Design in Dublin?

The sale

2008-07-25T19:48:00.007+01:00

At 11:00am I spotted the first signs of a queue forming in front of Habitat. A few people hanging around and peeking through the windows. I gleefully asked one of them if they too were queueing, in case they weren't. They were, and I was quickly shouldered out of their little cigarette circle. I played some Tetris on my phone for a while; when I looked up again, the line was backed up all the way down to Molly Malone. Things didn't get stressful however till people from the surrounding businesses came down around 12 and didn't much like the idea of a queue, so about 100 randomers just stuck around the front. How rude!

Finally, at about 12:15, a man in a suit appeared at the door with keys. Unfortunately, the lock was jammed and he had to go find someone to fix it. He reappeared with a man holding a screwdriver and a smile, as the crowd outside, full of caffeine and an urgency to shop, started pouring into the street. The doors opened and everyone went flying in like some sort of messy air force squadron locked onto their target sideboards and fancy dishes.

I've never participated in the whole "queueing for a sale" thing...well willingly at least. I remember one time when I was 8 or so, before the days of TiVo and downloading movies, my best friend's dad used us as extra arms at a Circuit City sale. "Remember guys, when the doors open, look extra cute and grab as many blank VHS tapes as you possibly can. At 10 cents each we can record all the tv we want."

As I was browsing all the bargains, I suddenly remembered I was all alone and there was no way I could carry everything I wanted to buy, so I had to edit my wish-list down to just the essentials. I grabbed four Hennie Haworth glasses (€12 for 4) to go with the tea towels I bought a few months ago, two green and yellow cushions (€10.50 each), 3 picture frames (€10 each), a lovely little single duvet cover with paper airplanes on it (€10) which I plan to make a table cloth out of, and a lovely metal fan (€15) which was desperately needed in our office.

When I got home, I surveyed my bounty and decided that I should go back for more...because I'm a masochist who loves nothing more than to stand in queues and shove past hoards of furniture obsessed crazies like myself. I was only gone a couple of hours, but when I got back to Habitat, there were no more queues outside and hardly any furniture left inside. Upstairs I could hear glass shattering as people with their full bags of merchandise knocked the remaining lamps off their display counters. I saw a woman with a newborn baby standing in the credit card line. What on earth was she doing here? Shouldn't she be like, I dunno, at home with her new baby?! "Alright baby, if you're going to be in this family, you've got to earn your keep. Here, wear these Pantone mugs like mittens while Mommy fights this lady for the last Chester armchair."

There wasn't a whole lot of anything left, but I did manage to grab the last undamaged picture frame (€21), new fancy numbers for the front door (€12 for 2), a couple of cool fish prints (€12.50 for 2), and a rather large poster with some flowers and polka dots on it (€12.50).

I don't think I'll be returning the rest of the weekend. I'm truly exhausted, and I don't think my apartment can fit any more crap in it.

Habitat Liquidation Sale!!!

2008-07-24T17:27:00.003+01:00

(My face when I found out about the sale...Thanks Homebug!)

The weekend we've all been waiting for since Habitat closed down in May is finally here.

The opening hours will be:
Friday 12 noon-6pm
Saturday 9am-6pm
Sunday 12 noon-5pm
Monday 9am-5pm

All stock will be reduced by up to 80% off.

I have some unfinished business with that store and will definitely be there to try to snap up some bargains. If anyone would like to meet up afterwards for some post-habitat-madness lunch, feel free to contact me tonight.

Mawwage!

2008-07-23T09:29:00.002+01:00

Last weekend was James's and my 2nd aniversary, and here's the ultra lovely sunflowers he bought me to mark the occasion. Wow, it doesn't seem like we've been married that long at all. Still feels like yesterday when I rang him up to say:

"James I'm coming back to Dublin."
"No you're not"
"Yes I am, and I'm moving in with you, buddy!"

Ok maybe it wasn't quite as simple as that, but hey, we're still together after all that nonsense. I couldn't have snapped myself up a better husband.

Adult colouring books!

2008-07-15T18:08:00.003+01:00

We may have grown out of our Lisa Frank or Disney colouring books, but that doesn't mean we have to grow out of colouring all together. Rock Paper Scissor have two colouring books for sale, specifically geared towards design enthusiasts: Modern Home and Creative Interiors. How awesome are these?! Time to bust out the Crayolas!

Via Apartment Therapy.

Sale on in Topshop

2008-07-14T18:44:00.003+01:00

I don't generally do fashion posts, but I was in Topshop today in the Jervis centre, and they have the most fabulous sale on. Usually I can only find a couple of things that catch my eye, but it seems like they're trying to get rid of their entire summer stock. There are countless sun dresses with pretty floral prints, and flowy, transparent white frocks.

