Take a seat

If you were walking down George’s Street in late September you may have noticed a little street party on Dame Lane – passers-by lounging in brightly coloured chairs and taking turns to play the piano.

This was the Laneway Project, a “social experiment” conceived by Peter O’Gara and Ronan Dillon of design company mehimyou. The Laneway Project turned a public place into a temporary community. “Our aim,” they say, “was to transform this inhospitable shortcut alley into a friendly, inspiring location.” It also served as the perfect showroom for mehimyou’s brilliant Cable Drum chairs (pictured), outdoor rockers recycled from empty cable drums. Inspired by found materials, they were drawn to the cable drum for the shapes and forms it offers. As they explain: “No glue or screws are needed; the cable drum is just taken apart and put back together in a different way, which is a nice little concept.” Painted in bright, striking colours and fully weather-treated, the chairs come in three sizes: small, medium, and a love-seat for two and cost from €150 to €450. For details, see meandhimandyou.com.