Shop Front: Commissioning furniture can be scary. It's so much easier to walk into a shop and examine the thing you might buy. Getting something custom-made has an element of surprise - even with all the drawings and samples in the world, it's hard to know exactly what the end result will be.

The advantage, of course, is that you get something unique, something that is exactly the size, design, colour, shape and whatever else you fancy. Sure, it may be a bit more expensive, but often prices charged by good furniture designers are reasonable enough. The thing is to find a good one.

We hear good things about John Doolin, a 28-year-old Dubliner and NCAD graduate who set up in business a short time ago. Under the name Imbue, he makes contemporary one-offs that, he says, make "honest use of the materials".

Have a look at his website, www.imbuefurniture.com, and see designs that look simple at first but on closer examination reveal their reliance on traditional cabinet-making skills, which result in a high standard of finish from the best quality woods.

What's great about the professional but easy-going John Doolin is his easy style - easy to fit into almost any interior, easy to live with and easy to use.

Contact John Doolin at 086 8321922