Louth Craftmark, a retail outlet with a difference, has just been launched at Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda in a bid to showcase the array of arresting design talent in the county. A combination of best practice from Leitrim's Design House and other networks in Ireland, the UK and Sweden, it shows that while this county may be small in size, it's big on creativity.

Joanne McKenna, a member of the 6 X Tables group along with Liz Nilsson, Michelle Hannon, Ed Byrne, Patrick Hall and Eva Kelly, is known for serving up ceramic culinary delights.

After studying at the Limerick College of Art and Design, the Dundalk woman returned home and helped found the Bridge Street Studios. Her quirky egg bowls will dispel breakfast time blues with their zingy hues of mango, lime and raspberry on the inside, contrasting with their natural unglazed exteriors. "They work well in groups of three and can be used as either a centerpiece or with candles in them, as the shape throws the light back out well. Later in the evening they can be filled with dips, " says Joanne.

Now that florals are in full bloom, McKenna's flower vessels are a fashionable buy.

These organic vases feature an unglazed floral imprint which means you don't even have to pick up some blossoms. With a hankering for the handmade evident in the latest interiors collections, the vessels are McKenna's take on the trend for lacey motifs, doilies, floral prints and old wallpapers.

If these dark days and nights are dulling your spirits, McKenna's box lights, which have small circles of light, peppered throughout their form, will generate a gentle glow in your living space. They can stand alone in a fab floor show or grace a hearth, sideboard or shelf.

"Light has always been a feature of my work. In the early days a lot of my pieces were based on architecture.

As time has gone by, I've gone for a more pared back look, with simpler forms which fit in better with more contemporary settings, " remarks McKenna.

Join the sculptural club with Frances Lambe's striking ceramics. Ranging from smallscale abstract pieces such as 'Moon Sphere' for indoors to larger outdoor high-fired sculptures, they're based loosely on the landscape and flora and fauna.

Lambe who won an award in the 'Sculpture in Context' exhibition at the Botanic Gardens recently, says she merges a variety of influences in her work. "In the past I have made small vessels influenced by crabs and sea creatures, " she remarks. "I'm also very interested in the way things get weathered by the sea and this informs the form and texture of the work."

Insects and animals are inspiring the latest work from Joe Lawler of Architectural Furniture who has dreamed up a 'celebration cabinet' to hold a bottle of champagne or wine along with six glasses. A lover of Gaudi's architecture, he was moved to create the cabinet based around the concept of insect wings.

When not coming up with quirky cabinets, Lawler continues the family tradition of chair design as well as working on hall tables, mirrors and lamps. Having made the chair on which Bill Clinton parked his posterior during his visit to Dundalk, he is used to sitting pretty among the celebs. His 'Celtic Ascent' hall chair was created as a wry response to the concept of the Celtic Tiger. "Its back is like a roller coaster, you don't know whether it's going to go up or down."

Nanette Ledwith's wall pieces . . . paintings and drawings on clay surfaces . . . are popular with interior designers who usually snap up a series. Having studied ceramics in Dun Laoghaire, NCAD she obtained an MA at the University of Ulster. Ledwith finally got in the picture, at Clogher Head. Everything from the sea to hawthorn, dogwood and fennel seeds sparks ideas for her rustic and colourful designs which come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Donegal native Edmund McNulty has brought his county's heritage of hand looming to Louth. His knitted soft furnishings and accessories, hand loomed in the Millmount Crafts Centre, are just the thing to bring a seasonal update to your sofas and chairs.

The current collection of cushions and throws feature a palette of cream, red and orange for Christmas cheer.

The boiled merino wool cushions have a boiled wool finish, with bands of three shades of cream. Between each band there's a knitted line of textured yarn with bobbles for extra textured detail.

"People are investing so much in larger pieces of furniture that the best way to change the look of their rooms is by varying the soft furnishings, " McNulty goes onto remark. While his soft furnishings particularly lend themselves to cosying up for the big chill, they also come in lighter layers of silk, linen and cotton for spring/summer.

Patricia Murphy's colourful mixed media paintings are also on sale. "They are abstract interpretations which can be turned into rugs, " says Murphy who will be exhibiting at Art Ireland in the RDS from 17 to 19 November.