Welcome To House of Kerry
Located on a farm, a designated Scenic Area of Conservation with beautiful natural scenery in Muckross Killarney Co. Kerry, House of Kerry aims to inspire with a beautiful collection of timeless pieces. Cherishing the environment, handmade crafts, nature, heritage and the landscape, having the courage to do what inspires you and one’s wellbeing are themes which resonate with Christine O’Donoghue de Vries the creator of House of Kerry.
Who are we?
Christine O’Donoghue de Vries is an artist/designer and farmer based in Co. Kerry, Ireland. House of Kerry is inspired by an old farmhouse in Muckross, Killarney Co. Kerry in which her grandparents and great-grandparents lived before her. She lives there with her Dutch/Peruvian husband and two children. Christine completed an honours Law and French degree at University College Cork. After working as a lawyer for many years she felt a strong pull back to the place she grew up in and to turn to her creative passions. She documents and captures the timeless charm of the Irish countryside which largely remains unchanged since she was a child.
Her fine art photography and watercolour painting designs are influenced then by the breath taking natural scenery of Co. Kerry outside the windows of the house and Co. Kerry and reminders of things gone by. Christine decided to preserve the house rather than build anew. In a similar vein House of Kerry aims to work with and explore the old, sometimes nostalgic imagery but with a contemporary twist. With the aim of capturing the imagination to promote our environment, nature, culture and heritage, she designs unique original giftware and accessories to be enjoyed in everyday living.
House of Kerry was selected to participate in the Glucksman Gallery UCC’s 2016 and 2017 Craft and Design Fair. Christine is registered as a Craftsperson/Designer with the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland. She has been nominated a finalist in the Arts and Crafts Design Award 2017 and 2018, an annual international online competition for nominated artisans and designers. She was also a finalist in the RDS Craft Awards 2017 for her silk scarf the Magic of the Skellig Ring. She participated in “Gifted” the national craft fair in 2017 and Showcase 2018.
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Our Philosophy
The House of Kerry philosophy is to provide functional home wares, gifts and accessories embellished with beautiful images of the countryside and nature to inspire you or the receiver of your gift in everyday living. We do our bit for the environment by using natural or recycled and sustainable fabrics. We use water based inks for screenprinting. Our trays are made from a single sheet of the finest Scandinavian birch wood and are made from FSC certified sustainable sources. Our bespoke handmade cushions involve many processes to ensure we bring you a striking original creation. The backing on our cushions and clutch handbags are made from 100% pure new wool tweed from the local Kerry Woolen Mills.
The colours of the tweed such as Caspian Blue and Heather are inspired by the landscape here and so are very fitting with the imagery on the cushions. We searched high and low in Ireland for digital printers to print the designs on the front of the cushions but there were none! So they are printed for us using the latest technology at a studio in London. The inserts of the cushions are feather filled from an Irish business and the cushions are handmade here in Kerry. Our limited edition silk scarves contain innovative designs inspired by Christine’s watercolour painting and photographic techniques. The scarves are then printed onto 100% pure silk at a state of the art facility near Lake Como in Italy, a place renowned for the making of designer silk scarves. Our inspiring collection of lampshades “These Country Lights” feature iconic images from the Irish landscape.