Industrial furniture from the 1930s and 1940s was never properly accessible in this country until Vanessa Mac Innes opened her new shop, Industry, in Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar in Dublin, a few weeks ago.
An interior designer, Mac Innes sources the metal furniture from antique markets and vintage fairs throughout Europe. Industrial furniture is a big interior trend this year but has lasting appeal, too: original pieces have a high re-sale value abroad. The furniture was made at a time when metal became the new wood, and pieces in the shop are beautifully crafted and designed with function in mind.
The fun lies in adapting them for modern living: for example, the shop has a postal desk from 1940s France that would look great today in a kitchen to store china or would be perfect in a home office (it costs €1,700). There’s also a wonderful metal 1930s Belgian table, which has been sanded and varnished, for €1,150, and chairs to match for around €200 each. Also, check out the cool stools and side tables. There are accessories, too, and these have purse-friendly prices, from €35 for a 1940s printed French bottle crate and €40 for cushions. Industry, Smock Alley, Essex Street West, Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar. Tel: 01-6139111, industrydesign.ie. Open from Tuesday to Saturday.
