Present Moment: the ultimate gift guide from The Modern House
The holiday season is here and with it comes the annual ritual of gifting. We know that searching for the perfect present can be a chore at times, but this gift guide is sure to make things a little easier. Our team have put their heads together to create an edit of design-led goods that will delight indulgers, architecture buffs, food lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, the green-fingered, creatives – and even your Secret Santa. Avid readers of our Journal may even recognise a few names we’ve featured this year…
For indulging
There’s nothing quite like a little bit of self-care and indulgence – especially at this time of year. Treat someone (or yourself) to Verden’s beautiful natural bath products or to perfume by Ffern or Maya Nije. Scents that create a tranquil atmosphere at home are high on our wish list, with Cremate London’s natural incense and Homework’s pastel-hued soap collection hitting the sweet (smelling) spot. One of our favourite ways to spend some me-time is with our noses in a good book. Sound like someone you know? Then gift Fizcarraldo Edition’s brilliant book subscription. As for something more wearable, opt for sculptural jewellery by Completedworks.
For architecture buffs
The architecture buffs we know (i.e. the team here at The Modern House) have a particular liking for a well-stocked bookshelf. Some of our current favourite books include Building Society by Jethro Marshall, a visual eulogy to the often-overlooked British bungalow, Come Together published by Gestalten, a brilliantly designed coffee table book on multigenerational living, and A Modern Way to Live by our co-founder Matt Gibberd. If the architectural aficionado in your life is more of a doer than a reader, great gifts come in the form of Blue Crow Media’s London map set, a tour of the Barbican and even a brutalism chess board (bonus points if your recipient can identify the buildings each piece imitates). You can also gift an annual membership to the 20th Century Society. Architecture to enjoy all year round through events and magazines? Yes, please.
For food lovers
There’s a lot of choice out there for food lovers, but here are just some of our favourites. We love Tekla’s pleasing linen aprons, while Towpath: Recipes and Stories by Lori de Mori and Laura Jackson is food-writing at its finest (and their asparagus recipe is one of our favourites). The Phaidon Cookbook Collection, meanwhile, is as pretty on the coffee table, as it is inspiring in the kitchen. Excite home cooks with Roccbox’s restaurant-grade pizza oven (tell them to try Big Jo chef David Gingell’s pizza recipe), or the Always Pan, which might just be the best of its kind. Momosan’s nutcracker is an artfully designed version of the festive classic, and, food lover or not, who wouldn’t love a subscription for Low Intervention wines?
For outdoor enthusiasts
Exploring the great outdoors is made all the better with the right kit. Avid campers will revel in Snow Peak’s technical outdoor gear. Our highlight is their portable fireplace and grill – after all, what’s a camping trip without a good BBQ? Other practical gear that will make for a great gift includes Kinto’s travel tumbler, Yeti’s cool box and Rapha’s rainproof handlebar bag. Our friends over at Folk collaborated with the Architectural Association on a collection of hard-wearing clothes fit for the outdoors, such as this fleece. Alternatively, give the gift of wanderlust with Gestalten’s Cabin Fever book, which features striking photography of off-the-grid cabins, shacks and hideaways from around the world.
For the green-fingered
When it comes to green-fingered folk, plants are an easy win. Head straight to Prick for easy-care cacti or a leafy rubber plant, while SSAW’s weekly flower subscription promises seasonal blooms straight to the door. Beautifully crafted, Japanese-inspired garden tools by Niwaki are an equally fine choice – we’re particularly taken by their trowel for weeding and digging. Do you know someone who lives close to woodlands? Then gift Toast’s artisan-made foraging hamper, which includes a mushroom knife and trinkets to keep found seeds and cuttings. As for plant-related reading material there’s The Botanical City by Hélèna Dove and Harry Adès, a spotlight on plants that grow in urban environments, while Phaidon’s Flower: Exploring the World in Bloom is quite simply exquisite. And we musn’t forget pleasing plant pots by our friends at Rochester Square.
For creatives
Where better to look for gifts for your creative friends than to the artisans from our Modern Makers series? From James Shaw’s artful candlesticks to Jochen Holz’s colourful glassware and Christabel Balfour’s tapestry weaving kit, there’s plenty of inspiration. Alternatively, when we visited Steffan Studio, it was his sculptural vase, made in collaboration with artist Florian Tomballe, that caught our eye, as have Jermaine Gallacher’s post-modern candlesticks. Elsewhere, Tate’s beautiful oil paints will encourage even amateur artists to pick up a brush. Rounding off this section is What Artists Wear by Charlie Porter, a book that’s title explains its subject (tip: revisit our conversation with the author, in which he unpicked the wardrobes of architects just for us).
For Secret Santa
Ah, Secret Santa. Whether you’re gifting a life-long friend or a colleague, our list of presents costing under £15 has something for everyone. We believe you can’t go wrong with a nice bottle of wine, particularly the mulled festive kind by Top Cuvée. Score brownie points with drinking chocolate from COCO Chocolatier, which, incidentally, would be even nicer enjoyed in a colourful mug by David Mellor. Other inexpensive but thoughtful gestures include incense by Kuumba X Goodhood, grow-your-own mustard seeds by Labour & Wait, the pocket-sized An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture by Hoxton Mini Press and, for the person always on-to-go, there’s D.S. & Durga’s fireplace car fragrance, which brings festive cheer to every journey. And finally, The Modern House Magazine Issue No.3 – we might be slightly biased, but we think its one of the best gifts around.
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