Shane Holland is off to Italy to promote his cool contemporary lights. Fiona Tyrrell reports
Designer Shane Holland is putting the finishing touches to his lighting stand as he gets ready to showcase his work at the influential Milan furniture fair in Italy tomorrow.
Widely regarded as the leading furniture show in the world, the Milan International Furniture Fair show runs from April 13th to 18th. Around 1,500 companies will exhibit at the fair and over 170,000 people from 145 countries will attend the show to spot trends and innovation in the furniture industry.
And innovation is something Shane knows all about. A leading Irish designer in the field of lighting and furniture, Shane Holland Design Workshops has been based in Dublin since 1991, and operates from a studio on North Great George's Street, Dublin 1.
The company prides itself on modern design, which is expressive in form but still functional, according to Shane.
Great emphasis is placed on working with materials such as bronze, stainless steel, aluminium, copper and crystal using craft skills and new technology.
The company collaborated with a master glass-blower for Tipperary Crystal for the production of his IARC lamp, a large teardrop shaped table lamp.
Recent projects for the company include lighting at the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland headquarters in Merrion Square, a chandelier using optic fibre at the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford and lighting using new energy efficient LED technology at the visitors' centre at the Rock of Cashel, Co Tipperary.
The public will probably be more familiar with projects such as the chandeliers in the now closed Harry Clarke room in Bewley's Café on Grafton Street and the check-in desk lamps at Dublin Airport.
Currently it is working on lighting for a bar at St Mary's Church on Jervis Street.
As well as producing built-to-order lighting and furniture items ("awkward things for awkward people" according to Shane) the company has also a large range of lighting products - for floor, wall, ceiling and table starting at €170 for a stylish aluminium stainless steel wall light and going up to €2,745 for a copper, aluminium, stainless steel chandelier.
Many older homes have a ceiling rose in the centre of their of their ceilings, but people are keen to avoid the old-fashioned "droopy chandeliers", according to Shane.
His contemporary take on traditional chandeliers, which are full of personality, has earned him many fans and are showing up in some of the more upmarket halls and diningrooms around Ireland.
While not one to pay too much attention to fashion trends, Shane expresses his approval of the move away from minimalist interior design.
A house with "expressive features" is far preferable to a house filled with "featureless fixtures", he says.
Last year the company showcased lighting products at the Frankfurt Light and Building Show, which generated significant interest from Russian and Middle Eastern clients.
It was the start of a three-year campaign to explore the export potential of their product.
Although delighted that he is one of the few Irish designers to showcase at the Milan fair, Shane says it highlights that the promotion of Irish design abroad could be improved.
Products from the Shane Holland Design Workshops will be on display at the Interior Design Show in the RDS from May 13th to 15th and at Create 2005, Fota House, Cork from October 1st to 16th.
Shane Holland Design Workshops
36A North Great George's Street
Tel 01 8780580
