Architecture and Design Lovers Gift Guide
To architecture & design lovers, this is my all-time favorites list. Heavily Scandinavian and Japanese influenced based on the time I have spent there and the love I have for those places.
Focus De Luxe Flatware
The award winning cutlery Focus de Luxe was introduced at the H55 exhibition in Helsingborg, Sweden in 1955 and successfully reintroduced in 2006! Focus de luxe attracted a lot of attention in the fifties. Swedish newspapers reported about royalties and celebrities as Grace Kelly who bought Focus at a visit in Stockholm!
Stelton Carafe
Andrew and I received this carafe as a wedding present 12 years ago and have loved it ever since. We use it when guest come over for brunch or dinner and we want to keep the coffee warm while looking oh-so sophisticated. This thing never goes out of style.
Arne Jacobsen Creamer and Sugar Bowl
Arne Jacobsen was a Danish architect and designer in the mid-twentieth century. His Cylinda Series, manufactured by Stelton in stainless steel, is the essence of functional Scandinavian design and looks great on any table.
Dansk Kobenstyle Casserole
Kobenstyle, the Scandinavian enameled steel oven-to-table cookware designed for Dansk by Jens Quistgaard in 1956, is now back. This collectors’ item is instantly recognizable for its high-gloss colors, welded cool-touch sculptural handles and inventive lids that double as trivets. This cookware is enamel, and amazing to cook with, not to mention totally stylish.
Sori Yanagi Stainless Steel Tea Kettle
Andrew gave this to me a couple of years ago at Christmas. It is made in Japan and designed by one of Japan’s most prominent designers, Sori Yanagi. The timeless and practical kettle is Yanagi’s best-selling design in his homeland with more than half a million kettles sold yearly in Japan alone. It was also the recipient of Japan’s Good Design Award in 1998 for exceptional design and functionality.
Normann Copenhagen Heima Candleholder
The minimal and elegant 4 arm candlestick allows the focus to be on the candles and flames. It is made of cast iron so the thin stand has a weighty presence and references its industrial production.
Ferm Living Brass Desktop Accessories
Subdued mat polish on solid brass in three basic designs provide resting places for all of your hard copy – letters, envelopes, magazines and even those pesky miscellaneous papers. A warm hemisphere stores magazines and newspapers. The cup holds pens and pencils. A centerpiece for your desk that you will not want to hide.
Palomino Blackwing 602 Pencils
The iconic Blackwing 602 that used to command up to $40/pencil and was favored by famous writers like John Steinbeck is back. The Palomino Blackwing 602 features a firm and smooth graphite core that is ideal for writers and everyday users. Its firm, dark lead holds a point and lays down a line like no other pencil on the market, perfect for those marathon writing sessions. Make a mistake? The Palomino Blackwing 602 pencil has you covered with a unique, extendable eraser that doesn’t leave a trace behind.
Cape Cod Modern: Midcentury Architecture and Community on the Outer Cape, by Peter McMahon
“For nearly four decades, Cape Cod was a haven where two different sets of designers–European modernists and local nonconformists–found common ground, working hard during the daytime, then repairing to each other’s houses for cocktails and bonfires at night.” – Carol Kino, WSJ Magazine, Wall Street Journal
New Nordic Design, by Dorothea Gundtoft
A lovely survey of the new generation of Nordic and Scandinavian designers and discussion of their design philosophies and work.
Plain Simple Useful: The Essence of Conran Style, by Terrance Conran
Terence Conran is one of the world’s best-known designers, restaurateurs, and retailers. In the 1960s he founded Habitat in the UK, a chain of homeware stores that brought good, modern design within reach of the general population for the very first time.
Scandinavian Modern, by Magnus England
The book provides a nice overview of classic Scandinavian furnishings. Many of the homes featured are those of celebrated twentieth-century Scandinavian designers, such as the Danish designer Poul Kjaerholm or Finnish architect and designer Eero Aarnio.
