Bargain Hunter

Time for a blind tasting

Time for a blind tasting

Douglas Interiors (01-475 2951, Douglasinteriors.ie) at 32 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2 has 40 per cent off its Styleline wood blinds. The range is available in 11 colours: white; oyster; natural; sugar; maple; pecan; walnut; chocolate; ebony; and three new hues for 2013: stone; linen; and apple green. There are four slat sizes available; 25mm, 35mm, 50mm and 63mm. A 50mm slat wood blind, 120cm wide with a 130cm drop, normally costs €132. with a 40 per cent discount it costs €79. Measurement is included in the price of homes within the Dublin 1- 24 area. Fitting is not. Fitting costs start at €15 per blind for local fitting - ie homes within a one mile radius of the shop. Douglas Interiors will do nationwide fittings and measuring but these will accrue an additional charge. This offer ends Feb 23rd.

3 of the best:Spurred on to succulent success

The Saguaro clothes line, by Belgian designer Davy Groseman's Das Ding brand (00-32-0470-904691, Dasding.be) is a thing of beauty. The line is hooked between cacti and has been worshipped on design blogs even though it costs an eyewatering €1,160 (£1,000). Too rich for our blood but it did get us thinking about cacti.

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The J-me cactus wine rack (far right) will add a sense of fun to any worktop. Made of powder-coated steel in two-tone green it can fit up to eight bottles. It is 100cm high, is 40cm wide and 43cm deep.

It costs about €110.76 (£95) to buy and an additional €29.09 (£24.95) to ship to Dublin when ordered through UK online shop All Tidied Up (00-44- 1462 -349060 Alltidiedup.co.uk)

Go west and channel the great American deserts with this Magis Paradise coat tree designed by Oiva Toikka (left). The multicolour form is only vaguely cactus-shaped but is structurally interesting enough to become a talking point, wherever you put it. It costs €520 through Dún Laoghaire-based Lost Weekend (01-2140711 Lostweekend.ie).

This Cactus Cowboy wallpaper (far left) by Hibou Home costs €85 per roll at The Fabric Mill (045-844 927 Fabricmill.ie), in Johnstown, in Co Kildare. The paper is purchased to order. Expect to wait seven to 10 days for delivery.

It can be ordered online from UK-based Hibouhome.com where it costs approximately €81.62 ( £70), ex delivery.

A reason to recline in style

Greystones-based Ambiance Interiors (01-201 6669 Ambianceinteriors.ie) at Unit 6, Blacklion Retail Centre is offering Irish Times readers who present today's paper 40 per cent off this smart Lexus recliner and matching footstool while stocks last.

Normally the set costs €499. It is reduced to €279 to readers and is available in brown, black or white faux leather.

Price cuts at Concepts

Prices are floored at Carpet and Flooring Concepts (01-9033613, Carpetandflooringconcepts.ie), at 95 Lower Georges Street, in Dún Laoghaire, where there is 30 per cent off all Axminister Carpets. Royal Clovelly, a discreet floral pattern, is reduced from €106 psy to €74 psy. All stock rolls are down by 50 per cent. An 80 per cent Navan wool design in a cream and gold stripe, is down from €34.99 psy to €17.49 psy. In addition, select rugs are now half price in the store.

Yee-ha to purty Western lights

Rock a Wild West ambience at home with this nine pendant saloon lamp from Carrick-on-Suir-based Aoki Interiors (051-61405 Aokiinteriors.ie). The light, 116 cm by 60 cm by 60 cm, normally retails for €299. It is reduced by 30 per cent to €209 while stocks last. Also reduced is a silver decorative vase featuring textural roses on its exterior. Down from €69.99 to €48.99, which would be a more lasting Valentine's Day present than a bunch of fresh-cut flowers.

Book a table

Great value toys for big boys include a 137cm by 68.5cm foldaway snooker and pool table (code 106171) now half price, reduced from €139.99 to €69.99, at Toys.ie.

It includes snooker and pool balls, two cues, chalk and two triangles for both pool and snooker. A sturdy soccer table, 119cm long by 61.2cm wide, is down from €44.99 to €39.99.

Trending . . . Irish country furniture

Tony Donoghue's charming animated film, Irish Folk Furniture, rightly won best short film at this year's Sundance Film Festival and it has made us reassess our past and celebrate the furniture of our grandparents .

Furniture maker Richard Beer, of Irish Country Furniture (01-4970815/086-259 9229 Irishcountryfurniture.ie), makes settle-style beds and chicken-coop dressers. The former can be seen at his pop-up shop at the New Town Centre (former Halifax building) in Ashbourne in Co Meath. He tends to keep his own hours so make sure to call him before making the journey to be certain he's there. The settle bed, 2 metres long by 1.6 metres high, has storage under the bench, is made of plywood and costs €850.

Alanna Gallagher

Alanna Gallagher

Alanna Gallagher is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in property and interiors