I’ve been calling Italy home since 2019 and have lived in six different apartments over the six years, all of which have come furnished with mismatched dressers and side tables, 20-year-old+ couches, and bare-boned kitchens. And if you’re like me, who grew up in a suburban American town with a HomeGoods or Anthropologie Home reachable within a 15-minute drive, decorating your home wasn’t problematic with unlimited Volcano-scented candles or funky tasseled bohemian pillows at your finger tips.
Oddly, your first Italian apartment isn’t always what you dreamed of renting from what you saw in Eat, Pray, Love.
I longed to add some personality, style, and warmth to my single bedroom or my very first bilocale with time, and quite frankly, I didn’t want to settle for Ikea cookie-cutter accessories and decorations that looked like a catalog thrown up in my living room. Although, let’s get it straight, I could never hate Ikea for its usually-affordable furniture and 2-year warranty.
After living in Rome, I slowly peeled back the Ikea, Casanova, and Satur chain shops and discovered independent boutiques and markets that would slowly bring my apartment to life. Even if you don’t live in Rome or Italy, many of these shops make perfect gifts or take-home souvenirs.
STORES
1. Booktique
Located in the historic center, Booktique is a boutique shop selling editorial books, quirky posters, photography, and ceramics, opting for items that add Roman culture and color to the Millenial’s home. I come here whenever I am looking for something to gift to a family member or friend.
2. Estremi
Bohemian linens and pillow shams, brass and ceramic drawer knobs, vintage furniture, and dainty accessories fill Estremi’s Trastevere and Monti locations. The owner works closely with artisans in India and sources his wooden furnishings. If you’re longing for an Anthropologie/Free People/ Bali influenced type bedroom, this is your store.
3. Chez Dédé
If you’ve read other Rome shopping guides before, odds are you have seen Chez Dédé on the list. The shop makes its way onto nearly every list (Hint: GOOP and Vogue), and rightfully so. This Italian-French-inspired brand is snuggled in one of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods, Regola, offering a collection of mixed in-house designed clothing, art, furniture, interior design, and one-off vintage gems.
It is pretty pricey but certainly worth a browse.
4. Lela
Across the Ponte Sisto bridge into the Campo de’ Fiori district is where you will find Lela, a Scandinavian-inspired interior design concept store. With earth-colored linens, simple tabletop decor, wooden kitchen utensils, and more, Lela instantly adds simplicity, tranquility, and refinement to your home.
5. Stay.
Stay. Store is dedicated to high-quality home linens, from placemats and curtains to sheets and pillow cases, in cotton, satin, linen or wool depending on the season.
6. Container 16
Container 16 is the best kitchen-supply and utensil store. Thanks to owner Marco Leter’s kitchen design intuition, he has been selecting household items, tableware, kitchen and wine accessories, recipe books, and more from around the world for over twenty years.
7. Giuncart
This tiny wicker weaving laboratory has been around for three generations. The store overflows with carefully woven baskets, furniture, and small accessories, including bags and hats. Each piece is made in the back of the store, where I watched my laundry basket come to life.
8. L’Argania
Located on the corner of Via dei Cappellari, which may or may not be my favorite street, is this cozy shop that sells artisanal Moroccan-style mirrors, lanterns, lamps, and other household accessories. Their storefront is eye-catching on a sunny day, as the Roman sun reflects off the geometrically shaped gold mirrors hanging in the window.
MARKETS
Rome’s outdoor Porta Portese market is the place where you will find one-of-a-kind vintage gems and vintage accessories. Open every Sunday, check out my Substack post dedicated to navigating the market with personal tips and sourcing tricks.
My other favorite store is the local Mercatino. This multiple-location franchise has shops in neighborhoods like Monteverde Vecchio and Garbatella, where you can consign and shop for second-hand goods. They sell EVERYTHING, including records, books, furniture, clothes, and shoes. The inventory constantly changes, so I often pop in weekly.
Xx,
By Gabriela Rose
For those looking for vintage, antique furniture , take a drive to Viterbo along the Via Cassia ( yes, there is life beyond Olgiata) prices are half of those in Rome, thanks to the many cantine and magazzini stuffed with pieces from past generations …I have never bought things from ikea, the real gems were created 100 plus years ago.
Heading to Rome for the first time next week and adored this article! Just what I look for when travelling 😍