Love of wood at heart of great design

Love of wood at heart of great design FOUR walls may well make a home but it is the furnishings and interiors that make it a property. It is in the genes and sometimes it is in the genes of the unlikeliest of people. Whilst interest in furniture and design pieces has been huge in the past few years, many have looked at 'cutting edge' geometric chrome and tubular tables and chairs without realising that the originals of these statement pieces, the chubby leather 'Michelin Tyre man'-style Bibendum chair and E-1027 suspension side table, were designed by a woman born just outside Enniscorthy in 1878. She was influenced early on by her father, a talented artist who took the young Gray on painting tours of Italy and Switzerland, exposing her to eclectic influences. She subsequently studied the art of lacquer work in London with a Japanese craftsman called Sugawara. These suites were restored in 1980 by Lord Snowdon using some of the original craftspeople. So, three generations of crafts-people. Indeed, in the early Eighties, when royal protocol was still fairly stiff, Princess Margaret's son, David Linley, raised a few eyebrows when he trained as a cabinet maker. "We have a good grouping of furniture makers in the country. There is a great history and a lot of very progressive design in Ireland's furniture. " O'Sullivan's furniture respects the traditions of his craft yet remains rooted in contemporary design. Cillian O'Sulllivan set up his eponymous bespoke furniture label a few months ago, operating out of a workshop at Tomduff, outside Borris in Co Carlow. Originally from Blackrock in Co Dublin, O'Sullivan studied mechanical engineering at Trinity College Dublin. It is very mathematical the way I put things together, geometric in the shapes I use. The Debutante chair sells for €2,000 and is undoubtedly a work of art. It was also in the Hunt Museum. Guna is made using 39 pieces of wood incorporating wenge coupled with Irish oak from Borris, in Co Carlow. This was such a success she then went on to open her own space on Rue du Fauborg Saint Honore. To launch his new company, and showing his work for the first time, O'Sullivan has created a chair -- the Debutante -- made from French ash with dark wenge wood feet. "It is about getting recognised, and people seeing a piece and saying I know whose work that is. Even though some may not yet have been able to buy their own home over the past couple of years, it is still possible to purchase special pieces that they are able to enjoy now and take with them when that day comes. I am still based in his workshop, which is why I am still down here, I work with him," he explained. We have wonderful craftspeople and furniture makers in Ireland today and, although pieces may seem expensive, it is important to remember that they are crafted painstakingly by hand and will last through the generations. A lot of my design is influenced by my engineering background. Love of wood at heart of great design Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 13/05/2012