February 3rd, 2012
Leitrim Design House Irelands leading home of contemporary Irish craft and design wishes to thank all our customers for their incredible support throughout 2011. Your support for local creative businesses in December has meant that the makers promoted through Leitrim Design House celebrated the best sales figures since 2006.
Your conscious decision to buy Irish, shop local and support small creative sector businesses is invaluable in helping these small businesses to survive and expand during these challenging economic times. Over the past twelve months Leitrim Design House has worked tirelessly to promote the Irish craft and design sector through a series of exhibitions and activities to raise awareness of the Crafts Council of Ireland’s Year of Craft 2011.This special year promoted and celebrated the outstanding talents of craftspeople living and working throughout the island of Ireland and has left a legacy that will help to develop the economically vibrant craft sector.
Make someone Happy with a heartfelt handmade gift in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Leitrim Design House is delighted to introduce new collections especially for this occasion from several of Showcase Irelands award winning designer makers. New collections include beautiful new handbags and accessories from Angela Hope, a range of heart shaped jewellery from Janice Byrne, love bird prints from Yellowhammer Designs, porcelain accessories from Emer O’Sullivan.
Our collection of superb jewellery from designers like Erika Marks, Daniele Vesque, Anna-Marie St Claire, Nicola Spain, Ger Breslin and Soraya Ricalde make wonderful gift choices the special person in your life. This February we introduce a new jewellery collections from George Abramian whose studio is in Dowra and contemporary daywear hats from Laura Cassidy plus fabulous laser cut cards from Alljoy Design .
This Valentine’s Day you can commission any of our designers to create your dream engagement ring or wedding bands. With 2012 being a leap Year maybe this is your opportunity to pop the question. You can even design your own special piece of jewellery at Leitrim Design House!!
Calling all makers!
Calling all makers! We invite you to submit your work to Leitrim Design House. We specialise in high quality contemporary craft and design. What are you doing in 2012. Let us know and we will see what we can do to promote you. Send us your details. Email shop@leitrimdesignhouse.ie and tell us about your work. we would love to hear from you.
Happy New Year to everyone. To get the year off to a great start we have launched a TWO WEEK ONLY January sale. Pop in and see us over the next two weeks and enjoy 20% off all product.
We are very pleased to welcome Sarah Mooney Wiegersma to the Leitrim Design House on Friday 9th Dec. Please join us at 5.30pm to view a selection of Sarah’s absolutely stunning work. Sarah is a 2011 design graduate from the National College of Art and Design, Ireland where she specialised in ceramics
Her work draws inspiration from natural plant forms, specifically fractals in nature. Through the design process new plant forms are created. The use of vivid colour is also a prominent feature in Sarah’s art. Her work was very well received at her graduate show and can now be viewed in the following permanent collections:
- National University of Ireland, Permanent Collection,
- Collins Barracks, National Museum of Decorative Arts,
- Office of Public Works, Permanent Collection
She currently works from her studio in County Roscommon.
Guys! We are hosting a unique shopping evening especially for you! As we know shopping may not be your forte, we have done all the hard work for you! There’s no need to rush around December 24th trying to complete your holiday shopping. We plan to make things easy for you this season. Enjoy a complimentary Christmas drink and receive 20 % off all purchases on the evening. Allow us select the perfect gifts for you- there will also be gift wrapping and packaging available so that presents are ready to go. Check out your special someone’s wish list. Ladies, drop in before the 8th and make your wish lists in the Leitrim Design House. Our experienced staff will then guide the men in the right direction.
Four lucky Gents from Leitrim County Council will receive a complimentary hot towel shave courtesy of Orlaiths Barbershop Carrigallen…kissing goodbye to their Movembers! The lads have already taken part in the Movember project and have raised 600 euro for a Cancer Charity. They are keeping their taches for one extra week and will have them shaved off in well deserved style by Orlaith here in Leitrim Design House on Thursday night. Fred Cooke our favourite Comedian is popping in for a hot towel shave before the show.
We are open late on Thursday the 8th, 15th, and 22nd of December and Sundays 2pm to 5pm throughout December and all through Christmas week. Dates for your diary. Next ladies shopping evening Dec 15th.
We have something in store for all the family this Christmas season. On Sunday 4th December, local author Gerry Boland will be here at 2.45 pm to read from his new book” Marco Moves in”-An intriguing and …engaging tale about a Rather Remarkable Grizzly Bear called Marco. Shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Children Award. We are also running a Childrens colouring competition using some of the fabulous illustrations from Spring Sprong Sally by Mullingar native and childrens author and illustrator Patricia Gibney. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Ease into the festive season with a fun night out. Dec 1st 7pm-8.30pm We have free fashion, hair and make-up tips for the Christmas season with Jennifer Wrynne -Millinery, Caroline Murray -Hair, plus a pop up shop with Crescendo. So come along and spoil yourself. Start your Christmas shopping early with our 20% off discount scheme! This is available on our late night shopping evenings. We have lots of gift ideas and Christmas gift boxes start from 20 euro.
Enjoy a complimentary glass of wine and have fun!
Enjoy our FREE festive events
An exhibition of wearable art, exploring different responses to the idea of place and location, curated by Erika Marks.
onlocation is a response work to the “Adornment” exhibition which took place at the Leitrim Design House in July 2011. This exhibition opens on Thursday 24th November 7pm -8.30pm and is part of Year of Craft celebrations
Makers: Caroline Walshe, Soraya Ricalde, Wendy Knight, Daniele Vesque, Naomi Draper, Jelena Fischer, Eileen Abbott and Erika Marks.
The onlocation project started from the idea of place, prompted by the Water Festival being held in Carrick-on-Shannon. The Water Festival’s identity arises out of the town being on the banks of the River Shannon – if there was no river, the festival’s identity would be totally altered… a discussion about the importance held by ideas of place in people’s lives led on to the idea of bringing together makers and artists from different disciplines, to see what diversity there could be in the various responses to the subject
Ideas of place can take many forms – as many as there are people to experience them…they can be real or imaginary, experienced in person or only heard of, be natural or manmade, evoke feelings of safety or danger – the catalogue of variations is endless…this is clearly demonstrated by the exhibition we have now. Though the show was originally planned to coincide with the Year of Craft 2011 Focus on Jewellery in November, the project expanded to become one dealing with Wearable Art in any form. This was to make it accessible to as many disciplines as possible – and to be an opportunity for makers who wouldn’t normally think of making anything of a wearable nature. The exhibition now encompasses people working in such differing fields as jewellery, ceramics, glasswork, millinery, fashion design and fine art.
Each maker was asked to consider their response to ideas of place, and the connections formed in their mind by these ideas. Each of them has produced a unique work, inspired by a location of importance to them. The resulting project has given rise to some very personal work, at times using materials and themes not usually considered when working within their traditional field of expertise. These themes range from childhood experiences, through the natural world in different forms, to concepts of freedom and belonging – and all arising from thoughts of place
