When it comes to decorating my own house, I can be a bit of a wimp about colour. Yes, I like bright colours like pink and turquoise... I just don't want to be surrounded by them. That’s why wall decals are so fab. You can inject a bit of colour into a room without committing to painting an entire wall, say, lime green- and it's not permanent. The Columbia-road based Supernice stocks an amazing range of wall stickers. I love the look of their wall animals (pictured), crafted from vintage wallpaper, for £45. Supernice also stocks a huge range from Blik graphics, which ran the gamut from Japanese-inspired prints to Keith Haring graphics and robots. Online shopping is also available. Supernice Limited, 106 Columbia Rd, London, E2 7RG. Phone: 0207 6133890.

If you’re looking to plan a few days in Istanbul shoppping and eating before heading off to one of Turkey's glorious beaches, check into the new W Istanbul. The hotel is the W’s first foray into Europe, and is located in the trendy Besiktas area, which counts Chloe, Vertu, Bottega Veneta and Marc Jacobs as its neighbours. The 134 guest rooms are divided into Wonderful, Spectacular, Fabulous, and Mega, with the grand daddy of them all being the Extreme Wow suite, which is 1830 square feet of over-the-topness. For chilling out, there is Jean-Georges Spice Market restaurant, a fitness center, and Sip for cocktails. W Hotel Istanbul, Suleyman Seba Cad No: 22, Akaretler, Besiktas, Istanbul, Turkey. Phone: (90)(212) 381 2121.

While Heathrow’s brand new Terminal 5 may be having some teething issues when it comes to baggage, we’re excited about some new shopping opportunities there and also at Terminal 1. Heathrow has always had great boutiques, but now has some stellar exclusive beauty ranges, such as Estee Lauder’s Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia perfume, created just for Terminal 5, a new fragrance collection by Tom Ford called Private Blend, and Bobbi Brown’s Pink Satin Collection, which is perfect for spring. And if you find yourself in Terminal 1, check out the new Cocoon Beauty Sanctuary by World Duty Free, which opened in February.

Savvy travellers who prefer small, discreet boutique hotels and restaurants over massive resorts usually have Relais & Chateaux on their speed dial. I’m a huge fan of their properties- especially the Charlotte Inn in Martha’s Vineyard, Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons and the hotel Bel-Air’s restaurant. If you want to experience a bit of the Relais & Chateaux world, pop into the new Maison Relais & Chateaux boutique in London’s Knightsbridge neighbourhood, which looks more like a chic home, as it has sofas, bookshelves and a kitchen. At Maison Relais & Chateaux, visitors can pick up information about Relais & Chateaux properties, and also make reservations at the hotels and restaurants.

Yesterday I was near Trafalgar Square so I popped into the National Portrait Gallery to check out the new Vanity Fair photography exhibit. Some of the best photographs were from the magazine’s early days, featuring Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson and Claude Monet. It’s also a great opportunity to see the work of photographers like Edward Steichen, Helmut Newton, Mario Testino and Bruce Webber.  The exhibit included a few modern day classics, such as the infamous nude and pregnant Demi Moore cover shot, and the annual Hollywood cover shoot round up - as well as this powerful shot of Hillary Swank. Admission is £10 and the exhibit runs through 26 May 2008.

If you ask most Brits which stores they run to when visiting the US, you’ll probably get these three answers: J. Crew, Banana Republic and Abercrombie & Fitch. Abercrombie has made it across the pond and now fans of Banana Republic can rejoice- the first European branch is opening 20 March on Regent Street. BR will be a direct competitor to Jaeger and Reiss, and is ideal for women looking for chic and stylish looks who find Top Shop just a bit too trendy - or don't want to dress like a teenager. Savvy shoppers also know that some of the best buys at BR include the jewellery and accessories. And unlike the pricing at its parent company, the Gap, we’re all hoping that BR doesn’t adopt the typical dollar to pound price conversion.

This was a complete impulse buy, but yesterday I spotted a series of Pantone mugs in the Aram design store in Covent Garden and had to pick up a couple. These mugs are based on the colour chips and I snapped up 5757 C, a deep olive green and 449 C, a sky blue. Each mug comes with a colour chip tag which gives a bit of background on the hue; the green is the colour of British racing, bell pepper, slime and Wellies, while the blue is jeans, boiler suit, suede shoes and sapphire. A set of 10 mugs is available at ­W2 online as well as Graham and Green. 

I’m looking to buy a lot of new curtains, and I’ve come to the conclusion that unless your windows are a standard size, you’re pretty much screwed because you’ll have to pay several thousand pounds for custom made ones. On a whim I decided to make the trek out to North­ Finchley to the Curtain Factory Outlet, which I had read about in a few magazines. This warehouse stocks thousands of rolls of fabric, all starting at £6.99 a metre. While some of it is of questionable taste (hello, tiger print cloth) I also spotted lots of Cath Kidston, Designers Guild and Sanderson fabrics, as well as dozens of pattern books with every hue of silk available.

The Rome Cavalieri Hilton, one of iTravel iShop’s favourite hotels, has just launched a Very Important Pet program for pampered pooches. Fido and Rex are whisked by dog taxi to "La Domus Aventina,” a six-acre doggy day spa located 15 minutes from the hotel, and get rid of their dog stress through green clay treatments and aloe vera massages. After a brisk run, guest pups are reunited with their owners, and lavished with a personalized cashmere sweaters and doggy bathrobes designed by Odilia Prisco. For dinner, dogs are treated to a four-course in-room menu, all served up in a red ceramic Gucci-designed dog bowl set atop a vermeil tray. The menu, beginning with soup, offers a full range of first and second course options and ends with a chocolate dessert, all doggy-safe.

I have both good news and bad news about shopping in Helsinki. Here’s the good news: a new generation of designers are creating some of the most stylish and innovative housewares, furniture, and textiles in Europe. Whether designing a chair or a dress, hip, young Finnish designers remain focused on timeless style, clean lines, and high-quality materials.

The bad news is that many of the shops that sell these beautiful things tend to keep unusual hours. If you don't plan ahead, you'll be doing more window shopping than actual buying. A few shops were closed Monday - Wednesday. Most shops close between 4-6PM on Saturdays. Many are closed on Sundays.