By Nancy McKeon
IF YOU’RE getting a sofa for your son and daughter-in-law for Christmas, you need their buy-in, not a gift guide. For the rest of us, here are some house-y and design-y things that may make a difference under the tree (or atop that new sofa).
A Hugget Knot Pillow, above, or two would look cool on the new sofa, but the pillows also have a super-power: The foam-filled knots by Bearaby and have the same kind of heft as the company’s weighted blankets. Sure to soothe and de-stress—and they come in seven colors, some, yes, soothing, others rich and vibrant. The Knots come in three sizes and sell for $20, $55, and $90, at bearaby.com.
Copper plating makes these cooling racks, above, attractive, but the snap-in legs allow them to double your cookie-cooling space automatically. Made by the classic Nordic Ware brand, the set of two 12×17-inch racks plus the legs is $34 at Food52.com. Really busy bakers will want more than one set.
Well read? Here’s a way to measure: the “100 Essential Novels” scratch-off poster, above, by Pop Chart. Scratching off the coating on top of each book “cover” doesn’t erase the artwork; in fact, it reveals each jacket in lively color. Pop Chart also has 12×16-inch scratch-offs for “100 Horror Movies,” “100 Challenging Novels,” national parks, baseball stadiums. . . . I get the feeling that if there’s more than one of anything—their rap names, wrestler names, and Essential Cocktails scratch-offs bear that out—Popchart.co will make a scratch-off for it.
Providing this 9-inch seed-and-pecan wreath, above, for the backyard birds will give your human recipient pleasure upon opening and then continued pleasure as the locals (including, I’m sure, the resident squirrel or two) pop in to fuel up during cold weather. The $32 Mr. Bird wreath is packed with 2 pounds of sunflower and safflower seeds, plus cranberries, peanuts, and the pecans. Terrain sells it, and as Mr. Bird says, “Please feed the birds. They’re hungry.”
An entire sky full of stars glimmers in these Gill Constellation Hurricanes, above, from West Elm. Just add a votive light to each and let the stars shine through the random pattern in the borosilicate glass. The hurricanes stand 3½, 7¾, and 10 inches tall, $10 to $25 for a limited time.
A little giddy, but what tween girl wouldn’t love these boho bedsheets, above, on her bed? From Natural Life, a company founded by Patti Hughes in 1995, the cotton sheet sets come in many, many patterns, all of them chaotic and cheerful. Twin-size “bundles,” as Natural Life calls them, are $89, full-size $99; if the big guys want in, queen-size is $109 and king $129. Be warned: Natural Life also makes totes and blankets, and . . . wallpaper!
I’m tempted to buy one of Terrain’s handmade papier-mâché vases, above, just to see if they really work. They’re said to be able to hold water for up to two weeks. After that, you dry them out (thoroughly) and start all over again. As I said, some things you just want to see. Various shapes and sizes range in price from $42 to $58.
Or maybe a pair of frosted-metallic glass Bauble Bud Vases, above, from Anthropologie is more your style, or the style of your gift recipient. The set, one is 3¼ inches high, the other 5¾ inches, is $28. There’s also a larger vase, 6¾ inches tall, available separately, $22.
Monogrammed gifts have always seemed thoughtful to me, even when they’re not custom-made. Case in point is these cocktail napkins, above, in assorted colors. To me the monogrammed touch reads personal and, at the same time, less so, and thereby good for a host or a colleague you don’t know terribly well. The set of four cotton napkins, each 6 inches square, is $26 at Anthropologie.
Party buffets rule when you use a caterer-style stainless-steel platter like the one above. Oval, round or rectangular, each platter can keep party foods cold (place the platter in the fridge beforehand) or hot (first hold the platter in a warm oven). Their “thermosensitive core” holds the temperature in place for about 2 hours. The round ones come in two sizes, 14-inch ($79) and 17-inch ($99); the oval is 20 inches long ($149), the rectangle 18 inches ($99). They can all be found in the Frontgate catalogue, which is currently offering 30% off one item.
Okay, pushing the envelope for the person for whom nothing is good enough. This Hermès merino-wool-and-cashmere Avalon Piano blanket is definitely good enough. Measuring 53×67 inches, it comes in five colorways and is $1,900 at Hermès.com.
I would like to think that everyone knows someone who would enjoy hanging pop artist Keith Haring’s “Barking Dog” Neon Sign on their wall. Unlike traditional neon signs, though, this one is made with LED tubing by Yellowpop, which collaborates with artists (and their estates) to turn iconic works into neon wall pieces. The sign is $299 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and MoMA is offering a code for 20% off on one item. And Yelllowpop points out that the sign, which weighs less than 10 pounds, “can be brightened, dimmed, or turned off completely—unlike other barking dogs you may know.”
The MoMA design store sells “inspiring design objects.” The compact (6½ inches tall) HOTO Air Capsule is a design star because of its sleek appearance but even more for the jobs it can do. It’s all about that compressed air going in or out: With a few (included) attachments, it can inflate a pool float, vacuum-clean that crumb-y keyboard, pick up all that cat hair, and suck the air out of the storage bags holding out-of-season clothes. Its lithium-ion battery is recharged using a USB Type-C port. You can purchase the Air Capsule direct from HOTOtools for $79.99.
I’ve never really understood incense. But I do admire the exquisite presentation of HA KO Paper Incense, with its fragrance-infused white paper leaves and the little ceramic dish for burning, all made in Japan and gift-ready in a pale wooden box. The set of leaves includes six distinct scents, including verdant, fresh linen, smoky cinnamon, and spicy jasmine. Made of Japanese washi paper, a leaf can be left out for just a hint of room fragrance, and of course it can be burned for a stronger effect. The Brooklyn-based Good Friend shop offers the set for $55.
Practical appliances don’t have to look practical. That’s the idea behind Objecto humidifiers (and heaters and fans). These bulbous, organic-looking H4 Hybrid humidifiers, above, come in these polycarbonate colors ($170), plus light ($200) or dark ($170) natural woodgrain versions. They promise 18 to 20 hours of moist air—and they also promise to turn off automatically when the water tank is empty. You can find them at the West Elm website.
The first room-fragrance candle, from Rigaud of Paris, dates from the late 1950s and is still going strong, albeit in a now-crowded field. A friend once called the original Cyprès fragrance “the smell of money.” That’s not much of an exaggeration considering who has enjoyed the candles over the years (Jacqueline Kennedy apparently brought the scent to the White House). Over the years, Cyprès has been joined by eight other fragrances, each rendered in a different color wax. The candles range in size and price from $45 for the small size (good for 28 hours of fragrance) to $105 for the large version shown above (90 hours) to $325 for the Prestige edition, good for 150 hours. And if you’re feeling really fancy, Rigaud sells wooden matches in coordinating boxes ($16). The complete range can be found at the Rigaud website.
A silly side note: I’ve been looking at this little Crosley record player, above, for several years now. Should I, shouldn’t I? It’s the fact that the Crosley Cruiser plays 78-rpm records that makes it stand apart from so many turntables, even many vintage-styled ones (other turntables often play only 33s and 45s). With the Cruiser I can hear Nat King Cole sing “Night Lights” again, and listen to my grandmother’s scratchy old Caruso recordings. The speakers are built in, but with its Bluetooth receiver you can add external speakers and also stream audio wirelessly. The Cruiser comes in more than half a dozen colors and is $44.96 at Walmart.com.