Kristin Van Buskirk has got a soft spot for Dutch designers which she developed while working for Nike in Amsterdam. She grew to appreciate the unusual places their thought processes go over there, so when she set up her first bricks and mortar business in Portland, Oregon, Van Buskirk knew exactly where to look for talented folk making cool stuff. She yoinked the best of the independent European design scene and it is now to be found at Woonwinkel (Dutch for “home shop”) in Portland’s West End.

It’s a creative spot, Portland, and Woonwinkel hasn’t neglected to gather work from local designers either, so there’s a great mixture of styles with which to deck out your gaff. There lots of natural materials here – Van Buskirk and business partner Erica Essink like wood, wool and ceramics which avoid the overly sharp trends of modern design, and if you didn’t know it from the name, this is not the place to look for super serious or super slick, but is perfect for that little character piece you always knew existed, but never knew where to search for. You can browse online as well.