Inching ever closer towards the holiday season, there can be a fly in the ointment of excitement in the shape of those special loved ones for whom we always struggle to buy a present. As each day passes, yet more options are slayed: international shipping; shipping full-stop; and finally shopping itself. When all else fails, home-made presents are always (often?) charming. But we’re not quite there yet and, though design lovers have a reputation for being ‘hard to buy for’, in fact they are some of the easiest to please if you keep your head straight and don’t fall for the reversible sequin cushions that still seem to be everywhere. What follows is my suggestion of presents with archetypal qualities that won’t fail to charm even the most curmudgeonly aesthete. Ding Dong Merrily Design.
Wallpaper* gift guide: global design director Hugo Macdonald's picks
Poltrona Frau dog leads
It can be hard to show our beloved pets quite how much they mean to us, but giving your pooch a Poltrona Frau dog leash for Christmas will send all the right messages. You can build your own lead to suit your (and your dog’s) preferences. Available in Pelle Frau leather or reinforced jacquard woven ribbon, with galvanized brass hardware and a ring for a treat holder, this is the last word in canine luxury.
The Poltrona Frau Dog Leash is available at poltronafrau.com. Price available upon request.
Les Couleurs Suisse AG by Tekla
This range of beautiful Tekla blankets piqued our interest for their peculiarly familiar colour palette, which is derived from the preferred hues used by Le Corbusier in his work. The perfect present to soften-up any die-hard modernist, the blankets come in either cashmere and lambswool or lambswool, both woven in Scotland, or in mohair, woven in Spain. We feel Le Corb would definitely approve.
Tekla Mohair blanket is $940 and available at teklafabrics.com
Kalvolan Kanto vases by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala
Originally designed by Tapio Wirkkala in 1947, Iittala’s creative director Janni Vepsalainen has reintroduced the Kalvolan Kanto vases in all their molten glassy glory. Eminently tactile, perhaps even lickable, they come in clear, sultry dark grey or a brand new zesty Seville orange, which would be our preference for a bit of yuletide pep.
The Kalvolan Kanto vases by Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala are £600 and available at iittala.com
Undesigning the Bath by Leonard Koren
A bona fide seminal text for anyone interested in design, Leonard Koren’s Undesigning the Bath makes the case that bathing is never improved by design, leaving the reader to ponder whether design only distances us from our primal, animal experience in life at large. Long out of print, our friends at Blunk Books have brought it back into existence. We could not be more thrilled.
Undesigning The Bath by Leonard Koren is $26 and available at blunkshop.com
Sutherland Sentinels by Oliver Spendley for Bard
Call me biased - because they were made by Sutherland-based Oliver Spendley for Bard, our gallery in Edinburgh - but I would be very happy to wake up on Christmas morning with a Sutherland Sentinel candle holder under the tree. It would come straight upstairs to sit beside the bath, because bathing (as you’ll read in Leonard Koren’s book) really is a transcendental experience. Oliver was last month awarded Best Sculptural Object in the Wood Awards; his Lewisian Gneiss rocks with their brass inserts, perched on charred larch bases, demonstrate why.
The Oliver Spendley Tall Candle Holder is £1,920.00 and available at bard-scotland.com
Samu candle snuffer by Juli and Mika Tolvanen for Nedre Foss
A candle snuffer is a very good present, and this charming cast brass one has the added boon of being a beautiful object in its own right. Designed by American and Finnish duo, Juli and Mika Tolvanen, your friends will thank you for no more singed fingertips at the end of the night.
Samu candle snuffer by Juli and Mika Tolvanen for Nedre Foss is $84.80 and available at finnishdesignshop.com
Magazine rack by Carl Aubock
Whenever stuck for present inspiration, Carl Aubock Werkstatte is a very good place to start. For well over a century, the Viennese dynasty of Aubocks have been casting curios in brass, and using wood, cane and leather to turn quotidian objects into works of wonder. This wall-mounted wicker magazine rack brings a fun and literal opportunity for someone to display their Wallpapers on the wall.
Magazine rack by Carl Aubock is £2,800 and available at sigmarlondon.com
Sarabande artist posters
The veritable gift that keeps on giving, Sarabande is the wonderful foundation set-up by Lee McQueen in 2006 to nurture future generations of creative talent. Sarabande has since incubated and birthed an incredible range of artists, craftspeople and designers into the world. For Christmas, their online House of Bandit’s gallery has launched a series of beautiful A2 posters by four Sarabande artists: George Richardson, Hamed Maiye, James Tailor and Kasia Wozniak for a mere £30 each, with all proceeds directly feeding back into the foundation.
Sarabande Exclusive Poster X George Richardson. Regular price £30.00 and available at sarabandefoundation.org
Of The Gods eau de parfum by To My Ships
One of our most favourite discoveries of the year, To My Ships has been keeping armpits and bodies fragrant with their deodorants and body wash since their launch in September. With 99.97% naturally derived ingredients and packaging designed by Formafantasma, the brand’s design credentials are outstanding. It’s the fragrance, however, with which we are smitten. Green citrus notes of Polygonum, Petitgrain and Patchouli have us stopped almost hourly and asked where it’s from. The perfect present for someone with a fine nose, who enjoys having their neck sniffed.
Of The Gods eau de parfum by To My Ships is £170 and available at tomyships.com
D.847.1 desk by Gio Ponti for Molteni
On a recent trip to Molteni’s headquarters in Giussano, we were reintroduced to the wonder that is Gio Pionti’s writing desk, which Molteni reintroduced 70 years after its original launch in collaboration with the Ponti archives. It is slim, but just right - made from honey-stained ash with brass feet - with jaunty winged ends and a small drawer. Graceful and elegant for that rakish, bookish love in your life.
D.847.1 desk by Gio Ponti for Molteni is available at molteni.it. Price available upon request.
Grau Fire lamp
Designed and manufactured by our friends at the GRAU campus in Germany, the mobile Fire light has an aluminium body and a hand blown glass head. We’ve been smitten by the soothing qualities of the dimmable, programmable orb, gently glowing on our desk and bedside. With 50 hours of battery life after just two hours of charging, you can take your Fire with you wherever you go.
Grau Fire lamp is £348 and available at grau.art
