well no longer a Dubai guppy.. but i used IKEA exclusively while i was there.. I did venture into Sharjah once to look at the 'contemporary' furniture but it turned me off and i stuck to the 'disposable' IKEA version.. cuz that's what your years spent in Dubai will amount to at the end.. :)
I personally don't really like the IKEA stuff, but tastes are different. On the other hand Homes'r'Us and Al Huzaifa Furniture have very good furniture, but are quite expensive.
From my point of view Home Center provides the best value for money, as their furniture is very nice, stylish and of good quality. The prices are reasonable as well, not as cheap as IKEA though.
I've been living in the UAE my whole life and this is how my experience in home-deco and appliances go:
For electronics, such as irons, hoovers, kitchen appliances, it is best to visit shops like Jacky's, even Carrefour has some good stuff on display and sale, or you could visit Panasonic or the Sony showroom for big items like TV's or home entertainment stuff.
I like to get my furniture from Home Center because they are not that expensive (OK, maybe a little), and you get good value for the designs. IKEA is good too but somehow it doesn't have as much variety or maybe they set up stuff too elaborately, which distracts you from the main item.
I usually get my cutlery from IKEA, and crockery from Carrefour. Pots and Pans from Allieds.
Another opten for good but slightly inexpensive furniture is PanGulf.
I got my furniture from homecenter, I like their ideas. :k:
and I also got all my kitchen appliances from Carrefour they offer a good variety and price.
I have also found HyperPand to have more and nicevariety of appliances too. I liked their prices too.
For every 250 Dhs. you spend at Home Center during the Dubai Shopping Festival you get a 50 Dhs. voucher free.
They had the same offer during the DSS (Dubai Summer Surprises) and I made full use of it, because when you buy furniture you obviously spend several multiples of 250 Dhs.