Studio Harris, located in Kerry, produce timeless furniture and homewares which combine traditional craftsmanship with a clean and modern aesthetic. Established by Tricia Harris who is a graduate of renowned furniture college Letterfrack, the philosophy of the studio is to create beautiful, considered pieces, designed to be loved and used, that are made well and will last.
Most recently, the studio has released a collection of stools that are inspired by traditional Irish country furniture. The Dwellers and Fireside stools are beautifully crafted in Irish hardwood and are made to last a lifetime. lifetime. Working with Galway based furniture maker Daniel Gill, the stools are handcrafted using traditional chair making techniques, creating a pared-back, honest design, with a modern feel. Shop the collection here. 

We recently asked Tricia Harris a few questions, to give us more insight into her creative process and new life in Kerry....

-You recently swapped city life in Dublin to relocate your studio to Kerry, what have been
the pros and cons of this move?
 
Space has been a major benefit of the move, both in terms of the outdoor natural
environment and the perks of country living, but also headspace and time. I do find that I have been able to concentrate and focus way more here. I love my studio at home. It is a large light-filled space, with a view looking out on the Killarney lakes and mountains. There is a real joy that comes from being able to work in a happy positive space. The other pros are enjoying my coffee breaks outside, and popping out to the polytunnel for some homegrown produce for my lunch!
Coming from living in Stoneybatter and working in the Chocolate Factory, a shared studio building in the heart of Dublin city, I do miss the buzz of city life and the regular interactions with everyone. I am looking forward to when I can make a trip back up again.

-What is your favourite material to work with? 

Well, that would definitely be wood. I love the natural warmth of wood as a material to work with and to have in a space. There is a longevity to wood and it can age with character and carry a story. It also combines really well with other materials.

-Do you have favourite designers? If so, who? What inspires you most? 

I have always been inspired by well-designed production-led furniture, from designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, Thonet, Hans Wegner, Eileen Gray. Designers who pushed boundaries but whose furniture was user-centred. In terms of inspiration, I love the culture of Japanese making, and the beauty and simplicity of Scandinavian design.

-What do you see as your biggest challenge as a contemporary furniture designer in Ireland? 

We have a wealth of highly skilled craftspeople in Ireland and there is a desire from customers to buy Irish and choose Irish made work over imported mass-produced products. But the challenge is achieving costs that are affordable, as making furniture in small numbers is always going to be expensive. The solution is to be able to increase quantities and make Irish made furniture a viable option for more people.

-How do you switch off? Does it come easy to you? 

I actually do find it a lot easier now to switch off, than I used to. I stick to regular office hours and keep set break times and make sure I give myself downtime in the evenings and weekends. Giving yourself time off, means you come back rejuvenated and you are more productive in the long run than working continuously. I am also consciously spending less time looking at a screen or scrolling through social media, and making more time for reading a good book instead or getting out and enjoying some fresh air.

-Do you get a special discount in Breac House (hahaha!)

Oh, how I wish I did! I have been lucky to have stayed there on a couple of occasions. It really is an amazing place. It is always on my list of places to stay! And if you are looking for somewhere to go and switch off and rejuvenate, there is certainly the place. Catherine and Niall have been wonderful supporters and advocates for Irish design and championing Irish produced goods.

Daddy's is a Rialto café established by chef Colm Keane in 2019 with an emphasis on classic Irish comfort food. Serving the tastiest tarts, sambos and pastries in Dublin 8, Daddy's is always warm and welcoming with the soundest of staff. Before Christmas 2020, Colm invited us to style a small concession space with a selection of our favourite products which might appeal to Daddy's customers. This proved quite a hit! And so, we decided to make the concession an ongoing collaboration. If you are in the Rialto area, Daddy's is must to drop in for some comfort food, great coffee and a browse of some classic Irish Design Shop products. We endeavour to keep the selection seasonal, fresh and interesting to entice returning customers. Check out Daddy's Instagram for opening hours.  

A few months ago, Colm shared a recipe with us for his classic celeriac tart. Have a read here. 

We would like to wish all our wonderful customers a Happy New Year! The support we have received over the last nine months has been phenomenal. We appreciate every single customer who chose to shop with us and support a small Irish business during a very difficult time. If you are shopping with us in January, please avail of our Free Shipping Code for all deliveries within Ireland: HAPPYNEWYEAR

Our customers remained supportive and patient with processing and postal delays before Christmas, and so this is our small way of saying Thank You! Here's to a more positive and hopeful 2021, Clare & Laura. 

