ShopFront: It's probably fair to say that House Of Ireland's image is that of a shop selling Irish-made craft goods - and acres of Waterford and Tipperary Crystal - frequented by large numbers of tourists.

But while this is still by and large true, the shop has started to take a slightly different route of late, with many new lines of home accessories and furniture that are anything but fuddy-duddy. 1960s-looking black curved consoles and nests of tables with a lacquer-like finish are the biggest departure. Best of the accessories are black linen table runners with horizontal rows of black beads - a good buy for a Christmas dinner table. These rattan floor cushions (€39.99), we're told, are used for casual seating: throw a few on the floor and lounge on them. ... House of Ireland, Nassau Street, D2