Six shops for great birthday gifts in London

If a ringmaster retired in order to fulfil his lifelong ambition of owning a gift shop, he’d probably open somewhere a lot like Fee Fee La Fou HQ. Part gallery, part shop, almost everything on display here is available to buy, from the artfully mismatched wallpaper down to the eccentric poodle lamps. This bright store is packed full of everything you could possibly want and nothing that you strictly need, which makes it the perfect place to pick up presents.

This confusingly named super stylish store stocks cards, beautiful stationery, lovely homewares and smart accessories. It also has its own wine shop – ideal for your friends who like their gifts a bit more drinkable. In the basement is The Well at Clerkenwell, a tranquil spa and beauty salon that sells luxe spa packages, so if you don’t find anything in the shop upstairs you can really treat someone on their birthday.

PR and sales agency Paper Mache Tiger specialises in fashion and accessories. With showrooms in New York, Paris and London, it’s set up shop at the front of its Islington office. The living incarnation of a particularly well-executed Instagram post, the shop is full of bleached wood, succulents and even has its own artisan coffee shop. But it’s not just window dressing; the shop also stocks some pretty nice pressies, like playful jersey from être cécile, Finnish homewares from Marimekko, sleek Japanese stationery and homewares from Darkroom.