When Canadian architect Robynn Clarke moved to Dublin, she felt the city could use 'a little injection of something interesting '. Her new shop, Potrero Hill, is a welcome novelty, writes Deirdre McQuillan
Potrero Hill is the name of a stylish new lifestyle shop, called after a neighbourhood in San Francisco, that opened recently in the Hibernian Way in Dublin 2. The smart addition to the city centre is the brainchild of a young, well travelled Canadian architect, Robynn Clarke, who came to work in Ireland from Los Angeles nearly three years ago having answered an advertisement in the Los Angeles Times. Clarke, who hails from Toronto, but who did her Masters in Australia and gained experience in both Japan and the US before coming to Ireland, has ancestral roots in this country. Her great-great-grandfather stowed away on a "pig boat" from the west of Ireland to Halifax, and part of her plan in coming to Ireland was to discover her roots. "But I found there were an awful lot of Clarkes here," she says.
Her work with the architect John Fleming, her partner in this venture, involved interior design for the Office of Public Works, including civic projects in Carrick-on-Shannon and the Chief State Solicitor's office.
Living in Dublin, she found there was a sameness about many city centre shops and felt that the city "could use a little injection of something interesting". An inveterate note-keeper, she has always kept lists of styles and concepts that catch her eye, along with a collection of photographs and images which were her starting points when choosing items for her shop.
Potrero Hill is a mix of things she likes, drawn from all over the world and her travels "to dozens and dozens of countries". The stock ranges from housewares to clothes, from modern armchairs to bags, books and casual but chic US and French fashion labels. Everything has a story attached. For example, the steel and punched black foam chairs from Denmark, called Prince, were originally designed for the Prince of Denmark, and the cute little snakeskin flatties are by a young Taiwanese designer she found living close to a shoe factory.
The shop, with its ceiling-to-ground glass front, is spacious and enticing. She designed the interior modular racking systems and the lighting arrangements herself. "I wanted it to be clean and minimal, but I wanted femininity in it, too," she says. "It's about an experience, almost like coming into someone's home. A lot of brands are not from Ireland and we try to educate our customers. We're aiming for a certain style and taste that's modern but casual - everyday, effortless elegance."
One lovely French fashion brand, called BaSh after its founders, childhood friends Barbara and Sharon, consists of some ultra-fine knits in subtle colours and shapes. Another French range, confusingly called American Vintage, has some lovely cable knit tunics at affordable prices. There are also cute ceramics from Denmark, interesting bath and beauty products, French lingerie, unusual Indian bedcovers and wonderful leather bags from Canada.
"If things are too expensive," Clarke says, "they are not for us. It is easy to buy beautiful things at high prices, but it's a lot more difficult to find things that are beautiful but affordable. It's for everyday women who want something special."
Potrero Hill, Hibernian Way, Dublin 2, 01-6330133
