Heal’s

Heals is like Habitat with a massive mark up and better finish. Although both have a Scandinavian feel, Heals has a bit more of a retro British feel about it and some of the designs are obviously reflective of its roots as a UK furniture design company. The style is extremely modern with twists from the 50’s and 60’s, though occasionally Heals will borrow from further back in time (they are currently celebrating 200 years of business!). Recently they are getting on the fun wagon and want to inject a bit of humour into the home, which to be honest is something I don’t understand, it’s not like we all stand their laughing at our side tables and being amused by a purposefully wonky chair leg. However Heals does still do what you expect from somewhere with such a high price tag, it creates furniture that is designed and built to last.

Okay — so this place is expensive and you might recoil in disgust at the price of the sofas and cushions; in fact most things in this emporium of taste, but it’s a great place to shop for the odd select piece of contemporary retro furniture. An upmarket Habitat of sorts, the lights are downstairs, as is the crockery, on the first and second floors beds and wardrobes. There are some funky little things to be had like candy lights and bath lights etc, and there’s a sale on right now.

I don’t know why I put myself through such punishment. I know that I can afford elegant and extravagant furniture, so why I must I repeatedly visit shops like Heal’s? They have armchairs, tables, storage units, sofas, chairs, stools… some are modern, some are classic, but all are pricey. I found myself sitting in a £900 Loveseat just to get the feeling of what it’s like to sit in something of quality. (It feels amazing)
Heal’s is full of items like this. Many of the items are head turners you don’t actually need, but so desperately want. And some items are just so fantastic that you begin to do some math in your head («If I ask for a credit limit increase, then I’ll have to pay $ 250.00 a month, and if I convert that to £‘s, and if I work 3 jobs, then maybe I can afford to buy this sofa.»)

I found a lot of overpriced rubbish in Heal’s to be honest. Though maybe that was because I popped in during the Christmas run up and place was filled with familiar tat, with a slightly higher price tag than the many other nearby shops stocking the same things (themed toys and ornaments, retro furnishings, chocolate trivial pursuit…). It would’ve been a great place to go for a last minute gift as there was plenty of choice, but nothing was too inspiring. I will head back though to check out the furniture — the thing Heal’s specialises in, although you have to head upstairs for it.

Heal’s makes me drool, and since they sell furniture, I think that’s pretty impressive! They stock all sorts of classy, contemporary and retro-​inspired furniture, including gorgeous leather sofas, bowl chairs and simple, classic floor lamps. Although I normally go for secondhand furniture, for both aesthetics and value, Heal’s is one of the few places that makes me dream of wealth! It is probably worth pointing out that this is NOT the place to go if you’re looking for a standard three-​piece suite or a bargain– this place is possibly the anti-​DFS! Style and originality comes at a price unfortunately– but if you have the cash to splash and crave the kudos of owning a designer couch, head to Heal’s!
The ground floor of this large furniture emporium is home to all sorts of Christmassy bits and bobs as well as plenty of gift ideas, including Molton Brown gift sets, board games, books and confectionery. It’s worth a visit just to see the Christmas window display… the bright, shiny baubles and crackers are magical!

Heal’s is a dangerous place for people who have too much money to spend, or those who don’t but spend it anyway.
Especially around christmas this place is a haven of activity centering around the classy, tasteful and arty little knick-​knacks that Heal’s does so well. These ‘thing’s’ are really the type of thing that you don’t actually need, and were never intending on buying, before they caught your eye. I have in the past been led in by a calendar which consisted of classy, black and white pictures of different locations around Paris. It was expensive, at around a tenner, but to be fair to Heal’s it was worth it, as over the year I was able to look at the grandeur of Paris on a daily basis, which made me happy.
At the time of writing it is christmas season, and I have a feeling Heal’s is going to be a pretty popular little shop, for those in Brighton who can afford such things.

Hands down the best furniture store in Brighton, Heal’s is a four storey building that specialises in stylish and cool furniture, storage and accessories for the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, lounge, living room and office.
What distinguishes it from other homeware shops is the quality and creativity. The company clearly appreciate style and they go out of their way to employ established and up and coming designers. There’s classic Eames chairs, Phillip Starck lights, Tim Dixon chairs, hot pink flock chandeliers and cushions by Nitin Goyal.
I could happily buy most of the things in this store but the thing I really, really want is one of their Chesterfield sofas. The first problem is, I don’t have a spare three grand. The second problem is, they offer it in about 30 different shades of leather and I can’t decide which colour. Should I go black, white or turquize?

I was quite excited when I heard that Heals were coming to Brighton — but was a bit disappointed when it actually did. Admittedly it is a much smaller shop than their flaghip Tottenham Court Road store — but their range of stock is quite limited. What they do stock is blatently overpriced and of questionable quality for the money. I may have a distorted memory of it but I am sure that their London store is just that much better !
I last went in there at Christmas when I though they would have some original and nice quality gifts. Their gift section was appalling. There was nothing I couldn’t get elsewhere at half the price.
There are so many other shops to chose from in Brighton that I’m afraid this is now off my list of places I would stop off when shopping !