The first Ikea store has opened up in the Republic. So let’s cast our minds back to look at the franchises that have changed our lives: McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC … Then Starbucks came along and charged us a fortune for our lattes. Enter Ikea. The Narnia of furniture, except you have to assemble the wardrobe! This week Blog Digest celebrates the joy that home furnishings and trendy designs bring into our lives.
Irish internet entrepreneur Maryrose Lyons is on to a genius business idea: providing in-home Ikea assembly for €30 a pop.
Her site blog keeps us up to date on the services, with some Ikea news added in too. There’s also some strangely compelling stop-motion videos of people putting Ikea furniture together.
You may find yourself giggling at the naughty site name, but you won’t forget it in a hurry.
This blog is a Mecca for both the design-conscious and the design-curious.
From a peek into the latest collections at Zara Home to information on graduate exhibitions from the National College of Art and Design,
Zita Spring makes sure you are up-to-date on the Irish design scene. A must-visit blog for both home owners and business owners looking to keep their premises modern.
Irish interior design magazine House and Home maintains its own blog. Run by Eimear Nic an Bhaird, this blog makes you feel a bit like you have your own personal design consultant.
Nic an Bhaird is constantly out and about, seeking bargains, examining trends and blogging up a storm about it.
She even has a great in-depth feature plus images of Ikea from a press briefing, so if you don’t make it to the new premises for a while you can have a good taster of what to expect.
It is easy to buy Irish while making sure that your design and style aesthetic is being catered for. I’m not talking crystal candlesticks and Aran jumpers here.
The Irish Design Shop, located on Bow Lane in Dublin City, features lots of beautiful and truly unique pieces for the home, all created by designers working here in Ireland.
There are many ‘refabricated’ pieces here, which are old pieces of furniture with a new leash of life thanks to new textiles, quirky paint jobs, etc.