1.) Knitted stripe frill top. 22 Euros
2.) Tie side cotton dress. 30 Euros
3.) Bow print silk top. 18 Euros
4.) Turn-up piped shorts. 22 Euros
5.) Jewel ballet flat. 18 Euros

Meeting internet friends...in real life!

2008-07-09T21:30:00.003+01:00

Today I met up with fellow design blogger, Zee, of Homebug for what some might call a "design date." We discussed all things DIY, rented apartments, and Irish furniture shops (or the distinct lack thereof)...including a mutual hatred for a certain catalogue-based chain store. I dare not speak it's name, but I will link to a hilarious video of Bill Bailey talking about it. We talked about organising a meetup for all the local bloggers perhaps towards the end of the month or in August. If that agrees with all you bloggerinos out there, just shoot us an email and we'll make try to make this happen.

Dublin Waste Finds

2008-07-08T19:35:00.002+01:00

How great is the shape of this retro couch. There's a bit of wear apparently, but nothing that can't be fixed. I just love that really tall back.

Attn. Renters: Start decorating!

2008-07-07T14:25:00.005+01:00

Today I've been trying to find some good examples on Flickr of well decorated flats in Dublin...And I couldn't find any. I was really disappointed but not exactly surprised. Why do Dublin renters not decorate their homes? No, you don't own the place, but there's no reason why you shouldn't make it your own whilst living in it. I'll use this bare room as an example. Even if your landlord won't let you paint, move furniture, and so on, that's no excuse not to do a bit of decorating.

(Before)

(After)

I threw this room together in about an hour and a half. I made the walls white, because it's been my experience that even if you're not allowed to paint your place, changing the colour from that sickly magnolia to white makes a huge difference, and landlords won't usually notice as it's still a neutral colour.

The curtains are from Urban Outfitters. Blanket and Pillows from Avoca. Mirror by BoConcept. Water colour by LaSrtaPil on Dawanda, lamp and picture frame from Ikea, lampshade by Orla Kiely, and you can get those plants at any chain hardware store or garden centre.

There you have it folks. Just a few soft furnishings, a piece of artwork, and a plant or two can make a boring old bedsit into something a bit more homeish.

The Sims...Ikea style

2008-07-07T11:59:00.005+01:00

(I actually have this desk...and I'm sitting on the left side of it...and there are bookcases behind me. CREEPY)

So you say you'd like some Ikea furniture, but you don't want to drive to Belfast. Or perhaps you like the Ikea catalogue, but it's just not sparking your imagination as much as it should be. How about some virtual Ikea digs via The Sims 2. That's right, thanks to EA games, you can now combine your two nerdiest obsessions into one big nerd fest by purchasing this add-on. Personally, I think the only use for this would be if you plan to decorate your entire home in Ikea and want to use it as a lay-out planner. I couldn't imagine that it would be any more fun than decorating your Sims dream home in the Sims furniture. Though, as much as I'd like to sound pessimistic about this, I'd still like to try it out...

Bellinter House does NOT suck!

2008-07-01T18:20:00.004+01:00

James was on Boards.ie the other day doing a bit of browsing and found a post from someone asking about using the Bellinter House in Meath as a wedding location. I was surprised to find that the only people who replied to the post seemed to hate it. One person went as far to say that the decor was "ad-hoc" and one room was "Austin Powers themed."

I visited a handful of rooms there to blog about a couple of months ago, and I must say I never saw anything that even remotely resembled Austin Powers. I'm really concerned that some people can't differentiate between tacky 60's kitsch and classic midcentury pieces; or that they would confuse a mixture of antique and modern with "ad-hoc." Furthermore, the staff were brilliant and absolutely bent over backwards to make sure our stay was comfortable. Ok rant over...Sorry, I just had to come to the defence of one of my favourite hotels in Ireland.

My New Bag

2008-06-30T15:39:00.004+01:00

I've been in need for a new bag for a while now and I was thrilled when I found this little number on the shelf at Funky Tees. It's a tiny little shop towards the back end of Stephen's Green shopping centre next to that really tacky t-shirt that sells cringe worthy slogans for hen nights and birthday parties. Funky Tees on the other hand is quite the opposite with fun colours and retro logos. Granted it's not Dolce and Gabbana, but it's simple, relaxed, and cheaper than similar tees you'd find in the likes of Urban Outfitters or Topshop. Right now, everything is 20% off, so get your butts down there and buy some t-shirts and/or bags. Unfortunately they don't have a website for me to link to, so you'll just have to trust me on this one.

