It's bloomin gorgeous out there

Having stepped off the plane from New York mere hours ago, I am now sitting at my desk a little dazed and confused. The beautiful day is making it all a little easier though. It's also making me feel all outdoorsy and finally ready for a little spring action. I have a tendency to get ahead of myself, however, and forget that it's not as warm as it looks. So for the time being I'll settle for more indoorsy ways of getting down with nature, like this oh-so-clever Kiikku indoor garden by Tonfisk, a walnut ladder with four removable flower pots that can also be brought outside when the appropriate weather eventually rears its head. Tonfisk also have a smart new extendable vase, Kasvu, made of porcelain and laminated walnut or oak, that can be adjusted from 17.5cm to 27.5cm to suit the height of your flowers. One of the founding designers of this successful ceramic design company is Irish man Brian Keaney, who is currently based in Finland. Tonfisk designs are available from Inreda on Camden Street, D2. Tel: 01 476 0362.

Just stay in

Oh yuckky yuck yuck, how could the weather be so hideous?! For those of you who need to get a design fix but can't bear to brave the outdoors, log on to the Finnish Design Shop where you can buy Mikko Karkkainen's Red Dot Design Award winning Tunto LED lamp - which will help brighten up that gross grey day outside.

Talented young 'uns

The fifth annual Student Design Awards took place last week, this year in conjunction with our new partners the Crafts Council of Ireland. Remember last year's talented bunch? Conor (top pic) created these cute and colourful Gaudi-esque Multipooch seats, and Colm's cheeky mirror (bottom pic) is now available to buy at Inreda. 

Flatpack fever

With the advent of the first Ikea store in Dublin, two resourceful men have set up a company called Flatpack Services to help out shoppers at the Scandi superstore who may realise that the low-cost design dream comes at a price, that price being a frustrating battle with some instructions, a load of screw-y thingies and an alan key. They're charging an introductory rate of €25 per hour. Personally I was pleasantly surprised at my success in putting together the one major Ikea item I've ever bought, the Lillesand bed frame (pictured above). I put it together twice actually; the first time I was left with one leftover part thingy, and the second time (when I moved to my new house) I was left with two leftover part thingies. It hasn't fallen apart. Yet. We'll see how I get on the third time, when I have to dismantle it to take it out of my room for sanding the floors, having windows put in, etc etc.

FOUND IT!

I don't know how well I conveyed it, but that there title thingy is meant to be an exclamation of triumph and excitement. See, I've been thinking ahead to the more fun bits of my renovation (when I can take the plastic off my sofa and sit there drinking tea and admiring my handiwork) and the whole wallpapering the stairs thing. I love love love Orla Kiely's stem print paper, but you can only buy the geranium colour here, and I think the multi-coloured paper is a bit too nuts (either that or I'm getting too sensible). But this cheery, just-retro-enough Saplings wallpaper from Miss Print may be the absolute perfect solution. Now there's an achievement for the day. Well done me.