A REALLY cool way to make an occasion chair, ottoman or stool stand out from the crowd is to upholster it using kilims, a type of flat-woven tapestry.
With ethnic accents on trend, Oriental Rugs (01-4531222) at 104 Francis Street, Dublin 8 is the place to go for value. They have 50 per cent off all stock.
Bargain Hunter loves its collection of stools with vintage kilims that range in age from 40 to 60 years old. A piano stool upholstered in a pattern from Sarköy in Turkey, was €275 and is now €137; a footstool using a tapestry from Konya in Turkey was €175 and is now €87 and a round footstool upholstered in material from Kayseriy was €175 and is now €87.50.
A large square 40-year-old footstool from Aksayray in Turkey was €275 and is now €135.
The store has a wide selection of antique and contemporary rugs and runners. Rugs start at €50. And there's a nice silk embroidered suzani from Turkmenistan, a type of lightweight woven fabric that works well as a curtain.
Prices start from €500. Cushions were €60 each and are now €30.