Bargain Hunter

Compiled by ALANNA GALLAGHER

Cracking walnut

Having the extended family for dinner on December 25th? Dine in style at a Skovby floor model walnut veneer dining table and six chairs upholstered in cream reduced from €3,875 to €2,495. The table (104cm by 185cm) can extend to 265cm to sit up to 12. The sideboard is reduced from €2,225 to €1,495. There are also solid walnut tables, with four chairs and a walnut bench, reduced from €3,560 to €2,495. Kenneth Hodgkins Interiors (01-2938898, kennethhodgkins.ie), Birch Avenue, Stillorgan Industrial Park, Co Dublin.

Art of Christmas

Decorate halls and bedrooms with festive art by Dublin-based illustrator Colin Giles who works under the name Wardsback Art ( Wardsback.com). The illustrator has published a children's book, Wardsback (a play on Backwards) on Blurb.comand is now looking for a publisher. The Night before Christmas, pictured, is an original drawing, 50cm by 69cm, in an ash frame (84cm by 67cm). It was €295 and is now €200 at Stock Design (01-6794317), 33-34 South King Street in Dublin 2.

Cool yule decorations from door to table

3 of the best:The festive feel of your home starts at your door, getting visitors into the yuletide mood before they even cross your threshold. A wreath is as essential a part of the holiday atmosphere as a nip of whiskey set aside for Santa. You can make your own using wire coat hangers as a base. Wrap them in foraged holly and ivy. But if the term "home-made" brings you out in an unflattering rash then a chic alternative is this double door wreath from The Garden (01-6125260, thegardenpowerscourt.ie) in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. The 30cm long wreath is festooned with box berry, dried fruits, cinnamon scrolls and snow-capped pine cones. Price €70.

Gnomes are the Scandi version of Irish fairies. They are said to live under floors and help farm animals and humans. But if you annoy them, they will play tricks. On Christmas Eve, many Scandinavians put a bowl of porridge on their doorstep for the gnomes, in the hope that the act of generosity will keep them on side in the year to come.These Christmas gnomes (left), by Åsa Götander, are made with wool from sheep on the Swedish island of Gotland. They come in two sizes (52cm and 30cm high) and several colourways; the small ones come in red and grey or red and white and cost €24.50. The large ones come in red and grey and cost €32 from Inreda.ie.

Christmas dinner tables can bring a lovely atmosphere to family meals. But is any Christmas dinner complete without a row? The use of place names could keep old rivals separated until at least the pudding has been flamed. Deciding who sits where requires ambassadorial levels of diplomacy but at least you can make your noble efforts look good by dressing the table with these blackboard cut-out reindeer place names from Red Dog The Store (01-4163288, Reddogthestore.com).They are by Arty Smarty, the label run by Tasmanian-born accessories designer Angela Cuthill. A set of four is €29.

Tallboy, cut price

The Provence tallboy will add a warm glow to rooms. Seen here in Distressed Rouge it is also available in white and chocolatebrown distressed finishes. The eight-drawer unit is 122cm tall, 46cm long and 36cm deep. Until December 13th it is down from €250 to €175 at Instore.ie(076-6035427). Delivery €30.

Shades of Marilyn Monroe

Add oomph to your home and brighten up dark December days with Marilyn, a va-va-voom pendant light with sex appeal. It is designed to resemble the white halterneck dress that Marilyn Monroe wore in The Seven Year Itch.

The light is available in red, orange or white and is one of the many statement lights reduced to clear on williedugganlighting.com/shop. The Marilyn shade (70cm tall and 60cm wide) is reduced by 30 per cent from €435 to €305.50. Circus, by Foscarini, is another stylish wall or ceiling light made of blown glass with a nickel central button. It is reduced from €393.80 to €196.90. For further details on these and other deals call 056-7764308.

Crockery price smash

Serve festive fare on this chic Union tableware by Jamie Oliver Union, reduced at Meubles (056-7722034, meublesfurniture.com). The 23cm plate was €10.20 and is now €5.10; the 19cm plate is €4.20 (it was €8.40) and the bowl is €6.30 from €12.60. The mug is down from €8.40 to €4.20.

Bag a bargain bauble

Online shop Garendenny Lane is closing. Its owner, lecturer Lorna Sixsmith, is focusing on teaching social media skills to businesses. There are delightful bargains to be had. Name card baubles are down from €20 to €10 for six. Velvet-shoe tree decorations are down from €12 each to €4. Add a Scandi chic feel to your sofa or favourite chair with Marionette cushions by Swedish label Ferm Living. They're down from €42 each to €28 and include a filler. All can be bought at garrendennylane.ieor 086-1051007.

Trending . . . crystal bling

Ring a ding bling. Is bling really back? UK designer Jo Sampson thinks so.

She is one half of Blacksheep, a creative agency that has designed retail and hospitality spaces for clients that include Hermes, Jamie Oliver as well as the Fairmont Hotel Group and Hilton Hotels and Resorts.

She worked with Waterford Wedgewood on its retail fit-outs and from that partnership was invited to create a suite of interiors for the brand.

Her London collection soups up mirrors, consoles and side tables, lighting them from within and adorning them with Waterford crystals so that they quite literally glow in the dark.

Each piece comes with an eye-watering price tag. The mirror is €20,000, the console table is €11,500 and the cubic side table costs €9,500 ( wwrd.com).