Eat, drink and be merry
Lifestyle store The Orchard (01-6288903, theorchard.ie) on the Dublin Road in Celbridge has Christmas table themes to suit every taste and mood. While stocks last their Tipperary Crystal 72-piece stainless steel Elegance cutlery set is half price, reduced from €400 to €199; a set of six Pearl wine glasses by the same brand is down 30 per cent from €200 to €140 and a pair of Verity toasting flutes, also Tipperary Crystal, have dropped 15 per cent, from €70 to €60.
Ladies and gentlemen, take your seats
Add some on-trend festive texture to your seating with this three-seat Sterling velvet-covered sofa, 90cm by 180cm by 106cm. It comes in 17 colours including the fashionable turquoise (pictured). The classic shape of the sofa means it will work in classic or contemporary surroundings. Normally €1,559 it is reduced to €845 during the sale at DFS (dfs.ie) a saving of almost 50 per cent. This offer, available at the chain's three Irish shops, City Gate Park (021-4359306), Mahon Point, Cork; Blanchardstown Retail Park (01-6404232), Dublin 15 and The Park (01-2946484), Carrickmines, Dublin 18, ends February 23rd, 2015.
Slouch in style this Christmas
Give in to your inner sloth and invest in a Mighty B, a beanbag made of faux leather and available in a huge range of poptastic colours including festive berry, royal blue, Santa red, lime green, sunshine yellow and bright orange. Present today's column and you can buy these slouchy seats less 15 per cent, reduced from €139 to €119 from Bean Bags (01-2878404 beanbags.ie) based at 6 Dunboyne Business Park, Dunboyne, Co Meath or at Outdoor Living (01-2878405 outdoorliving.ie) at the National Garden Exhibition Centre, Kilquade, Co Wicklow. This offer also includes a matching free footstool worth €49. Offer ends December 24th.
A deal to hang your little hat on
The Dress Boy is a cute little coat cum storage stand which comes in blue, pink and white, from Mira Mira (01-2196668 miramira.ie) Sandymount Green, Dublin 4. Made of MDF 30cm by 32cm by 95cm, it is reduced by 20 per cent, from €99.95 to €79.95 to Irish Times readers who present today's column. Offer ends December 17th. For online purchases key in code "Bargain".
Trending . . . foodie gifts
for visit
s to friends and family
Any foodie worth his or her salt will love truffle salt; it's priced €8.95 for 50g, from Fallon and Byrne (01-4721010, fallonandbyrne.com). The Clessidra Rossa clip-on egg timer, €6, at Industry (01-6139111, industrydesign.ie) works for eggs and tea infusions.
Makers and Brothers (01-6638080/ 085-1510015, makersandbrothers.com) little department store, popping up on Dame Lane, Dublin 2 is a browser's paradise. The horn tumblers, €19, are made from cow horn, but you could tell your hostess it's reindeer horn. If blowing the budget, invest in a tactile whiskey tumbler by JH Hill made using an 18th century Irish crystal lead recipe, €120 each. Shop closes on December 24th.
Three of the best . . . gifts for decoristas
The cougar in your life might see the humour in having a replica cougar skull, 25cm by 28cm, under glass. If you don't have a cougar on your Christmas list, it will appeal to interioristas, as it doffs a cap at the taxidermy and tableau trends and creates a talking point anywhere. Place on a mantelpiece or side table. It comes with its own metal stand. Price €170 from online shop April and the Bear (aprilandthebear.com).
Travel broadens the mind. Danu Designer Ceramics uses souvenirs found on maker Ruth Power's recent trip to India. She repurposed antique wood blocks from Rajasthan, originally used in textile printing, to create a decorative flourish on her rectangular-shaped serving stoneware platters. €28, at The Design House (01-6799283 thedesignhouse.ie), Dawson Street, Dublin 2.
The home department of TK Maxx (tkmaxx.ie) can prove a fertile source for one-off presents including a smart silver five-candlestick plate, €26.99. It will look good on a sideboard or as a centrepiece. Article (01-6799268 articledublin.com), Powerscourt Townhouse, Dublin 2, has lovely molecular structure three-candle holders, €12.95, in brass or black. Buy candles in Tiger where you can get two for €1.
