Christmas is close and whether you need to find a present for Secret Santa in the office or surprise a loved one here’s a list of fun things to gift (or buy for yourself) in different categories and price range:
Clothing + Accesories:
Funky socks from ChattyFeet:
Step up your Christmas socks game gifting from the collection of characters by ChattyFeet. I definitely want a couple!
Browse the collection here.
Green Cutting Mat Scarf:
Made from 100% silk twill, these digitally printed, 26” square scarves have a hand rolled edge and squares that measure exactly 1.25 inches (ya know, in case you need a reference on go).
You can buy them from Naomi Nomi.
Case Study No. 8 Eames House Pin:
Whether you know someone that’s a pin collection, Eames lover, or architecture fan, this enamel pin offers a super fun reproduction of an iconic piece of mid-century architecture that anyone would love to wear around.
You can buy it on Mid Mod Pin.
Games:
IDEO Method Cards:
This is play for design thinkers, according to IDEO. The global consultancy famous for popularizing design thinking created this deck of 51 cards so that its staff and clients can have fun while discovering inspiring design solutions.
From asking extreme users, like babies, to observing users without interfering, this now classic design game gets players to try out different methods of user-centric design.
You can buy them from William Stout Architectural Books.
The Art Oracle:
Be inspired by the world’s greatest artists with this creative oracle set. Now that tarots are cool again, this beautiful set of cards can help in guiding that modern mystic friend of yours.
You can buy it on Amazon.
Deco:
A kokeshi toy from Sketch.inc:
Becky Kemp is the artist behind the creations, and while custom kokeshi orders are closed for this year you can choose from the Sketchinc for Lucie Kaas collection, which depicts a variety of pop culture icons and symbols from which you can select your favorite character.
You can buy them in Lucie Kaas or find some in Amazon.
HAY glass timers:
A visual reminder to take a break during the day and carve out a couple of minutes for what truly counts. With its organic, soft shape and complementary combinations of clear and coloured glass with fine sand, HAY’s Time hourglass offers a contemporary twist on the classic hourglass timer.
You can buy them on HAY.
Ito Bindery Memo Blocks:
These lovely paper blocks, each containing 350 tear-off sheets, are created by Ito Bindery of Japan. The precision-cut edges and silky smooth surface make these blocks perfect for taking notes, sketching out ideas, or any other purpose you can think of.
The memo blocks are available in three modular sizes that form a rectangular shape when combined and come in different colors, like a black option which shows pencil marks in silver.
You can find them in Ode to Things.
Sola Cube:
Designed to cultivate our inherent sense of wonder and exploration, Sola Cube features rare natural specimens captured forever in acrylic. Hyper-polished and distortion-free, these expertly preserved curiosities make a fantastic gift for the naturalist in your life and will captivate guests of your home and office.
You can choose from different options in Rikumo's website.
Kitchen + Dining:
The A6 memobottle:
There’s no excuse for buying single use plastic water bottles every day.
The A6 memobottle comes in a clever, flat shape that reflects the A6 international paper size (you can also choose from A5 and A7 formats) so it can fit almost everywhere and you can take your reusable bottle with you all the time.
Besides, every memobottle sold provides one person with two months' access to clean water thanks to a partnership with water.org
You can find them on memobottle.
THE Lunch Box:
Made of anodized aluminum, sturdy and lightwave, this compact metal box is perfect for taking lunch to the office.
Visually it’s a welcome change of pace, since it’s the perfect blank canvas for beautiful food compositions when opened — and may I add, a gorgeous, minimal ornament when closed as well.
You can buy it in Ode to Things.
O Corkscrew:
A perfect gift for the wine lovers, this simple and attractive opener is a fresh take on the traditional direct-pull style corkscrews. For his reimagined creation, designer Athanasios Babalis avoided all the mechanical gimmicks of contemporary wine gadgets, and instead focused on form, function, and material.
You can buy it in Ode to Things.
Books:
Sagmeister & Walsh - Beauty:
I previously mentioned their research about beauty, and last month they released this book to find out what beauty is and the many ways that it impacts our lives. They turn to philosophy, history, and science to understand why we are drawn to beauty and how it influences the way we feel and behave.
You can buy it on Amazon.