Industrious design

Industrial furniture from the 1930s and 1940s was never properly accessible in this country until Vanessa Mac Innes opened her new shop, Industry, in Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar in Dublin, a few weeks ago.

An interior designer, Mac Innes sources the metal furniture from antique markets and vintage fairs throughout Europe. Industrial furniture is a big interior trend this year but has lasting appeal, too: original pieces have a high re-sale value abroad. The furniture was made at a time when metal became the new wood, and pieces in the shop are beautifully crafted and designed with function in mind.

The fun lies in adapting them for modern living: for example, the shop has a postal desk from 1940s France that would look great today in a kitchen to store china or would be perfect in a home office (it costs €1,700). There’s also a wonderful metal 1930s Belgian table, which has been sanded and varnished, for €1,150, and chairs to match for around €200 each. Also, check out the cool stools and side tables. There are accessories, too, and these have purse-friendly prices, from €35 for a 1940s printed French bottle crate and €40 for cushions. Industry, Smock Alley, Essex Street West, Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar. Tel: 01-6139111, industrydesign.ie. Open from Tuesday to Saturday.