About the Studio

Garvan de Bruir has established a design and craftsmanship studio in Kildare Town, Ireland. He specializes in the use of decorative timbers, fine leathers and cast metals. With these core materials his project ranges cover luggage, furniture, sculpture and prefabricated architecture.

Throughout his broad portfolio of work, his projects always display his passion for bringing natural materials into contemporary luggage, furniture and architecture design contexts. His designs endeavor to push the technical capabilities of each material and strive to achieve sculptural yet always functional results.

Like early modernists, he feels the same design philosophies can be developed through many scales of designed objects from furniture through to architecture. Similar shape and structure ideals influenced the construction of his leather ‘Satchel Bag’, his cast aluminium ‘Singleform Stool’, his oak ‘Sculptural Swing’ and his timber ‘Curving Buildings’.

Garvan’s formal training includes a BA Hons in Furniture Design & Craftsmanship and an MA in Furniture Design & Technology, both at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College. This was followed by some very influential years as a cabinetmaker with Philip Koomen Furniture in Henley, Oxfordshire.

Designs by Garvan de Bruir have won awards in the UK and in Ireland. His work in furniture and sculpture have been exhibited in London, Dublin, Milan and Dubai. He is a member of The Institute of Design Ireland, The Crafts Council of Ireland and the British Contract Furnishing and Design Association

Buying:
DE BRUIR leather luggage and accessories are available through our online shop here and on www.AviationLuggage.com. Our luggage designs are dispatched all around the world.

Commissioning:
Our bespoke furniture is carried out on a commission basis. Our style of fine cabinetmaking uses decorative timbers in classic combinations. The design and make process can include presenting ideas in sketch, scale model or working prototype form to resolve the design proposal to the clients specific tastes and needs.
Our sculptural commissions are carried out on a similar basis and we are very interested in large scale and ambitious installations.

Awards

National Crafts Fair of Ireland, Duff-Tisdall Award 2010

RDS Feature Show Jump Competition Winner 2010

New Product Award, Showcase 2010

IDI Design Award 2009

Golden Fleece Merit Award 2009

SEEDA Business Ideas 2006

IDI Design Award 2008

National Crafts Fair of Ireland Award 2006

National Crafts Fair of Ireland Award 2005

Muriel Gahan Scholarship, 2004

National Crafts Fair of Ireland Award 2002

‘Future of Design Award’ For Design in the International Marketplace, New Designers, London 2002

This award was presented by the British Contract Furniture Association and sponsored by UK Trade and Investment. Garvan’s work was selected to represent graduates of British universities at Index Dubai, in the Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE and meet Shiekh Mohammed bi Rashid Al Maktoum at the exhibition opening. Garvan was invited again in 2005 to celebrate the best of 10 years involvement by the BCFA with design graduates at Index Dubai.

Editorial & Product Features

The Sunday Independent, Fashion, 15th January 2012

Ireland of the Welcomes, January 2012

Crafts Council of Ireland, ‘Give Irish Craft’ Campaign 2011

RTE ‘The Business’ George Lee, 19th December 2011

Sunday Independent, Fashion, 18th December 2011

George Hook, ‘Kickstart your Business’, Newstalk, 17th December 2011

Irish Times, 19th November 2011

Ireland’s Homes, Interiors and Living, Spring 2011

Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine, 6th November 2011

The Gloss Magazine, ‘Intelligent Design’ feature March 2011

Image Magazine, July 2011

Sunday Business Post, Agenda Magazine, 19th June 2011

Irish Times Magazine, 24th July 2010

Sunday Business Post, Agenda Magazine, 28th March 2010

The Gloss Magazine, March 2010

House & Home, Jan/Feb 2010

Irish Times Go Magazine, 10th October 2009

Sunday Times HOME, 4th Oct 2009

Irish Times Magazine, 9th May 2009

Sunday Independent Life Magazine, 19th April 2009

Irish Independent, Property Plus, 13th Feb 2009

Leinster Leader, 2008, 2009

The Kilare Nationalist , 2007, 2009

Irish Tatler, HOT 100 List, 2005

Irish Arts Review, Dec ‘04

The Kildare Nationalist, Nov ‘04

Irish Homes Interiors & Living Magazine ‘04

The Sunday Independent, 20th June ‘04

The Daily Telegraph Magazine, Feb ‘04

Cabinetmaker, Nov ‘03

The Leinster Leader, Dec ‘02

The Gulf Today, UAE, 6th Oct ‘02

Exhibitions & Installations

Upcoming 2012

Showcase - Ireland’s Creative Expo, 22nd - 25th January, RDS (Trade Event)

