Simple charm, opulent luxury: you can have it all

Like the look of this week's houses? Fiona Tyrell shows how it's done.

Black and gold wallpaper coupled with Edwardian-style furniture set an imperial tone in the livingroom of the show unit in Rocky Valley Crescent, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow designed by Elevation Interiors in Contarf (01 8775431) . The room is a mix of oriental and Edwardian influences. The striking wallpaper is from Osborne & Little and is called Papilraoportia and costs €50 for a double width roll. The hand-carved custom-made Edwardian-style sofa was made in Paris for Elevation Interiors using hand-woven gold silk. Expect to pay in the region of €4,000 for something similar. Matching curtains made from Kasali material from Italy are trimmed with a waterfall tassels. Two sets complete with poles and trimmings will cost around €7,500.

The owners of Whitebarns, Co Tipperary bought their antique brass and metal beds in England where they can still be found in specialist antiques shops and at auctions.

Authentic Victorian brass beds are harder to find in Ireland, though they occasionally appear in local auction houses like Herman & Wilkinson in Rathmines, and Buckleys in Sandycove. Mealys auction rooms in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny is another good source of antique bedroom furniture including ornate metal beds.

Good reproductions are fairly plentiful however. Flanagans of Mount Merrion has a range of antique-style beds with prices starting at €400 for a plain iron bed going up to €4,000 for a solid brass bed with hand-painted ceramic knobs.

Laura Ashley (01 6795433) has a range of hand-made metal bed frames. We like the traditional Granada bed which has a sweeping top rail and is available in a white or pewter finish. It costs €1,050 for a large double. The charming pink and white bedspread was purchased in India but Laura Ashley has a similar throw called the Aneela bedspread with a pink floral print against an ivory backdrop. Price €265.

The handsome cabinet in the hall of Ardnamona, Carrickmines  was owned by the vendor's father, who worked as a GP in England for years. It was used to store samples of drugs but nowadays comes in handy for tidying away bits and bobs. Specimen cabinets like this were popular in the 18th and 19th century, when the craze for hoarding all things collectable started. Butterflies, stamps, and fossils would have been stored in one of the 36 brass-handled drawers. Expect to pay around €2,000-€2,500 for a specimen cabinet, says John Keane of Lantern Antiques on Francis Street (01 4534593). Portable medicine chests used by GPs to store medicine are more popular; prices range from €600 to €800, according to Kevin Jones of Jones Antiques, also on Francis Street (01 4546626).

If you like the look of the cosy maroon polka dot throw in the bedroom of the showhouse at Ticknock Hill, Sandyford get to The Natural Interior on Mill Street, Dublin 8 (01 4737444). Made by Welsh company Melin Tregwynt, the 100 per cent wool throw, called Mondo Berry, costs €180. Complementing cushions are mostly made from material from the Malabar range of fabrics, price €40 per metre. The elaborate headboard, also from The Natural Interior, is covered in a floral Osborne and Little wallpaper called Sakura and the smaller padded headboard in a maroon velvet. Expect to pay around €1,200 for something similar.