Kochhaus - Berlin

For all those aspiring to follow in Jamie Oliver’s capable footsteps, Berlin-based Kochhaus suggests a different approach to culinary delights – and their preparation. At the shop’s two locations, even the tiniest morsel comes in various sizes: individually weighed, packaged and portioned according to the latest recipes available from this novel food outlet. The simple, yet ingenious twist: rushed would-be chefs find everything they need for a great dinner – sold in just the right amounts for a simple, yet delicious dish guaranteed to impress their friends and loved ones.

So, no need to despair if you are still light years away from your first Michelin star: Kochhaus not only list’s each recipe’s ingredients, difficulty level and price per dish, but also supplies plenty of pretty recipe flyers and handy paper bags to simplify the decision-making and shopping experience. With this much help at hand, even beginners will find it easy to whip up a fragrant Arborio risotto with sun-dried tomatoes and flower petals or one of the shop’s simple, yet innovative pasta dishes. Add a boutique, yet carefully considered selection of practical kitchen utensils and fine wines and you have a great one-stop solution to those “I should cook more” resolutions or last-minute dinner invites.

Happy Pills - Barcelona

It sounds like every kid’s dream come true: a candy clinic to soothe those everyday aches, pains and bouts of spontaneous grumpiness. Spread across four Barcelona locations – and also selling their tasty meds online – Happy Pills dispense bright, bold and beautiful drops, sweets and fruit gums in the shape of medicine bottles, pill boxes or first-aid kits to dispel early signs of moody spells. Popular remedies include Against Mondays, Against the unbearable lightness of being or Pink clouds against a grey day. And in line with the medicinal theme, even the shops look like cute dispensaries, ready to supply patients in need.

Pass The Baton - Tokyo

Digital stories of analogue things: Pass The Baton elevates the concept store notion to new heights with a unique combination of online and offline, store and gallery at Tokyo’s high-end shopping centre Omotesando Hills. Here, designers and artists willing to part with cherished belongings add new meaning to their personal treasure(s) with a heartfelt back-story. Published online for all to see, these individual narratives complement items like Gucci bags or Alexander Lee Chang waistcoats and imbue them with a new and decidedly different individual flavour. In Tokyo, the resulting luxury ‘flea market’ has proved so popular that Pass The Baton soon opened a sister store in the chic district of Marunouchi. And would-be shoppers on the other side of the globe, too, can join the fun: the online version of Pass The Baton also ships to international destinations.