Sep
1
More Tolix Love…
Filed Under Furniture, Inspiration, Interior Design, Vintage | 1 Comment
Sorry, I simply couldn’t resist posting these images of Tolix chairs that I came across since my last post just the other day about these French beauties. How is it possible to love furniture so? These are just one of my massive chair crushes, there are others that I’m saving for another post. Gasp!
Is it completely necessary for me to point out that I also LOVE the shelving and the light fittings?
By the way, I saw Inception the other night and I was pretty enthralled by the whole thing but especially the architecture in the dream thingy. Did I mention that I’m also a film critic? Anyway, it just reminded me of some of the dreams that I have because I mainly dream about architecture and interiors. (really random useless) FACT!
Images from vt wonen via Delight by Design
Aug
29
House Doctor Moments Autumn 2010
Filed Under Danish Design, Furniture, Inspiration, Shop Stuff | 3 Comments
I received the new House Doctor Moments catalogue a few weeks ago and my copy is very well thumbed at this stage. I had been looking forward to its arrival for weeks and it did not disappoint as I well and truly devoured it, repeatedly. To say that I want to order EVERYTHING for the shop is a slight understatement. It’s so difficult to choose a few select pieces when their styling is this good…
House Doctor are based in Denmark (you know I’m such a sucker for Danish design!) and they produce two collections every year. The Everyday catalogue showcases their new collection, which is updated annually and launched in January and Moments is then released in time for Autumn and consists of more new products and Christmas decorations. I’m chuffed that Mabel & Violet is the only online shop in Ireland currently stocking House Doctor, so if you are looking for something from the range that we don’t have in stock you can get in touch with us here and we will do our best to get it for you.
Aug
26
FUSE Can Lights
Filed Under Furniture, Interior Design | 1 Comment
Hot on the heels of my last blog post about FUSE Finds, I just had to feature the latest products from this impressive design empire. Capitalising on the upcycling trend, the clever people at FUSE Interiors have designed these Can Lights, which are constructed from discarded and salvaged Heinz Beanz cans and Campbell’s Soup cans. With the help of Dublin’s many restaurants and cafés who collect the tin cans, these everyday waste objects are turned into charming yet functional pendant lights. Now that is clever. These quirky and unusual beauties are available to purchase directly from their website and you can (pardon the pun) also keep up to date with them on Facebook.
Aug
23
Tolix Chairs and Stools
Filed Under Furniture, Inspiration, Vintage | Leave a Comment
are my latest obsession as well as all things with a vintage industrial feel; yes I am a dedicated follower of fashion.
Images via Living Etc, Skona Hem and My Scandinavian Retreat
Jul
3
I had a lovely email recently from Danielle Mac Innes of Fuse Interiors to let me know about her new venture – Fuse Finds. Fuse Finds is an online vintage furniture store featuring handpicked pieces from around the world, ranging from re-vamped flea market finds to mid century design classics.
The concept for Fuse Finds has grown from a genuine passion for design as well a love for travelling which has inspired the collection. Pieces have been sourced locally as well as from the UK, Europe and the US.
The collection will grow and evolve as new furniture and objects are ‘found’ and introduced. Sustainability is at the core of the Fuse Finds concept through re-vamped and up-cycled vintage finds, pre-owned mid-century design and seeking of contemporary design that uses renewable methods and materials.
The shop is predominately online at fusefinds.com but the furniture is also available to view by appointment at Fuse’s studio which is based in Lad Lane in Dublin’s city centre. There’s also a series of ‘pop-up’ shops planned for early autumn so keep an eye out for that!
May
20
Car Moebel
Filed Under Furniture, Inspiration, Uncategorized | 4 Comments
I have learned a lot during my recent tenure here as Vice President of Shelving and Storage Solutions (while also moonlighting as Senior Sofa Manager at Pretty Far West). Mainly, that one can never have enough storage, or shelving for that matter, but also, and perhaps much more importantly, that placing items on a shelf in a haphazard manner and failing to colour co-ordinate said items is a major misdemeanour in interior design circles. Apparently. I, for one, constantly live in fear of being caught with mismatched ceramics or a rogue black book stashed between the yellow and orange ones.
Short of hiring a stylist to perfect my sorry artful displays, or vignettes as they are known in the bizz, I have been scouring the internet for storage and display inspiration. This in turn led me to the website of Car Moebel and they just seem to have the whole storage/shelving/display/vignette, whatever, thing down pat don’t they?
Perhaps it’s just my white floorboard obsession that makes me love these images so but I have become a big fan of their furniture and really wish that they would deliver to little old Ireland for in or around a tenner. Thank you please Car Moebel.
