Wish List: Luxe lighting, pink power bars and rocking horses for teddy bears

From the practical to the pretty, Mary Cate Smith finds eight buys for every room

Lighting at AK Interiors, left, the Luna table, top right, and the Pedestal bubblegum-pink power cord, below right.

Plugged in 

Remember when your mam used to put nail varnish on the keys of her mobile phone? So she could see them? 

The tinier the phone, the better in those days. In the same vein, perhaps a brightly coloured extension cord might actually prevent me from the endless toe stubbing carry on that plagues me on a daily basis. 

Pedestal’s power bar in bubblegum pink, €60.95, is a design piece in itself. Combine it with the Pedestal TV stand, and the magnetic surfaces sit together perfectly. 

Ask the adult in your house if you’re allowed this beauty. Oh, wait, I’m the adult. Accessorise your space with this fabulous functional item, available to buy at Wearemaven.ie. 

Beyond the bookshelfie

Sometimes, just sometimes, I question my style credentials when I baulk at yet another elephant/geometric marble/Grecian bust-type bookend. No matter how hard they are pushed at me, I still can’t get on board. 

When I found this Moebe Penguin book stand, €58,95, a special edition piece celebrating Penguin’s 90th birthday, I knew it was "the one". 

Never talking attention away from the books themselves, this bookend is the ideal support structure for your decorative hardbacks. 

Not just pretty, it’s also practical and can hold your book on the page you’re reading so you can pick up right where you left off. Did I already say it’s available in orange? Squeal! Visit Penguin.co.uk to shop.

An eternal flame

A home without candles is like tea without milk. It’s perfectly acceptable, some people like it, but it leaves me feeling cold and unsatisfied. 

String Furniture is famed for its Hygge aesthetic, and the Museum candle holder, €114.89 at Nordicnest.com, is typical of its minimal, architectural style. 

As your candle begins to melt, hoist it up with the adjustable steel beam or experiment with different heights. There’s always room for more warmth in your space.

Upwardly mobile

Coffeewerk + Press recently placed 32nd in The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops, only one of two Irish coffee shops to make the list. 

Always my first port of call when I visit Galway, the temptation to have a flat white, followed by the guest-brew espresso topped off with a pour-over is very real. 

Not just an aromatic space for the caffeine-inclined, it’s also a meeting place and a design hub with eclectic homewares and decorative accessories. Think mobiles are just for kids? This Flensted Niels Bohr Atom Model Mobile at Coffeewerk and Press will convince you otherwise. Readers, my birthday is coming up…just saying. Shop at Coffeewerkandpress.com.

Wild horses

I always thought a rocking horse was exclusively for rocking — but LOOK at how these teddies sit atop the horse; there’s a whole world of possibility there. 

An absolutely inspired design feature for your child’s room, this analogue toy-meets-art would bring hours of fun for Squishmallows, Monchicis (back in stock at Urban Outfitters) and Jellycats. Designed by Japanese-Danish duo O&M for Brdr. Krüger, Mokuba Rocking Horse is available in limited numbers. Get yours on sale for €280 at Byflou.com.

Prints with power

I have such fond memories of my lovely grandmother singing, "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do." 

Wherever I see a little daisy sprout up in the garden or in the wild, I have to pick it and pause for a moment, thinking of her sweet, gentle voice, beaming up at me, telling me I had the most beautiful hair. 

The Daisy giclée fine art print, €140 from Interiors Atelier, takes me right back — such a lovely way to immortalise the flower that always makes me smile. Shop at Interiorsatelier.ie.

Dish of the day

When you love whimsical crockery but you don’t want to shock your dinner guests with a cheeky slogan, the spring collection at H&M Home has just the thing. 

This text-motif porcelain medium plate, just €4.99, is giving spring cheer and maybe — just maybe — we can manifest warmer days. Alan ‘Carlow Weather’ O’Reilly, are you listening? Shop at Hm.com.

Let the light in

If your style favours calm, restorative open spaces, this pendant light from AK Interiors will fit right in. Elegant opal tubes supported by gold or matte black structures whisper quiet luxury and opulence. 

Almost like a floating sculpture with suspended beams of light, this piece would work well for a larger space with a high ceiling. Available at the AK Interiors online shop for €1390, it’s a show-stealing piece with main character energy. It’s the Jessie Buckley of the lighting world. Visit Akinteriorliving.com to shop this piece.