Shopping: Shoptalk

OPENED IN mid-December, Mint is a new interiors shop tucked conveniently close to Oxford Street and featuring an immense variety of pieces.

The shop stocks anything that its owner, Lina Kanafani, would feel happy to have in her own home, and the focus is split between one-off, hand- crafted pieces by independent British and European designers, and high quality ethnic handicrafts from the middle east and Africa.

The store has just about everything from lighting, furniture and rugs, to cooking pots, bed linen and bags for sale, but the umbrella concept really seems to work here.

Kanafani describes the eclectic mix of styles as "modern classicism" and covetable items include large wool rugs by Paula Lenti (from pounds 200), display cabinets by Peter Larsson (pounds 275) and rubber vases by Societe O (from pounds 21), as well as antique furniture from both China and the Philippines (from pounds 400), and Bedouin rugs (from pounds 100).

Although prices range up to pounds 4,000 for the larger antique pieces, Kanafani insists that the shop should be accessible to everyone - the implication is that, whatever you buy, you will be the owner of something beautiful, even if that is a simple Lebanese pumice bought for pounds 2.

Mint is at 70 Wigmore Street, London W1H 9DI (0171-224 4406)