‘Never average, never ordinary’

VANESSA PRATT is pointing to her handiwork, with a touch of satisfaction in her voice.

“That’s our wall-paper up there, with the tea-stains. We were in here with the teabags and the water until late on Sunday night.”

Vanessa is part of the family behind the Avoca range, and we’re standing in the middle of their new boutique — a concession (the company’s first) on the second floor of Brown Thomas in Cork. The grand old store has seen a few famous brands come and go, and it’s probably fair to say that none of them have thrown tea on the walls before. Not on purpose, anyway. But this is Avoca, and Avoca do things differently.