All images from Car Moebel
Mar
24
If you happen to be in or near Kilkenny this Easter Bank Holiday weekend, head straight to Absolut Style at Set to rummage through lots of vintage fashion, pick up one or two items of vintage furniture and top it all off by taking in a film in the ultra stylish new Set Theatre. Organised by Interiors and Fashion Stylist Blanaid Hennessy, there will also be a lot more going on over the course of the weekend including makeovers, live photo shoots, style talks as well as night time shenanigans! I’m hoping to pop down for a day, I quite like the sound of watching five fashion inspired films on the Friday…bliss! All in all it’s set to be a great weekend. ..sorry couldn’t resist!
Mar
2
Oh Chesterfield, oh my!
Filed Under Furniture, Interior Design, My Home | 22 Comments
Do you remember this post that I wrote a while back about my search for an elusive, inexpensive Chesterfield sofa in Ireland? Well, the search continued for some time after this post and further to many near sightings online, a few wild goose chases and the threat of a divorce, I decided it was time to give up the ghost on finding my own vintage Chesterfield. But, a short time later and armed with a renewed sense of zeal, I got in touch with a man called Tom from a small but perfectly formed and rather well known shop called AJs on Capel Street here in Dublin. (Thanks Fi for pointing me in his direction.) Tom understood my plight and assured me that, although he could not find me a vintage Chesterfield, he could custom build one for me from scratch. He even managed to do me a bit of a deal! The fabric is a Designers Guild Cotton Velvet in the most amazing shade of teal and the finished piece just makes my heart sing! When it was first delivered I refused to sit on it for about two weeks and just sat on the other sofa admiring it from afar.
So, thanks to a bit of matchmaking from Fi and Tom, Chester and I have been living happily together enjoying cosy nights by the fire, whiling away Sunday mornings with the papers and entertaining some rather envious friends. Chester has everything that I was looking for in a sofa, and more….beauty, comfort and quiet companionship. It turns out that Mr Field and I are indeed, as expected, a match made in heaven.
Images from my own home.
Aug
11
Am I Off My Vintage Eames Rocker?
Filed Under Furniture, My Home, Shop Stuff, Vintage | 10 Comments
My amahahaaazing husband has come up trumps and bought me the chair of my dreams – a vintage Eames RAR rocker and I just can’t believe my luck for a) marrying such a wonderful man (yes pass the bucket I know but he really is the best and deserves the recognition) and b) for the find of the (mid) century!! I have been keeping a weather eye out for one of these bad boys for months, years in fact and thanks to Eimear from the lovely House & Home Magazine blog for the tip off, I managed to find this for a snip at €200 in the WildChild Originals half price sale. I received an email yesterday to inform me that the sale is still on guys so hurry and you might find your own piece of vintage heaven. Beware though if you’re paying by credit card, our bank subsequently called us out of concern that our card had been used in a place called Wildchild, bless ‘em. If only they had been so cautious about our spending during the heady days of the celtic tiger.
By the way, that’s a gorgeous Apple Tree Silk Cushion from ferm LIVING perched on top of it there – it’s available to buy from the shop. Oh and please excuse the hideous carpet in the photo, we haven’t replaced it yet because the building work continues….sigh.
Jul
15
An Interior Design Expert No Less
Filed Under Furniture, Gifts, Interior Design, Kitchen, Textiles | 2 Comments
I received an email yesterday from a lovely man enquiring as to whether I design and fit kitchens, having seen images of our recent kitchen overhaul here on my blog. Unfortunately, the answer is no – I am merely a novice playing around with Ikea’s wonderful design software not Autocad or any other such technical wizardry. So there you have it – I am not an Interior Designer, nor do I claim to be but I know someone who is…in fact I know quite a few.
One such person is one of my blogging buddies Lorna from Garrendenny Lane Interiors – yep the one who tagged me recently giving me the opportunity to shame myself into answering those questions so honestly thus revealing that I am far less erudite and cultured than I try to appear.
Lorna has dedicated three whole rooms of her house to display beautiful collections of fabric, wallpaper, bedlinen, furniture, lighting and accessories in a most unique way giving customers the opportunity to see how these items work in a real home as opposed to a brightly lit shop floor. She also has an online shop, where a lot of these items can be purchased and delivered direct to your door. As if this isn’t enough to keep her busy, Lorna also provides a curtain making and fitting service as well as Interior Design consultancy. And when her busy day is done, she has two young children, herds of cattle and sheep, not to mention a few goats and acres of land to look after. She recently appeared on RTE’s programme “Not Enough Hours” – surprised? No, neither was I.
I just love the Designers Guild bedlinen range available from Garrendenny Lane Interiors…
Designers Guild Bedlinen from Garrendenny Lane Interiors