Free Weekend? Tour southeast London’s best furniture and design shops

In another nod to the Dulwich Festival and all the artistic goings-on in southeast London – especially this weekend – we asked local designer, Anna Dent, to share her favourite shopping spots below the river

Southeast London is full of creative, crafty people and whilst we might not have a Brick Lane equivalent, bursting with dozens of design, fashion, vintage and interiors shops, there are some little gems dotted around. Here’s my pick of some of the lovely places to find great design, funky vintage furniture, talented designer-makers and a bit of bonkers bric-a-brac.

1. Cockpit Arts
This fantastic organisation provides studio space and business support to over 100 designer-makers in London. Their studio is on Creekside, in the heart of creative Deptford, next door to the equally great Faircharm Studios. Both have open studios a few times a year, including Christmas – great places to get pressies (plus some treats for yourself). One of my faves working at Cockpit is Jen Rowland who makes homeware, stationery and gifts. The next open studios event at Cockpit is 14-16 June. 18-22 Creekside, Deptford, SE8

2. Bunka
There’s a nice little cluster of shops on Dartmouth Rd, Forest Hill, just round the corner from the station. Bunka is mainly a clothing boutique, but also has a nice range of kids’ toys and homeware, including Mini Moderns mugs, Nina Jarema tea-towels and joseph joseph kitchen products. Next door is Stag & Bow, who sell and do pretty much everything craft-related you can think of. Buy haberdashery, hand-made furniture and clothing, learn book-binding and knitting. They also stock some tasty biscuit cushions by tea-loving Scottish designer/maker, Nikki McWilliams. And over the road is gallery and boutique Doopo Doopo, selling work by loads of local artists and designers. Dartmouth Road, Forest Hill, SE23

3.  Do South
This chic furniture and interiors shop is on the Crystal Palace triangle. They have a wide range of stock, with new pieces by Flos and Zanotta and, my favourites, lots of vintage pieces including colourful crockery, handsome wooden furniture and gorgeous cushions. They also sell furniture and prints by local artists and makers. 2-4 Westow Street, Crystal Palace, London SE19

4. Church Street
If you fancy a good rummage through some weird and wonderful bric-a-brac, funky 70s ceramics and glassware or a lovely Stag dining table then Church St in Crystal Palace is for you. Belle Coco is the most “curated” of the shops with 50s-70s furniture, crockery and glass including G-Plan and Stag. Bambino is the place to find army memorabilia, secondhand books, piles of cutlery, furniture and even a stuffed stag’s head. If all the searching for treasures tires you out you can sit outside Bambino with a coffee. Also worth a visit is Haynes Lane Market for some more secondhand treats. Church Road, Crystal Palace, SE19 

5. North Cross Road market
North Cross Road hosts a flourishing local market six days a week, mainly focused on food, but with a few craft and secondhand stalls, and nearby shops selling a good selection of vintage goodies, gifts and homeware. North Cross Vintage Store has a lovely selection of ceramics, including classic Homemaker and Meakin designs, plus furniture, kitchenalia and some fun kitsch accessories. There’s also card shop, Postmark, gift shop, Willow, and the Jennie Avent gallery which has a changing line-up of exhibitions. North Cross Road, off Lordship Lane, East Dulwich

Words and photographs: Anna Dent.