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The piece of furniture on which you rest your derrière is such an important part of your decor. Chairs can set and change the tone of an entire room, so they’re a purchase you need to consider. No longer just about function, seating offers such a wonderful opportunity to get stylish and creative and embrace a certain trend. We sat down with the very sound Brendan of ZinZan – the Irish home of beautifully affordable design – to talk all things bums on seats.
Brendan, you have such cool stuff – where do you get it from?
We source our furniture from all over Europe and Asia. The most important thing for us is to build a relationship with our suppliers, this begins with a site visit to the factory. We want to meet them at their place to ensure we are working with the right people, manufacturing to the highest international manufacturing standards.
Can you tell us about the buying process?
We go to all the trade fairs, meet our suppliers, and we are always on the look out for something new, fresh, contemporary that work in the Irish market.
In your opinion, where is the source for all interiors/furniture trends?
Well apart from GAFF, we regularly check out Houzz.com, we also have a close relationship with our Australian counterparts at mattblatt.com.au. We also draw great inspiration from our customers who are always inspiring us with the creative ways they are transforming their homes.
How kind you are. What is the most popular chair that you sell?
The Eames range is the most popular – mainly because of the colour choice and flexibility of the chairs.
Why do you think mid-century style furniture is so popular right now?
It always has been and always will be – they are classic designs that never go out of style – we just make them affordable, with no compromise on quality.
What trends do you foresee in chairs and tables? Style wise?
We are seeing people getting more confident with colour and chair choice – often mixing wood, polypropylene and metal together in a range of colours and styles to make their place feel bespoke and original.
Is there any need for someone to buy an original piece from a furniture designer anymore with such wonderful and more affordable imitations? E.g. a Noguchi coffee table?
Well it’s up the individual – for the collector or people with a real passion for a designer it’s important to have the right piece – more as a statement than a piece of cool but functional furniture. Many of our customers have young kids, so the it’s not really practical to have a 3 year old eating, drawing, playing on a €400 chair!
Are the Eames style chairs here to stay?
Yes they are – they fit in to almost any space, and if you get tired of a colour, you just buy a new seat and change the mood. The will evolve over time, but yes they are here to stay.
What do you think we will see less of in 2018?
Less and less of people are trying to match colours and wood timbres.
This has been happening for a while now and we think it’s great – bring on the variety and the colour!
You offer more than just chairs though, styling advice too?
We love talking to our customers and we want them to get in touch to ask us questions – we encourage them to pick up the phone for a chat or call to arrange an appointment at our showroom so that we can meet them and talk about their place.
ZinZan is our go to online store whether we’ve needed stunning and simple Eames chairs for a hair salon we’ve renovated, or chic and minimal stools for a restaurant opening. Check out their offering here. And they don’t just sell chairs – lots of gorgeous tables too!