A little while back, we took over the home of our friend Jennifer Slattery to shoot the lovely new homewares from our Áras collection. We asked Colm Keane, proprietor of Rialto café Daddy's to cook a meal on location to compliment our range of handmade products. Colm has such an enthusiasm and grá for Irish cooking and seasonal produce, it was a joy listening to him talk about food while he cooked us THE most delicious lunch using our tableware. The celeriac tart was incredible, and Colm has kindly shared the recipe and cooking method with us. 

CELERIAC, CABBAGE + MILLEENS TART

Savoury tarts are one of my favourite things to make and we love coming up with different ones in Daddy's Café. As we move through the seasons, the fillings change to reflect what's around us, both in the wild and from our suppliers. I made a version of this tart in April with wild garlic and nettles and it was sublime! Have fun tweaking it to your liking. This particular tart is big on flavour and roars of Ireland!! It is delicious served with some thyme roast beets or dark winter berries and figs with yoghurt and honey.

Serves 6

If you're short on time, you can buy the pastry - but buy the best you can afford - preferably made with butter and not vegetable oil! You will need a 9"/23cm tart tin and a rolling pin or a wine bottle to roll the dough, some greaseproof paper and some baking beans - you can use uncooked rice or dry beans of any kind. I use dried black eyed beans. 

INGREDIENTS:

For the shortcrust:

200g plain flour, 130g cold butter, cubed,1 beaten egg, two finger pinch of salt,    1 beaten egg for egg wash

For the Filling:

1 small celeriac, peeled and diced, 1 medium onion, diced,1 green cabbage (savoy or greyhound work perfectly) a few twigs of thyme, nutmeg, 50g butter, extra virgin olive oil, s+p, 250ml cream, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon mustard (dijon or wholegrain)

 

First make the shortcrust 

Put the flour, butter and salt into a wide bowl. Catch the mixture in your hands while rubbing your thumbs over your first two fingers, working the butter until it becomes small pea sized pellets in the mixture. Add half the beaten egg and mix into the dough with a fork. If the dough comes together easily and cleanly, you won't need the rest of the egg. If it doesn't, tip the rest of the egg in, mix and gather the lot. You should be left with a clean bowl. Shape and flatten the dough mixture into a disc, wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 30mins minimum.

Now start the filling

On a medium heat, warm some olive oil in a large pan. Add the diced onion and cook until they are translucent, about 10 minutes. You may need to turn down the heat a touch after a few mins to ensure they don't brown. Once they are cooked, remove to a plate. 

Back to the pan, add some more oil, the diced celeriac, salt and pepper and thyme twigs. On a medium heat, cook the celeriac, tossing every few mins to ensure it is browning and cooking evenly. Once cooked, remove to the plate with the onions. 

Prepare your cabbage by taking 4 or 5 leaves and removing the tough centre rib. Fold in half across the rib, roll and slice into shreds across the grain. Back with our pan now on a medium to low heat, add the butter, cabbage, a good grating of nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Cook for 5 mins. We want the cabbage to stay bright green and just be starting to soften. Set this with all the cooked ingredients aside to cool while we finish our tart shell.

Prepare the tart shell

Take the pastry from the fridge, unwrap and place on a cold floured surface. Using the tart tin as a guide, roll out the pastry so that the circumference is wide enough to accommodate the tart tin and it's sides. Roll the pastry on to your rolling pin and gently roll back over the tart tin. Moving gently with your hands, tuck the pastry snug into place in the tin. Stick in the fridge for 10 mins and preheat oven to 180'C before the next step.

Scrunch up some greaseproof tight in a ball (makes it easier to shape). Open it back out and tuck it into the tart shell. Fill with baking beans (or an alternative). Put the bean filled tart tin into the oven for 8 mins. Remove the shell from the oven and remove greaseproof and the beans altogether, carefully. Paint the shell thoroughly on the base and sides with the egg wash and bake for a further 2 minutes. This creates a liquid proof seal for our filling. 

Fill the tart

In a large bowl, whisk the cream, eggs, mustard and some salt and pepper together. Add all of your cooked ingredients to the egg mixture and stir to combine well (you can cook a little bit quickly on a hot pan to make sure your happy with the seasoning, if you like). Fill the tart shell with the mixture and then stud it evenly with torn chunks of the Milleens cheese. Bake the tart for 30-40 mins or until a skewer comes clean out of the centre. Remove from the tin onto a plate of a similar or larger size.

Serve and enjoy!