonderful display of colors, patterns and textures.

We were looking for a suede fabric, in a plain color, something hard wearing too. It didn’t take them long to come up with four suggestions which fitted our brief. Straight away we agreed on this gorgeous deep chocolate colored suede. It wasn’t the most expensive, neither was it the cheapest, but it was absolutely what we wanted.

The following day, they came to pick up the chair. By which time we had decided to have another two chairs upholstered, in the same fabric. So after a price negotiation, three chairs went off for a make-over, to return two weeks later looking fabulous. Over the years, we’d had quotes from re-upholstery companies back home in the UK, with prices coming in at three times what we paid Brenda’s. Not only did they do a superb job, with quality workmanship, they did it for a very good price.

Brenda’s
Daily 10am-7pm
1-5 Dragon Bay, Yu Yuan Road, Shunyi; 地址：北京市顺义区后沙峪裕园路龙湾商业街1-5号 布语天香 Contact (135 2196 5956, Brendashi@163.com)

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: Sally Wilson

A new children’s store called Shush Kids has opened up in Pinnacle Plaza, stocking a range baby essentials as well as fun and educational toys. Their main brand is HABA, wooden German-made toys with a 70-year history.

Children’s imaginations are inspired by colors and shapes; HABA combines both of these elements in the design of their toys. They’re manufactured using controlled, tested materials and conform to European and American toy safety standards. Since 2010, HABA has held the PEFC certificate to certify that the wood they use comes from sustainable forestry sources.

HABA educational toys and games include first jigsaws, discovery puzzles, hand puppets, shape sorters, animal stackers, building blocks, and picture and word books. A mini-shop, garage, kitchen, and puppet theatre make up some of the larger play items, which can be ordered through Shush Kids from HABA brochures. The HABA family is a cute range of ragdolls with clothes to dress them with and a toy stroller to play with. For younger babies, there are clutching toys and rattles made from either soft fabric or natural wood.

The HABA Matti furniture system combines practical and stylish bedroom furniture made with natural wood, in bold colors or simple white. The range of beds includes bunk beds, canopy beds, wardrobes, desks, and tables. The furniture is superbly-built in cool styles that can grow with your child. For example, the bunk beds can be split to produce one bed and one day bed. You can browse through the furniture brochure in-store or take a brochure, although prices aren’t listed in the latter.

Once the furniture’s in, it’s time to accessorize. Shush Kids carries a very cool range of bean bags and sitting sacks, with dragons, caterpillars, an entire globe, or a flowery meadow.There are plenty of colorful themed rugs and lampshades to transform your little one’s room into a unique space for them to work, play, and sleep in.

Shush Kids also stocks a range of toys from other brands. Great gifts would be the bamboo plane or helicopter, a cute soft toy, or a wooden clock to help kids practice telling the time. There are lots of toys for outdoor play, such as skittles, soft ball games, and everything you need for playing with sand, both on the beach or in a pit. Perfect for this time of year, there’s a pop-up tent that offers UV and anti-mosquito protection, making picnics much more enjoyable.

For newborns, there are baby carriers from BabyMoov, stylish and practical diaper bags and baby change mats, taggies and snuggle toys from Moulin Roty, and Born Free beakers, cups, and plastics bibs – BPA-free and safe for baby.

Finally, it’s great to have good-quality toys and baby essentials available in this part of Shunyi.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: Courtesy of HABA and Sally Wilson