Chez Nous, Co. Kildare

Even if you're more likely to be an interiors browser than a buyer in these straitened times, a pleasant place to have a good look around is Chez Nous furniture store in Naas. You can happily spend an hour here, planning where you'll put that gigantic gilt mirror or opulent chaise longue in your dream home once finances improve. But it's more likely you'll be tempted to splurge, rather than just dream, as the prices here are wholesale. And it's not just about furniture – the 8,000sq ft store, spread over two levels, also stocks chandeliers, soft furnishings and a collection of antique linen and lace.

Co-owner Katherine Neiser sources much of her stock in France and Italy, and since opening two years ago, she and her partner Joe have also bought into two furniture stores in Europe. Neiser's passion for interiors with a hint of nostalgia comes from her time living in Vienna. "I lived there for 10 years, surrounded by beautifully made, classical furniture," she says, reminiscing about the Austrian capital. "When I returned to Ireland, and began to design interiors for period properties, I couldn't find that look anywhere. I saw a gap in the market and began sourcing things in France and Italy. The furniture is mainly reproduction, but of a very high standard."

The store, as yet, hasn't seen a serious decline in sales, says Neiser, and part of the success is that 'browseability' factor. Prices start at about €70. Mirrors are €280 upwards, classic wing-back armchairs from €300.

So what are people buying just now? Surprisingly – or maybe not – home bars are something of a phenomen. Is it because people are entertaining more at home? "There is that, but there's also the restriction on drinking and driving, and so people who maybe have very large homes have the space for a bar. "

But an even greater lifestyle change is the increase in people working from home. "What is really popular at the moment is the traditional, mahogany desk, the really substantial variety. We even have a replica of the presidential desk in the White House – and have already sold a couple to would-be Obamas!"