Fuse Finds: Mixed Up Furniture

A two-year, round-the-world trip convinced psychology graduate Danielle MacInnes that she wanted to pursue a more creative career.



With a strong interest in interior design, the young Dubliner set up her own consultancy, Fuse Interiors, on her return to Ireland three years ago.

Building from that business on Mount Street in Dublin city centre, MacInnes has now launched Fuse Finds, an online furniture and design shop that complements Fuse’s interior design services.

MacInnes said people were ‘‘beginning to appreciate good design once again’’ after a shift in taste during the Celtic tiger years.


‘‘The economic boom brought with it a desire for opulent, shiny, glitzy glamour, as well as a raft of multinational furniture chains selling flat pack, veneer and particleboard furniture," she said.


‘‘There’s nothing wrong with that kind of thing, but people are going back to looking for sustainable furniture that’s built to last.


‘‘Now what they’re creating at home is a mix of less expensive, contemporary furniture and classic, pre-owned, or ‘pre-loved’ pieces that add individuality and can be passed on to future generations."

Fuse Finds features a mix of revamped charity shop vintage pieces, original mid-century investment items, flea market finds and new and contemporary design. All of the pieces have been hand-picked and reflect MacInnes’s quirky, offbeat design style.


The collection has been sourced locally, as well as from Britain, Europe and the US.


It can be viewed at www. fuseinteriors.ie/fuse-finds, and clients who would like to view the pieces can make an appointment at Mac-Innes’s new studio on Lad Lane in Dublin 2.


‘‘People are looking for unique design that has personality. They want their space to reflect their own originality and creativity.


By mixing contemporary art and design with one-off vintage and mid-century pieces, you can create a completely individual look.


‘‘The collection includes classic furniture by celebrated design icons, including Jacobsen, Bertoia and Eames.


‘‘It also includes pieces made by manufacturers such as Herman Miller, G Plan and Anglepoise, as well as well-designed furniture that has been found at charity shops and flea markets that I’ve ‘upcycled’, or reupholstered and revamped," said MacInnes.


To promote the business, she has a series of so-called ‘popup’ shops planned. ‘‘There are a lot of empty rental units available at the moment and we’re in talks with a few people about renting some of them from early autumn. People can visit the temporary shops and browse through the furniture and one-off vintage pieces," she said.


‘‘We want to provide a resource for those quirky, hard to find pieces and to bring an exciting design-led collection of original, affordable and sustainable furniture to our customers.

Courtesy of Tina-Marie O’Neill / The Sunday Business Post