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Poring over this issue, I was struck by how much meaning objects can hold. Surrounding yourself with things that are beautiful, well-made, have a special significance or can inspire imbues any space with an inexhaustible appeal, one that is far larger than the sum of its parts.
It’s that feeling of being in a room where you’re itching to examine everything, to pick things up or run your fingertips along their surface to find out more about them.
The pleasure, and cumulative power that can be found in things is evident too in the Connemara workshop of Paddy O’Malley, which is filled with shells, glass and fragments that have caught his attention. Each one has been picked up for its potential to become part of something larger in one of his concrete creations.
Or in the way artist Anita Groener uses multitudes of small objects in her work: tiny twigs and figures accumulating into larger pieces with deep meaning. While in Within the Village, a collection of self-catering stays in Roundstone, the owners’ choice to fill it with Irish craft and design deeply connects this new venture to its location, permeating it with both tradition and innovation.
When it seems more and more of our lives are mediated via screens, it’s a comforting reminder that the things in front of us, those we can touch and hold, still have the power to connect us.
A coffee jug passed down from my grandmother is one of my favourite possessions, and although my book and magazine collection is ever-expanding, there’s always something interesting to be gleaned from leafing through a forgotten copy. As the days cool and the evenings draw in, I’m looking forward to spending more time curled up amongst these objects that bring me joy.
I hope you find as much pleasure delving into the people, places, creations and collections between these pages as much as we have.
Find IMAGE Interiors autumn/winter in store now, or click here to buy online.