Design tools for urban living - Alessi corkscrews, classic bicycles from Sweden and stylish toothbrushes - are among the eclectic range of products in the new Objecthaus store on South Great George's Street.
Opened earlier this week, the shop is also the official outlet for the well-known Alessi line of designer household goods and firmly establishes this south city street as the retail centre for Dublin's thriving interior design sector.
Occupying a key location at the junction of South Great Georges Street and Exchequer Street, the premises were occupied up to recently by Barry & Sons, a wholesale fashion business.
Objecthaus will have the use of the ground floor unit and three interconnecting basement rooms with a total floor space of 2,600 sq ft.
Cleverly dubbed a "21st century hardware store", Objecthaus is the latest concept store from design guru Garrett O'Hagan, whose existing stores Haus, Kitchenhaus and Project Office have built-up a large customer base.
Stock carries products from the best-known designers around the world including Jasper Morrison, Philippe Starck and Irish designers like Peter Mayburn. Magis, Kartell, Biomega and Perigo are among other brands available.
O'Hagan, who has taken a short-term lease on the building, is believed to be paying the going market rate of around £30 (€38.09) per sq ft for the street-level unit. Insignia Richard Ellis Gunne was the agent acting for O'Hagan.
The store, which will be selling a range of design items for the home, has double glass-window frontage onto both streets.
The store design is modern with a grey-tiled floor at ground level and part-glass flooring in the basement areas. White walls feature downstairs, while the ground floor area has yellow display cabinets.
The store will also offer a wedding list service, and many of the objects will also be available to buy on the store's website, www.objecthaus.ie. Objecthaus, like many of the shops on this street, will no doubt be targeting Dublin's young, trendy and gay shoppers with high-disposable incomes.
O'Hagan dismisses the notion that modern design objects always carry an excessive price tag. "Great design is about finding new and novel answers to everyday problems. "It's about reinventing traditional items in modern materials. It's about making things well and making things affordable. In fact, great design is very democratic," he comments.
Interior design is one of the strongest growing retail sectors in Dublin. Design stores have always enjoyed a high profile in continental Europe, especially in countries like Sweden, Italy and France where household design objects are as popular as designer fashion.
However, there is a growing trend for this style of retail outlet, and a number of design stores and showrooms recently opened in Temple Bar's West End, including O'Hagan's Kitchenhaus.
South Great George's Street enjoys a reputation for being a slightly more bohemian and quirky street than the main shopping thoroughfares and a number of trendy furniture, design shops, and galleries have opened up there.
The street can also boast some of the most established cafΘ bars in Dublin with The Globe, Hogans and new addition Sosume still very popular with the twenty- and thirtysomething crowd.
The reopening of Dunnes Stores and the reduction of traffic on the street has increased footfall and contributed to the overall upgrading of the street's profile.
There is strong demand from retailers for units in the surrounding area, according to Insignia Richard-Ellis Gunne, which is currently marketing a 600 sq ft unit in the George's Street Arcade. Offers in excess of £30,000 (€38,092) are being sought for the lease, which commands an annual rent of £20,000 (€25,394).
