As part of Irish Design 2015, Galway held the Design Island Exhibition which showcased 10 of Ireland’s craft and interior designers and their work was stunning!! It is a brilliant network group of Irish Designer Makers that was set up in 2006 and has continued to support Irish Designers ever since.
One of the great things was the layout of the exhibition and I know that not everyone would agree – but I love that you enter the room and the whole room just grabs your eye. I know that some people would prefer that each room only holds the work from one designer etc. but to me it made it a much more enjoyable experience.
Here are some of my favourite piece… first up these adorable pieces from Raymond Kinghan;
Raymond is an amazing artist and I especially love this little green fellow – the title of which is Universal Quadrupedal Mondegreens No.4 Green Ribs. He is originally from Belfast and studied at the Belfast College of Art. He has made his work connected with animals for many years and it the sleek lines that attracts me to some of his pieces. He now resides in Dublin and is continuing to work on his art for a future solo show. His website can be found here.
This beautiful piece of furniture has been made by Tricha Harris. I adore this piece – you know that feeling that when you see a wonderful piece of art and it just makes you smile….. well that is what this furniture did for me. The smooth lines and intricacy of the piece are beautiful and show a keen eye for both design and detail. Tricha herself graduated from the Furniture College Letterfrack and she now lives and works in the Capital. This piece is called the ‘Swirl Drinks Cabinet’ and is made from Rosewood and Maple. You can check out more work by Tricha on her website.
Last but not least is this table – it was so grand and majestic that I couldn’t help but fall in love;
The colour and pattern on the wood is breathtaking and it is the creation of Willow Woodworks. Daniel Gill is the talent behind Willow and he is based in Galway. They specialize in using local Irish wood and handcraft each piece. They don’t just create large tables like this they also create cabinets and bookcase etc. and they are worth looking at if you are looking for some new furniture. He can be found on his website here.
I was surprised that my favourite pieces were furniture, but I think it is working with woodwork that really attracted me. My father is a woodturner so I have grown up around handmade crafts and working with timber. You can check out some of his pieces here. If you do get a chance to check out local exhibitions I would highly recommend that you check that out – you never know what amazing pieces that you might come across.
