An Aga for Millennials, Ikea's sofa for small spaces and the colour purple: what's new in design

Designer drop at Ikea

Ikea’s latest designer collaboration latest designer collaboration is with British designer Tom Dixon, lands at Ikea, Dublin on Saturday February 10th.  Previous successful sign-ups included British designer an for Elle Decoration editor Ilse Crawford and creator of the Soho House look, Danish firm Hay.

The Delaktig, a bed slash sofa hybrid, that Dixon calls a "platform" is in essence a good-looking and simple sofa bed with no hard to manouvre pull-out mechanisms, the seat of the sofa also being the bed. It is designed for use in small spaces and sits just 45cm off the ground so no good if your knees are at you.
Set on a Bauhaus-inspired white aluminum frame, a material that is recyclable, you can configure it as a chaise longue or as an L-shape and it has removable cushions. 
What is novel, especially at this price point, is the addition of an elegant shelf, a much-needed part of modern living that forms a perch for a cup of tea or glass of wine. It eliminates the need for a separate, floor-space occupying side table.
But to get the finished effect, pictured, you have to compile several components. The three-seat base, which measures 224cm by 84cm, costs €470. It needs three back supporting and cushions and washable seat covers, these cost E65 each totaling €665. Add a side table, €55, each, in black powdercoated metal and the sofa costs €720. There is also an LED lamp that you can buy, €75, that you can affix to the sofa.
The so-called platform comes as a two and three-seat lengths with three cushion colour options; grey, blue or white. There is no colour choice on the frame or side tables. Some of the configurations are available to reserve through the store in Carrickmines and to buy online. Delivery costs from €44.
Ikea.com/ie/

Pink in the kitchen

Millennial pink is spreading. Its pale soothing tints are washing over bedrooms and livingrooms and now landing in the kitchen with Aga's new Blush-coloured cooker. It's a traditional Aga, just in a new colourway, part of a range that also includes Linen, a lighter take on the traditional cream (the first colour Aga produced; a blue grey shade called Dove; and a dark grey called Slate. Choose carefully – an Aga is for life, so you need to love that colour. Prices start from about €9,000. The Aga Shop, KAL Advisory Centre, 4078 Kingswood Road Citywest Business Campus, Dublin 24. Tel 01 4136466.

Harvey Norman fundraiser

Hats off to Harvey Norman which is supporting the Peter McVerry Trust with a fundraising drive to fit out 20 homes. The stores will be appealing to the public to help and will be matching all €1 donations at the tills or online. With a target of €170,000, contributors will be able to track the progress of the Making Homes campaign online at harveynorman.ie/makinghomes

Richmond Homes buys prominent residential site in Ballsbridge for €6m-plus

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Walk-in ready and an easy commute in Killester for €550K

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‘I was feeling so lonely. Moving to Dundalk changed my life’

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BidX1 to sell 250 residential properties in two-day online auction

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The public can also help raise funds by buying products from the Making Homes Collection, a range which includes the fundamental things we take for granted that make a house a home: a dining table to host friends around, a fridge to showcase their kid’s drawings and bedding to create a safe and warm sleep haven.

For every item bought from this collection a minimum of €5 will be donated to Peter McVerry Trust. See harveynorman.ie/makinghomes

Designer day out

Hands-on workshops and talks feature in a day of design at dlr LexIcon library in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. Colour, Surface, Pattern, Print on February 24th coincides with the exhibition Double Vision in the library's gallery, featuring the work of sisters Shirley and Diana Copperwhite, which is running until March 25th. The events are inspired by the Copperwhites' work – Diana is a painter and Shirley a surface designer – and co-ordinated by design curator Aideen McCole.

Designer Aoife Challis of Print Block hosts screen printing workshops for adults (€8 ) and families (free). There's an afternoon of short talks with family design businesses and collaborations, including the creators of the -Opedia book series, Leko & Leko Jewellery, Maven Design Store and wheelchair covers Izzy Wheels. It wraps up with a screening of Eames: The Architect and The Painter, a 2011 documentary (12A) about legendary American design duo Charles and Ray Eames by directors Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey.

Purple patch

We may have to wear shades indoors if this year’s Pantone colour of the year, Ultra Violet 18-3838, takes off. Away with yer String and yer Latte and yer Stone, this stunning colour is no shrinking violet, and certainly won’t provide a neutral backdrop of tasteful beige to avoid scaring the horses.

The assumption by colour heads is that Ultra Violet is set to influence this year’s design trends. Last year’s colour of the year, in case you’re wondering, was Greenery, an earthy hue to symbolise energy and new beginnings.

Since 2015 Irish paint company Fleetwood has worked with Pantone to create a paint collection which it sells under its upmarket Fleetwood Prestige label, and its managing director, Conor Doyle, says its R&D team in Virginia, Co Cavan have been working away to bring the 2018 colour of the year to Irish walls.

Fleetwood collaborates with interior designer Roisin Lafferty of Kingston Lafferty Design and she's chosen a signature palette of five colours she suggests work well alongside Ultra Violet. "This kind of colour needs to be layered up and complemented. The palette I have chosen is quite timeless; they're not trend focused colours," says Roisin.

Roisin and her team used Ultra Violet and their suggested palette – Fleetwood Pantone Deep Tea, Marsala, Stormy Weather, Mahogany Rose and India Ink – to curate four roomsets showcasing the colours using paint, "the most transformable tool in interiors". They used furniture and accessories from Irish designers, suppliers and artists, quirky pieces from Vintage Hub and Ceadogán rugs to create characterful rooms with an Irish flavour. fleetwood.ie

Nesting instinct

Nests of tables, once associated with rickety pieces to be pulled out when auntie needed to be served a sherry, are back in style, thanks to their usefulness in small space living.

This pair of marble-topped tables is a smart take on the traditional nest, and a pair could bookend a sofa or act as bedside tables. They're from Aldi and cost €59.