Home envy

2008-06-29T16:58:00.001+01:00

Oh how I wish I were a filthy rich architect who lives in Manhattan with a waterfall under my bed. Via Dwell...

Planning a Living Space

2008-06-29T11:30:00.003+01:00

My apologies for not being around this week. James and I have be up to some pretty exciting stuff including opening our new Etsy shop, with a Dawanda shop in progress. We're also planning for a couple of exhibitions in September: The Hard Working Class Heroes festival and the Ranelagh Arts Festival.

For now though, here's some helpful tips from Videojug that will show you how to make a floorplan and layout furniture. This is something my friends ask me about all the time, and because we live in Dublin and the minuscule size of our apartments a lot of times could rival those in Tokyo (without all the cool gadgets, though), planning a layout for your living space is definitely your best option...unless you're like me, and you have to learn everything by trial and error.

What I did at the Weekend

2008-06-24T09:19:00.005+01:00

(Taken in Bruge. April 2005)

On Saturday at 4:00am, James and I bared all down at the Dublin Docklands for the latest Spencer Tunick installation. You may remember a couple of months ago when I announced that I had signed up to be apart of it. I have to say it was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. The Independent reported that there were about 2,700 of us there, but it felt like a lot more. After the initial giggles of seeing everyone around you taking their clothes off and then remembering that you, yourself are also naked, things just start feeling normal again. Everyone talks to eachother casually as if they were waiting in a queue for a concert, and when the Stenaline arrived from England, everyone just waved and laughed without the least bit of modesty. The cold was the only thing that could dampen our spirits, but even then we pressed on. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Did anyone else take part?

Swap-O-Rama

2008-06-19T09:49:00.002+01:00

On Saturday the 28th June, The Science Gallery at Trinity college will be hosting a clothing swap-o-rama in association with their latest exhibition, Technothreads. Essentially, you just bring a bag of clothes that you're never going to wear and either swap them with the other attendees, or visit one of the many workshops, and DIY stations to transform your old duds into something new. I think this is fabulous idea, just in time for summer. I'll definitely be there. The best part is, it's totally FREE! For more information and for FREE tickets, click here.

Rock Star Furniture Designers: Doshi Levien

2008-06-17T22:46:00.004+01:00

I'm noticing an awesome trend lately, of outlandish, rock n' rollish furniture. Even though I will probably never convince the husband that we should lay down our savings on a few pieces, I can always look at all the pretty pictures the internet can provide.

That said, I'm in love with London-based design duo Doshi Levien. Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien combined their powers in 2000 to create some of the most original looking pieces I've seen in a while. Their mad mix of influences include Indian culture and industrial production. And they work brilliantly together! I should really change the name of this site to "Design I wish was in Dublin"...dot com.

Oh so jealous...

2008-06-15T22:08:00.007+01:00

I love lots of colour in a home, so I was inevitably excited when I stumbled upon Super Junk's flickr set. What a fantastic living space! I really dig the collections of vintage toys and mid century furniture. That 70's style fireplace reminds me a swiss chalet. My favourite bit is the little wire ice cream parlour table and chairs. I'd love to have a set myself, but I think they're a bit too kitsch for James. Plus I think I'd have a pretty hard time finding one in Ireland.

More than you bargained for...in a good way!

2008-06-13T10:01:00.003+01:00

I remember seeing these things on Grand Designs a while ago and thinking "oooh, I'd love to have one of those," as I do with most things on that show, but this thing sets itself apart from most things I want because of it's triple usage. It's a light source, a conversation piece, and believe it or not, get ready for this... an extractor hood! I, of course, wrote it off as something only available in the UK, as most things tend to be, but there is, in fact, a place in Citywest that sells them. It may be a bit feminine for some males, but fear not, guys! If you let us bring these into our kitchens, we'll let you turn them on and off with this swanky, futuristic remote control!

The new White Book

2008-06-12T10:25:00.003+01:00

I was having a pretty boring day in my day job yesterday, so I was pleased as punch to find the new White Book on the shelves in Centra. There's a great article about the history and renovation of Kileen Castle in Co. Meath, which will soon open in 2010 as a five star hotel! But if you can't wait till then, you're more than welcome to purchase one of 162 residences which are being built on the castle grounds.

Also in the book are the typically amazing adverts that make me drool over stone bathtubs, swooping minimal beds, and more beautiful kitchen appliances than I will ever own.

The photography, as usual, is immaculate with plenty of light, airy rooms to make me jealous of both the homes in the photos as well as the photographers' medium format cameras. It's 320 pages of pure interiors porn; right on time for the weekend!

Sale at L'Affiche Moderne!

