Purple reigns as the Pantone colour of 2018

Move on from green

So 2018 may bring political chaos, environmental degradation and war with North Korea and/or Russia – but hey. Look on the bright side. Pantone has declared that the colour of 2018 is purple. Yes, purple. Before you start scrabbling to find the rewind button to take you back to 2017’s wonderful restful green, let’s take a closer look. Purple isn’t all about ladies in lavender. Think of Prince. Or the much-loved book by Alice Walker.

Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the blazing energy of red which is why the Pantone people have decided it’s a suitably complex colour to represent the times we live in. Its association with riches and luxury dates back to the classical world – it was worn by Roman magistrates and the rulers of the Byzantine empire. If you still find it more scary than seductive, think of how it manifests in the natural world – iris, mulberry, orchid and aubergine. Ready for a purple sofa or armchair now? The winter sale at DFS has some stylish numbers which might tempt you to leap into 2018’s colour palette with alacrity. The Laze (€649) is a curvy retro sofa which won’t date for years to come, while the Bailey wool armchair (€1,169), with its country-style button detailing, would add a timeless touch to any room. Both are available at sale prices until February 26th, 2018. dfs.ie

Heirloom for baby

It can be hard to find a gift for a baby born at this time of year which isn’t overtly Christmassy – so if you’re searching for something seasonal and practical, but not covered in snowflakes or Santas, how about this delightful Noah’s Ark throw? Giraffes, whales, elephants, bunnies, owls, and not a reindeer in sight.

Made by Jamie Monaghan’s Loominations company based in Cork, the blankets are soft enough for a baby to chew on and vibrant enough to hang as a tapestry on the nursery wall. Eight miles of colourfast cotton are woven into each throw – an heirloom in the making. Stockists of Loominations throws include Blarney Woollen Mills, Co Cork, the National Museum of Ireland gift shop, Kildare Street, Dublin, and Powerscourt Garden Pavilion, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. The baby blankets cost €130, with free shipping throughout Ireland, from loominations.ie

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That’s a wrap

If the thought of trying to create your own wrapping paper from twigs and recycled brown paper – or any of the other inventive wrapping ideas doing the rounds – is just too much at this late hour, the next best thing for design fans has to be these gift wrapping books from Thames & Hudson. The Mid-Century Modern: Giftwrapping Paper Book has sheets decorated in the signature style of the period, while Type Wrap: Typographic Gift Wrapping Paper, printed with a range of typefaces, is just the (witty) thing to wrap that book on architecture or design. Each book has 10 sheets of colourful wrapping paper and gift tags. And while these arty gift wraps work for Christmas, they're also perfect at any time of the year. Each book costs £12.95 from bookshops.

Green Christmas

And when that lavish wrapping has been cast aside – what happens to the paper afterwards? It’s something the folks at the MART Gallery in Rathmines, Dublin 6 would like us to think about, so they’ve teamed up with Eastern Midlands Regional Waste Management Office (EMRWMO) to host a green Christmas market. The eco-friendly gifts and services on offer will include jewellery, art and fashion items made from recycled materials as well as businesses promoting the sharing economy.

“With so much waste related to Christmas gift shopping each year, we felt it was important to provide an environmentally-friendly alternative,” says MART Gallery co-director Matthew Nevin. “And as always, we’ve tried to provide a space for small, independent makers and craftspeople to share their work with the public.” The market is at the MART Gallery, Old Fire Station, 190A Rathmines Road Lower, noon-7pm today and tomorrow and Dec 20th to 23rd.