10 Holiday Gifts for the Design Enthusiast in your Life

10 Holidays Gifts for the Design Enthusiast in Your Life

With the holidays fast approaching, the last minute shopping season is in full throttle. For those of you who have Architects, Interior Designers, or design fanatics in your life, finding a gift that lives up to their aesthetic standards while not breaking the bank can be an ever daunting task. Luckily, we are here to help with this quick design gift guide that doesn’t include gift cards or ugly holiday sweaters:?

MasterClass Membership

From writing with Margaret Atwood and Interior Design with Kelly Wearstler, to scientific thinking with Neil DeGrasee Tyson and design and architecture with Frank Gehry;?MasterClass?offers entertaining, engaging, high quality courses from some of the world’s most renowned experts in their fields. At just $15/month, MasterClass is an affordable replacement for tv binging.

Sketching Pencils

Rotring is widely respected for their first-class professional drawing instruments and their drafting pencils certainly live up to their brand standards. Sold for under $30.00, the?Rotring 600 Drafting Pencil?makes for an affordable but highly practical stocking stuffer for the Architect or Interior Designer in your life.

Blockitechecture Set

Our team of Career Consultants can attest that 9 out of 10 times when we ask a candidate why they chose to pursue a career in the built environment their story starts with Legos or building blocks. As someone who still loves her childhood teddy bear, I can attest that toys are not just for kids.?Blockitecture’s?colorful, post-modern, architectural building blocks allow you to explore your imagination while you conceptualize a better society for tomorrow.?

Home Drafting Desk

Although the light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel is becoming brighter with each passing day (fingers-crossed), it has been made clear that flexible work environments are here to stay. Elevate your loved one’s work from home game with a drafting table for their WFH office. This one sold by Wayfair is sturdy, sleek, and has a classic look that can mold into a myriad of design aesthetics.

Zaha Hadid Vase

The Crevasse Flower vase by Zaha Hadid is modern, elegant and a perfect tribute to the legendary British-Iranian Architect, Artist, and Designer. While it doesn’t come at a cheap price tag, it is sure to serve as a conversation starter at the office or at home.

Frank Lloyd Wright Paper Models

Channel the legendary American Architect’s iconic modernist style through the art of?kirigami.?Kiri what you say? Kirigami is a variation of origami that requires cutting paper rather than strictly folding. This set features 14 of Frank’s most beloved landmarks including the?Unity Temple?and?Imperial Hotel.

Golden Section Finder

While in the age of contemporary architecture, it is known that there is no singular set of rules or guiding principles to inform beautiful design. That said, there is an effective, mathematical approach to design that reliably leads to beautiful work:?The Golden Section?(also known as the Golden Ratio, Mean, and Divine Proportion, make up your mind folks). The Golden Section when applied to design refers to the perfectly symmetrical relationship between two proportions that equals the number 1.618. This ratio is invaluable when creating aesthetically pleasing designs, logos, layouts, shapes, and more. This handy, pocket-sized, Golden Ratio?finder?is the perfect gift for any design aficionado (and great for social media junkies trying to up their photography game).?

Bridge Bookends

These vintage-finished,?suspended bridge bookends?are the perfect addition to your industrial-chic home office décor. Don’t read? You probably should, but good news for you they also serve as great centerpieces or paper weights.

The Heng Lamp

This?minimalist MoMa piece?by Zanwen Li marries innovation and illumination. The lamp is turned on and off by connecting and disconnecting the two wooden, magnetic orbs hanging in the center. Ticketed at $85.00, it makes for an inventive, economical gift that will elevate any aesthetic.

Women Design: Pioneers in Architecture by Libby Sellers

Often overlooked in the telling of history, the women celebrated and honored in?this book?were dynamic leaders in their design fields. With biographies and archival imagery, this fascinating read makes for an amazing gift that recognizes some of the many unseen influences that shaped modern design.?

Despite my qualms with consumerism, it is no secret that I LOVE gift giving (and I like to think that I’m pretty good at it). Giving good gifts is just like any other skill, the more informed you are going in, the better outcomes you should expect. When it comes to giving that special someone a memorable, exceptional present, remember to do your research, make it personable, and resist that urge to get them something that?you’ll?like.?