ALANNA GALLAGHER's must-haves for the home; from new names in lighting, 3D cushions to add oomph to any space, and a dining table with a fashion following
1. KINGPIN COOL
Fashion kingpin Karim Rashid, whose contemporary style is playful and colour saturated – pink is his favourite colour – has created the Ottawa collection for Bo Concept ( boconcept.ie). It has just arrived at the brand's two Dublin stores: Arnotts, on Henry Street (01-8050400) and Unit 7, Beacon South Quarter, Sandyford Industrial Estate (01-2932008). The range includes a dining table, €1,495; dining chairs, from €338 each; a room divider, €1,695; as well as super-smart espresso cup and saucer sets, €8, espresso gift sets, €39 and a pop art-influenced vase, €68. Mugs cost €8 each.
2. BE BOLD WITH GRAPHICS
Brennan Burch is a fashion label that has shifted its graphic talents to soft furnishings and texturised vinyl wall coverings that will add instant oomph to a room. Lisa Brennan, one half of the dynamic duo, is second-generation Irish and London-based. Her large format 3D cushions will add impact and cost approximately €151 each. Their wallpaper is sold per linear metre and measures 125cm wide. It costs €106 plm. Buy online at brennan-and-burch.co.uk.
3. PRINT PRINCESS
If you like prints, you'll love Ursula Celano's whimsical take on our heritage with her print- festooned tea towels, €9, and aprons, €22.95, at Article, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Dublin 2 ( articledublin.com). Choose from Irish dancers kicking up their heels, a rolling hills landscape of thatched cottages and farmhouses, or a seascape of sailing boats, seagulls and lighthouses.
4. TAKE NOTE
Stationery boffins will love Keep Sketch, a Dublin-based design company that sells pencils, cards, and A6-size notebooks created by Irish graphic artists. This notebook (€5) by Fuchsia Macaree, an NCAD graduate who is currently doing an MA in Illustration in London, is just one of the charming and handbag friendly-sized options. From the Irish Design Shop, Bow Lane East, Dublin ( irishdesignshop.com); the RHA, Ely Place, Dublin; Makers and Brothers ( makersandbrothers.com) and the National Print Museum, Beggars Bush Barracks, Haddington Road, Dublin.
5. NEW NAME IN LIGHTING
The coquille-d'oeuf ceiling light is a delightfully dramatic design by Paris-based designer Celine Wright. Merging ancient Japanese techniques with modernity, she hand-makes her lights so that each structure is unique. Made of Japanese paper, the piece measures 74cm by 60cm. It costs €970 at Lost Weekend, Main Street, Blackrock, Co Dublin ( lostweekend.ie).
6. NEON BRIGHT
Neon brights add interesting moods to rooms. Neon signage can be commissioned for as little as €180 for the four-letter word Dine. Call Dublin Neon, located at Unit 7, Craftmasters, Greenhills Industrial Estate, Walkinstown, Dublin 12 (01-4603216, dublinneon.com). If you have a huge space Are We There Yet? is a Tracy Emin-esque piece by jewellery designer-turned-sculptor Fiona Mulholland who was part of a recent group show None Went Mad None Went Away at the Rubicon Gallery (01-6708055, rubicongalery.ie). The piece casts an eerie blue light and measures 2.43 metres long. The price is €3,800.
7. RED HOT SEAT
Red Dog, the design agency with a penchant for red things and anything pertaining to canines, has just introduced Rex, the stool that rocks; a ply design by Jens Kosak, who has also made their very beautiful, limited-edition Spot, the dog-shaped lamp. The stool costs €120 and can be used as a work stool or the perfect seat for kids. Buy online at Reddogthestore.com.
8. A SAFE HOME FOR YOUR BIKE
The numbers cycling is on the up, but where can one safely store one's two-wheeled chariot? London-based Quarterre ( quarterre.com) makes a range of bicycling accessories that includes the Hood, a wall-mounted smart-looking hanger made from folded steel and hand finished with leather. Hood holds a single bike securely from its top tube. Its leather sleeve protects the bike frame while an inner slot allows for a bike lock. The price is approximately €157. Delivery to Dublin is an additional €65.
9. LIGHT AS ART
Neil Conley makes thought-provoking pieces that fall somewhere between art and industrial design. Manufactured from amberised borosilicate glass, The Fossil is a dimmable interior table or pendant light, intended to be a living museum piece, a preservation of Thomas Edison's first truly reliable filament bulb, invented circa 1880. Designed to resemble a fossil preserved in amber, it also illustrates the transition of the filament bulb from a life of functionality to becoming an industrial fossil – a piece of design heritage. The piece is blown on commission and costs approximately €584, ex delivery. For more, tel: 00-44-7792-270172 or see Neilconley.co.uk.