2008-06-11T09:54:00.004+01:00

A while ago, I blogged about a great, French poster shop called L'Affiche Moderne who sell really cool, highly affordable posters by loads of different artists. I'm happy to say that right now till June 30th, you, my readers, get an additional 25% off their entire catalogue. I'm so excited about this, I know I'm going to buy more stuff than will fit on my walls. Sshhh, don't tell my husband! Just pop in this promotional code in the discount code box: promo25. Happy shopping!

Bartosz Kolata

2008-06-06T16:46:00.006+01:00

One of my favourite artists at the moment just happens to be one of my next door neighbours, Bartosz. It actually surprises me that I haven't blogged about him before. I suppose now is a more appropriate time than ever as he is holding an exhibition tomorrow in the Lemonstreet Gallery on City Quay. It's a thrill everytime they have me over for a drink, because there's always a few new paintings up on the wall. They have so many that they have to store a lot of them out in the hallway. I've threatened to "borrow" a bunch on numerous occasions.

Bartosz's paintings are based on the photographs that he and his flatmates take around Dublin and the rest of Europe. They are very much "a slice of life." Some the subjects are as simple as the Ranelagh Luas station (something I'd never usually consider very arty), or a crane in Belfast (again, not that arty), but he's pulled it off with a tremendous use of vibrant colour and composition. The web pictures I've provided don't do them any justice. You have to see them in person to get the full effect. So come on down and support local/kinda Polish art at the Lemonstreet Gallery 24-26 City Quay from 6:00pm-8:00pm tomorrow evening! I'll be there at some stage too.

Oli!

2008-06-04T10:15:00.004+01:00

I recently came across a UK-based website (go figure...) that has a selection of reasonably priced furniture. Though most of Oli's products are kind of West-Elmish, some of it is actually pretty cool. Here are a few of my picks.

1. Pony curtains from 23.00 pounds
2. Presley night stand 149.00 pounds
3. Orton dining chairs 60.00 pounds
4. Maria Grachvogel Daybed 599.00 pounds
5. Gilt Baroque Chair by Maria Grachvogel 299.00 pounds
6. Maria Grachvogel Dressing Table 220.00 pounds

The only bad news is that they don't deliver to the Republic just yet, but they do, however, deliver to the north. I'm sure my cousin up in Belfast would be more than happy to have a butt-load of furniture delivered to his flat. Yep... not a problem at all :-)

You know what they say...

2008-06-04T09:37:00.005+01:00

...Great minds think alike. In this case it's myself and one of the sisters who write Sugar City Journal, and we're thinking about stairs. We seem to have taken the same approach to creating something lovely from something massively boring. However, she made hers in a completely different way from mine.

Instead of using wallpaper, she scanned a damask fabric onto her computer and hid little photos of her family in the pattern. She then printed it out on regular paper, laminated it and glued it to the stairs with Modgepodge. As the stairs look to be properly varnished hardwood, she's a lot braver than I was. James and I were lucky in that our stairs were crap to begin with, so we pretty had a blank canvas when we started. Well done Sugar City!

Via Apartment Therapy

Goodbye Yves Saint Laurent

2008-06-02T20:32:00.005+01:00

Although this is mainly an interior design blog, I felt it necessary to write about late great fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, who died yesterday at the age of 71. His career spanned over five decades and started when he dropped out of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture and went to work for Christion Dior at the age of 17.

Just a few of the things he brought to the fashion world are: trouser suits, safari jackets, the beatnik look, and thigh high boots. He was also one of the first designers to use black models. Though Saint Laurent designed for the catwalk, his work was so innovative that countless similar designs could be found on the highstreet. He created clothes for models and the everyday woman alike. That's what set him apart from so many fashion designers of the 20th century.

"We must never confuse elegance with snobbery."-Yves Saint Laurent

Rooftop Garden Envy

2008-05-29T09:52:00.009+01:00

(Photo by Tvancort)

After all that crummy rain this week, it's so nice to have such a lovely, sunny Thursday, especially when you're off work! Yeah! However, it really makes me wish I had garden in stead of a building site. I'd really love a private rooftop garden, secluded from the rest of world. But since can only dream of the day our landlord will let us make one, I'll just have to keep looking at pictures on Flickr or travel Down to Avoca in Wicklow to get my garden fix. Here's a few rooftop gardens I especially like.

(Photo by Felix Haslimeier)

(Photo by TonyCT)

(Photo by Jodimarr)

(photo by Horses and Tigers)

Just a quick P.S. I had a few more gorgeous pictures I wanted to post, including a garden in Venice, but blogger is being a bit crap and won't let me add any more pictures for some reason. Boooo!