Christmas at home

INTERIORS: ALANNA GALLAGHERcomes up with some great family and home ideas that will engage. delight and lifft moods

For the birds

Don’t forget to feed the birds this winter. A bungee-jumping seed man costs €9.99 and a Sylvester birdbox will give them a home with a sense of humour, €34.99. Both available at Pressieport (Pressieport.ie, 01-4605350).

Boredom killer

Christmas is about indulging your playful side. Following on from traditional favourite Trivial Pursuit is QI, the board game from the people behind the TV series that makes your mind smile. Take part in the challenging questions. Get it right and you move forward but a wrong answer could mean the dreaded klaxon and you’ll be going backwards. This game is for three to six and suitable for ages 12 years and upwards.

Fragrant felts

Every home needs a door stopper and Bandit the Cat is a lavender and wheat-filled felt cat who comes with a magnetic felt mouse to keep him company. It is by textile designer Charlene Mullen. Price about €58, ex-delivery, from UK-based Mullen. She also does beautiful lavender-filled birds – perfect as Christmas decorations and also as moth deterrents for your wardrobe and drawers. The birds have suede-covered legs and come with a little nest bag to rest in. They cost €29 each (including shipping) from charlenemullen.com.

Moonstruck

Bring a ray of sunshine into a room with the Luna magazine rack by Barnaba Fornasetti. Made of wood, and printed and lacquered by hand it measures 50cm by 30cm and costs about €639, ex-delivery, from Shoreditch’s hip establishment Milk Concept Boutique (milkconcept boutique.eu).

Nice ice baby

Christmas drinks puts everyone in the party spirit. Wow guests by serving yours with supersize ice balls from Muji. The silicone ice balls cost €11.25 each. You can make Christmas in your home more aromatic by using one of its smart aroma diffusers that also provide light. €69.

Perfect for bookworms

A bedside light is perfect for the bookworm in your life. It is illuminating and functions as a page rest for your read when it’s time for some shut eye. Price €44.99 at Pressieport Gifts.

Patch me up

A patchwork quilt is an ode to the old-fashioned. Ann O’Rafferty is a patchworker with a gorgeous eye when it comes to colour. She likes to sit down with clients and talk through what is meaningful to them before suggesting designs. Prices start from €400 for a wall hanging. A single bed quilt is €700. Tel: 01-839 2144.

Immerse yourself in a good book

Star in your own novel. Pressieport (on Pressieport.ie, 01-460 5350) can customise classic titles such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Wizard of Ozand Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for you so that you or the recipient of your gift can star in the storyline. Price €24.99.

The practical present

Does someone on your list need to be kept warm this winter? Dyson’s sleek hot fan heater heats a room fast. It also looks good. In summer it can be used as a fan to cool a room just as easily as it heats it up. Plus it’s safe to use and there is no fear of it over-heating. €297.49, Arnotts.

Off the wall

Fun, festive antlers (€27) are perfect for hanging decorations on and breaking up a blank stretch of wall. The bauble are €3.50 each and the tinsel is €5.50. All from Marks & Spencer.

Play games

A Jenga-esque wood brick Tumble Tower is fun and its mines the retro mood that recurs every Christmas. Price €8.99 at Pressieport. Bo Concept’s domino wood sculpture is along the same lines. Available at its Beacon South Quarter, Sandyford, Dublin, and Arnotts stores. €29.95.

It’s a wrap

Snakeskin is in this season. Give the kids a bean bag with a difference with on-trend and Irish made Daddy Larry Design snakes. Choose from a blue jean boa, €350, made from old pairs of denims or a vintage-inspired python, €450. Either can be wrapped up to form one lounger or unwrapped to accommodate several kids. Both of them measure 15m long and can also be made to order. Tel: 087-9117948 or see daddylarrydesign.com.

Designer toys to try

Artfully abstract plastic puppies by Eero Aarnio are good for the child who isn’t going to get the real thing this season. Prices start from €85 for the medium sized one.

You could also have fun with your wooden floors with a rotating Magis Spun chair by Thomas Heatherwick, the designer who created the UK Pavilion at last year’s Shanghai Expo. It will make adults and kids dizzy with delight and comes in dark purple, purple, yellow and red. It is also suitable for outdoor use when the good weather returns. Price €309. Both are available at Blackrock-based Lost Weekend (01-275 5818, lostweekend.ie).

Invest in Irish design

Irish design duo Klickity create affordable, modern pieces that make prefect presents. Their Palm self-assembly pendant comes in 10 colours and costs €49.95. Klip is a modular noticeboard and a pack of three pieces costs €15 while Scribble Box is a stackable, customisable set of cardboard boxes which you or your kids can decorate. Each box costs €14.95. These presents are available to buy online at Klickity.ie or at the Irish Design Shop (irishdesignshop.com) which has premises on Bow Lane East and its newly opened concession at the RHA Gallery on Ely Place, both in Dublin 2.

Around the world in minutes

Every home should have a globe to help broaden horizons. This red design is from The Conran Shop at Arnotts, €109.

Divine dinner settings

Irish design agency Red Dog (reddogthestore.com) has commissioned Arty Smarty to create gorgeous limited edition chalk-coated reindeer place names which are perfect for setting the season this December 25th. A set of four place names is €29. They are reusable and come with chalk. There are only 25 sets available. Buy now or regret later.

Create a traditional mood

Gather the kids round. Light a candle in something like the traditional Cath Kidston tin candle holder, €7 and turn off the main lights. Open The Night Before Christmasand read aloud, getting the kids to join in the parts that they know. Perfect. It is available at the Cath Kidston store in Dundrum, Cath Kidston stockists and online at cathkidston.eu.

Follow the star

Make everyone starstruck with a celestial Christmas theme at home. Ikea’s Strala range is cheap and chic. Table decorations cost €2.99 each, Advent hanging stars are €4.99 each and very festive floor lamps cost €14.99. A seven-arm low-set table top candelabra is €19.99. Ikea.ie.