Shopping: Shop Talk

NO NINETIES urban lounge is fully complete without a piece of furniture from designer Matt Kavanagh. After studying production design, Kavanagh began making practical and funky furniture by commission and, following the success of these pieces, he has since begun producing ranges of ready-to-buy furniture for the home.

Kavanagh's prices, which start at around pounds 100, are very affordable but, aside from the cost, the best thing about this furniture is the names of each piece. Choose from the shapely moulded concrete 'hoola' stacking hi-fi module - equally useful for storing CDs and for providing acoustic stability for your hi-fi system and designed to be built up by the customer according to his or her particular needs - for pounds 95, the covetable 'story of ooh!' table, made from polyurethane foam wrapped in citrussy green or tan leather and available with castors for pounds 565 or with painted wooden legs for pounds 525, or the long-legged 'stork' light, pounds 150 including the lamp, which will nestle elegantly against your walls thanks to its rubber ferrule feet and the soft PVC light casing.

And, if you fancy somewhere fashionable to perch, the curvaceous 'lolaroka' and 'lolalounge' chairs will soon be added to Kavanagh's range. The 'lolalounge' chair has a slender wooden back rest sprouting from its voluptuous base and the 'lolaroka' is a rocking chair with the same proportions.

Matt Kavanagh's furniture can be bought directly on 0171 642 5993 or 07970 161597