Unique Desire is a handicraft shop and gallery at 10 Aylesbury Street in Pakuranga, Auckland, selling handcrafted art and collectables. Its website describes a shop packed with goods, with things stacked high and tight, so a visit is more browsing than a quick errand. The range covers hand-moulded brass, patchwork bedding, cushion covers, vintage home decor and handmade furniture, along with mechanical clocks, watches, and carved marble and wooden art.
The crafts are imported from workshops in Egypt, Syria, Jaipur and Kashmir, and the shop's trade is bringing that handwork to New Zealand buyers. The brass, the patchwork and the carved wood each carry the hand of the maker, which is what the shop is built around. For someone looking for an unusual gift or a piece for the house with a story behind it, it is a useful place to start in east Auckland.