ShopFront: Even those with only a passing interest in architecture or furniture may have heard of designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. You're forgiven if the name Josef Hoffman isn't quite so familiar.

Hoffman was a contemporary of Mackintosh and something of a soulmate in design terms - it's probably fair to say the two were the most notable architects and designers at the turn of the 20th century.

Wicklow based interior designer Susan Dubsky is the new agent for Hoffman's furniture (made by Wittman, a 100-year-old Austrian company) and has made it directly available for the first time in Ireland.

Mackintosh and Hoffman set up two different schools of design in Vienna around 1903 but their theories were similar: a severe, cubic style connected to the style of emerging artists of the time, Picasso and Braque.

The indulgence in using square shapes in furniture led to Hoffman being nicknamed "Quadrat Hoffman" but the furniture produced was fine and light and despite its geometrical lines, extremely elegant.

And remains so: visit www.wittmann.at and see the furniture available. It may not look wholly contemporary but possibly has greater beauty and refinement than most modern furniture.

It's easy to buy too: a single chair can be used in a hall, a bedroom or in a livingroom as an occasional piece that can be moved around.

And because most of it is all quite simple, unless you have a very particular interior look, they will fit easily into the home. But be warned - those with an eye to buying Hoffman furniture do need deep pockets: it's not horrifically expensive, but neither is it exactly cheap.

For more details contact Susan Dubsky, Roundhouse Design, Newcastle, Co Wicklow, Tel 01 2011642