Summer sales are in full swing, so you can invest in something that will last, but for a palatable price
Now's your chance to pick up bargains that will refresh your home. As with all sales, look for things you actually need, not just what has a good reduction. Martsworth Carpets(Ashford, Co Wicklow; 0404-40113) is an excellent carpet showroom with a big following among interior designers: they are easy to deal with and have good fitters. They usually have a sale in October but haven't done so for the past couple of years. This means a large amount of stock has built up in their warehouse. Good quality remnants in decent qualities are available with up to 70 per cent off the original per square metre price. Martsworth has pale gold good quality carpet half price, at €25 per yard, which includes felting, underlay and fitting. They have 500 square yards of this carpet in stock. There are also rolls of plush fine wool carpet in duck-egg blue or pale ginger with 70 per cent off the original price - that means €35 per yard, including underlay and fitting.
Also for the floor, Oriental Rugs(104 Francis Street, Dublin 2; 01-4531222) has filled the void now that Peter Linden and Empires have closed. Owner Mahmut Balkir last year opened his own shop selling high quality traditional Persian, Afghan and Turkish rugs. Everything has been reduced by 30 per cent for the sale. Balkir is on a buying trip to Istanbul and Tehran so he's trying to sell everything before he returns with new stock. A second Oriental Rugs has just opened in Cork at 9 St Patrick's Quay (021-4558680) and similar reductions can be had there.
Good value fabrics can be found at The Linen Berry(Geraldine Court, Maynooth, Co Kildare; 01-6293094). Sharon Dunne, the owner, is closing for summer holidays on July 20th and reopening late August when autumn stock arrives. She has reduced everything on the shelves by 50 per cent. Most of the fabrics are French or Scandinavian. Two names you might know are Green Gate and Linum. The first does bright, punchy fabrics in green, red and blue and the second is about cooler shades, often striped.
For storage, (Lower Stephen's Street, Dublin 2; 01-4780177) does some nice furniture at reasonable prices. In their sale they have reduced a large red lacquered cube shelving unit from €650 to €575. It has four sections and could be used to hold books. Also for books, a fantastically good buy are tall wall-mounted bookshelves on which books appear to "float" but actually sit on slim metal panels. They're reduced from €240 to €190. Some expensive items in the shop are now a more palatable price - such as a chrome swivel bar stool down from €565 to €250. I also like their casual dining chairs (good for a kitchen) with black and white frame, down from €230 to €199.
(Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2; 01-4760362) also has interesting storage. One piece that stands out in their sale is a space-age looking open storage system made up of metal drums, held together by bands that can be changed around into different configurations. It could be used for clothes, shoes or books. It was €425 and is now €318. This was the winner of WallpaperMagazine's design award 2007.
Versatile Bathrooms(Beechmount Industrial Estate, Navan, Co Meath; 046-9029444) have good reductions on a lot of Italian products but display models that were used in the recent Interior Design Show at the RDS, are discounted by 30 per cent. For example, a high gloss grey storage unit with rectangular ceramic basin, floating shelves, mirror and light was €2,950 and can now all be had for €2,000. Visit the showroom to see other fittings that are in perfectly good order and reduced only because they have been removed from packaging.
Duff Tisdall(Mill Street, Dublin 8; 01-4541355; and 537 North Circular Road, Dublin 1; 01-8558070) always have a generous sale, with reductions on almost everything. At the North Circular Road premises, the best reduction is on a dark chocolate leather sofa made by Orior in Newry. It was €4,000 and is now €2,000. I like great little dome shaped lamps that were €299 and are now €150. Incidentally, watch out for a new Duff Tisdall shop opening later this summer in Stillorgan, Co Dublin.
(South William Street, Dublin 2; 01-6751898 and Castle Street, Bray, Co Wicklow; 01-2828905) always puts on a sale with decent reductions on quality stock. It can be hard to find a nice stool to sit around an island or breakfast bar but here you'll find adjustable versions in stainless steel with oak or walnut seats and backrests (right). They are reduced from €169 to €99. A swivel occasional chair is down from €1,195 to €495 and is available in grey leather. There are lots of useful leather cube footstools in various colours clearing at €99, down from €169. Another useful and inexpensive buy is a "Tracy" side table in black or white (round MDF lacquered tops on a simple chrome base) that were €99 and are now €49. On special offer this weekend is the Nova three-seat sofas in grey linen that was €2,099 and is now €1,699. It's a luxury sofa that features a layer of memory foam in the seating. The oversized shape is designed to cocoon.
(3/4 Crow Street, Dublin 2; 0 1-6795155) is well known for expensive, super-quality, built-to-last Italian furniture. What you get is among the best furniture available, something you can be sure will not date - and at the price it shouldn't. Its sale is very good this year, with the "Hamilton" L-shape sofa by Minotti reduced from €10,995 to €5,495. It's in a black herringbone fabric. The Mex sofa from Cassina in off-white fabric with wenge side and back table was €9,530 and is now €4,765. Some sofas by B&B Italia are also reduced by 50 per cent, and ask about various promotions on upholstery orders.
(11a-12a The Crescent, Monkstown, Co Dublin; 01-2020130) have a fun "Madame" sofa in bright pink with a high back reduced from €3,750 to €2,950. This shop is great for show-stopper pieces. Another striking piece is a linen-covered bed base with headboard in swirling carved oak (left) that's down from €4,200 to €3,360. There are also simple, elegant dining tables reduced from €2,950 to 2,360.
At a lower end of the price spectrum, the sale at Diamond Living(Airside Retail Park, Swords, Co Dublin; 01-8907444; and EP Mooney Business Park, Longmile Road, Dublin 12; 01-4508443) includes an ash dining table with four chairs and two carvers in brown or red, reduced from €1,299 to €849. It's good value for quite a nice table. They also have a 5ft bed with leather headboard down from €999 to €669.
The Drawing Room(29 Westbury Mall, Dublin 2; 01-6772083) still has some of the best traditional lamps available. Mix them with contemporary furniture. They have an amber crystal lamp reduced from €575 to €287. An unusual black pyramid-shaped lamp was €900 and is now €450.
House of Fraser(Dundrum Town Centre, 01-2991400) is strong on sofas and in their sale have an elegant American-style, heavily cushioned sofa in pale green velvet reduced from €2,649 to €1,854. There's an extra large armchair to match. Leather sofas aren't always attractive but here there is one in super-soft dark brown leather with an extended footrest at one side. It was €4,366 and is now €2,183.
Aside from furniture, sales are a good time to stock up on basics, such as bed linen. The Frette brand at Bottom Drawerin Brown Thomasis one of the best quality bed linens in the world and during the sale it's possible to pick it up quite reasonably. For example, the Hotel Collection, with gold, red or blue stripe around the borders, is reduced by 30 per cent - that means a double duvet cover that was €195 is now €136 and a pillowcase that was €65 is now €45.
At Helen McAlinden's shop, No 6on Castle Market, Dublin (01-6708846), she has reduced Foxford mohair throws by 30 per cent and hand-embroidered white and cream linens by 40 per cent. A double size that was €125 is now €75 and pillowcases that were €30 are now €18.
Arnottshave reduced the American-style Lexington bed linen range (left) by 20 per cent and taken fifty per cent off Dorma bed linen.