2011

Art in Action, Waterperry Park, Oxfordshire, UK

Showcase -Ireland’s Creative Expo, featured on ‘Creative Island’ with the Crafts Council of Ireland

Electric Picnic, Sculptural Swing installation

Interior Art & Design Fair 2011

Bloom in the Park, Sculptural Swing Installation

2010

Showcase, featured on ‘Creative Island’

Interior Art & Design Fair 2010

Solo Exhibition, Law Library Distillery Building, Church Street, Dublin 7

2009

Showcase, RDS

100% DESIGN, Earls Court, London

2008

Showhouse- Ideal Homes Exhibition

2006

Vitra, Clerkenwell Road, London

2005

Salon Satellite, Milan Furniture Fair
Index Dubai 2005, World Trade Centre

2004

Islington Art and Design Fair
DKNY Celebrates New Designers, Islington, London
Decorex, The Royal Hospital, Chelsea
Urban Interiors, Islington, London

2003

DKNY New Designers Showcase, Old Bond Street, London
National Crafts Fair of Ireland, RDS, Dublin
Urban Interiors, South Kensington, London

2002

National Crafts Fair of Ireland, RDS, Dublin
New Designers, Islington, London
Index Dubai 2002,Dubai World Trade , Centre, UAE

RECENT EVENTS

www.AviationLuggage.com

A new website has just been launched dedicated to the leatherwork collection. The luggage has been receiving attention from all around the world and the new website www.AviationLuggage.com focuses on all travel and technology needs.

Corporate Gifts

Our leather accessories are proving popular for corporate gifts and award occasions. Single larger items suit presentations for travelling dignitaries or retirement gifts We can also tailor packages of smaller gift items in any numbers for specific conferences.

Buying Irish made gifts helps to promote local design and craftsmanship but most importantly provides a satisfying and memorable functional gift for a businessman to use for many years to come.

Showcase Ireland 2011

Showcase Ireland in January was a great success. Our Luggage range is now being featured in stores in the USA, Japan and Germany.

Solo Exhibition - November 2010

The Bar Council of Ireland’s Distillery Building generously hosted a solo exhibition of my collection. It was a great opportunity to communicate the many design themes that the studio engages in; Luggage, Furniture, Sculpture and Architectural Design, and explain how the same design and construction philosophies are at the core of every object no matter what material or scale.

Design Week - September 2010

We exhibited with The Cream of Irish Design at the Malthouse, North Circular Road, Dublin.

RDS National Crafts Competition

Our Arabic Bench design has been part of the Prizewinners Travelling Exhibition. This will be on show at the National Craft Fair in the RDS in December

Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show 2010

The studio designed and made the Feature Show Jump for the Aga Khan Cup at this year’s Dublin Horse Show. Our entry won a design competition held jointly by the RDS Arts and RDS Equestrian departments.

RTE’s Nationwide

Nationwide visited the studio in June to see the RDS Show Jump under construction and film the various areas of our work at the studio. The feature was included in their program on 6th August.

www.etsy.com and type deBruir into the sellers tab.

Our Leather & Luggage collection is part of the exciting website etsy.com which promotes exclusively handmade crafts. Its a really popular in the USA and is opening our work up to a great new audience.

Solo Exhibition - November 2010

The Bar Council of Ireland’s Distillery Building generously hosted a solo exhibition of my collection. It was a great opportunity to communicate the many design themes that the studio engages in; Luggage, Furniture, Sculpture and Architectural Design, and explain how the same design and construction philosophies are at the core of every object no matter what material or scale.

Design Week - September 2010

We exhibited with The Cream of Irish Design at the Malthouse, North Circular Road, Dublin.

RDS National Crafts Competition

Our Arabic Bench design has been part of the Prizewinners Travelling Exhibition. This will be on show at the National Craft Fair in the RDS in December.