Modern Country Style shops: i gigi

I've decided to blog from time to time about my favourite shops. I do masses of my shopping online so locality shouldn't be a problem in most cases (although extortionate p and p abroad can be prohibitive. Come and visit!!).

Going into i gigi , in Hove, East Sussex, is like stepping into an alternate, incredibly chic reality. The owners have got an amazing gift for arranging and displaying their wares.

They sells men's and women's clothes, furniture and accessories for the home but it's the homely bits that really sells this shop to me.

The ranges all fall into a delicious earthy palette of muted greys and browns, which could sound drab, but in their capable hands becomes modern, elegant and exquisite.

They've also recently opened a website http://www.igigigeneralstore.com from which you can browse and buy until your heart is content (which will only be when you've bought the contents of the entire shop, believe me!).

i gigi has an amazing mix of vintage pieces (when I was there they had an elm table fashioned out of a hundred-year old door...nice) and carefully chosen new pieces.

A huge amount of careful thought has gone into designing the shop (which you can peek at virtually on their site), including importing a staircase from France - when did you last do that?!!

All photos are the property of i gigi (yes, photography is another thing they can do well. Grrr!!).