ONE OF THE easiest ways to live a green life is to buy furniture at auction. Many pre-loved pieces simply need some TLC, with smart reupholstery giving chair chairs and sofas a real facelift. Numbers attending auctions are up 25 per cent, says David Herman of weekly auction house Herman & Wilkinson in Rathmines, Dublin. (01-4972245).

“Look inside, behind and underneath furniture,” he advises novice bidders.

Interior designer Mary Ryder (01-2301245) has been shopping at Buckley’s of Sandycove (01-2805408) for her work on the Denny Sausages’ Home Is ad campaign. Pictured is a chair she had painted in Lime Ice by Colortrend and upholstered in material from Helen Turkington Fabrics (01-2602524).

This and other pieces will be auctioned on November 18th to raise funds for the Simon Community. See www.homeis.ie. The auctions at Mullen’s of Laurel Park, Bray; Adams in Blackrock, Co Dublin; Mealy’s of Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny; Victor Mitchell, Borris-in-Ossory; and Ashgrove in Ballybrittas, Co Laois, are all worth investigating.