Wish List: The must-buys for your life and your living space
Left, Dunnes Stores kitchen accessories, top right, vintage painted plates by artist Nadine Guerlain, below right, chairs from the Doga collection by Nardi at Bracken Interiors, Wexford.
Ceramicist Michele Hannan makes a beautiful range of contemporary porcelain and stoneware ceramics which will bring the joy of nature into your home.
Each piece is handcrafted by Hannan in her Castleknock studio in Dublin using a variety of hand-building techniques including slab building, press moulding and slip casting.
Her range includes bowls, vases, plates, wall art and sculptural pieces which are created using decorative techniques including sgraffito, lustres and multiple firings. Inspired by Irish wildlife and the Irish coast, Hannan also makes a affordable porcelain jewellery. See michelehannanceramics.com.
We know that dampness can be a real pain in the walls. If you’ve got an airtight apartment, a damp-prone mobile home or a huge but humid stately pile then the new Russell Hobbs dehumidifiers are ideal for reducing damp and condensation.
While others on the market require the air around the device to be very warm to operate efficiently, these bad boys operate from just five degrees room temperature.
The larger model includes a timer, a Smartmode and a dryer setting for an extra boost on laundry day. The 10l dehumidifier is €199.99, 20l sdhumidifier, €279.99, They are available from electrical retailers nationwide.
Wexford’s Bracken Interiors is run by husband and wife team Conor and Shanon O'Bracken. With a strong customer base in Wexford, Cork and elsewhere countrywide, this family business offers a great range of very stylish furniture for homes and businesses designed for lounging or dining as well as for the home office. Think smart, innovative Italian brands such as Diemme, Mdd and Billiani. We love their range of outdoor furniture including the various chair styles in the Doga collection by Nardi.
There are three styles available in a choice of eight colours with prices from €98 each. See brackeninteriors.ie.
The vibrant creations of emerging artist Jo Pearson caught our eye for their attention to detail and quirky depictions of animals wrought in glorious colour. Jo works from her home studio on Ards Peninsula, where she hand carves her designs into Marmoleum before printing them up on a specially adapted laminating machine.
With a background in ecology, animals are key to her ever so slightly bonkers designs. The artist has developed quite a following, and due to the demand for her work, she now opens her online shop just once a month where her (unframed) prints quickly sell out. Get 'em while they’re hot at @_strangford on Instagram or at www.strangford.co.
The recent Bloom festival gave us the opportunity to try on Abito’s brilliant work smocks in their new colours. Pictured here is the Overall No.1 in soft Indigo Twill (€240). Wear it right-way-round or backwards as a jacket reminiscent of the utilitarian barn jackets trending on the international catwalks.
We spotted quite a few of these at April’s Festival of Gardens and Nature at Ballintubbert House & Gardens too. Made to last, the overalls feature reinforced pockets, a comfortable ribbed collar and cuffs, a metal hoop for clipping on keys or tools and an epaulette hook.
Available in XS to XL, choose your size according to your height. See www.abitoilive.
Combining her love of vintage ceramics with her love of drawing and painting, Nadine Guerlain sources vintage plates, bowls and teacups from charity shops, brocantes and online vintage sellers. She then adds her designs and whimsical phrases using porcelain paints and teeny paintbrushes, before glazing them in the oven.
In anyone else’s hands this type of thing could go horribly wrong but Nadine’s designs are a delight. Each piece is unique and prices start at around €15. Find her on Instagram @nadinelovespaper or in her Etsy shop ‘Nadine Loves Paper’.
If scouring markets is a key part of any holiday for you then you’ll love The Paris Flea Market: Les Puces de Paris, Saint-Ouen. The first illustrated book on the famous flea, the book is written by Kate van den Boogert with photos by Toby Glanville.
Take a stroll through the mythic Puces de Paris SaintOuen and discover its influential vendors as well as the hidden workings of their trade, the fascinating range of objects on offer and the community of skilled artisans the market nurtures.
Whether you’re a fan of art deco or Louis XVI there’s something in this book to interest and delight collectors everywhere. The Paris Flea Market: Les Puces de Paris, Saint-Ouen, Prestel, hardcover, €50.75.
Get organised in the kitchen Get organised in the kitchen with the new pretty new printed range of accessories from Dunnes.
Pictured here is the pretty utensil holder (€20), serving spoons (€10) and wooden board (€20). See www.dunnesstores.com.
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