MILAN — Iconic gifts with a design-forward vision that are steeped in storytelling make for classic gifts this season. As the world turns to more conscious spending, here is a list of decor items that should last recipients a lifetime.
Fornasetti‘s Square Plate Red Lips
Mona Lisa isn’t the only woman in the art world with a mysterious expression. With this unique square plate, actress and soprano Lina Cavalieri’s sensual lips are again the basis of these Fornasetti creations, indicative of the brand’s unmistakably spontaneous pop spirit.
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$350, available on fornasetti.com
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Form Tea Set by Tom Dixon
Designer Tom Dixon has been a fixture on the British design scene since the ’80s when he first created a line of welded salvage furniture. This season, his creativity makes its way to the table with a stainless steel Made in India set that includes a teapot, milk jug and sugar dish and spoon. The Tom Dixon logo is etched on the base.
$365, available on tomdixon.net
Stories of Italy Candle Sticks and Donuts
Not your nonna’s Venetian glass. Stories of Italy was founded by Dario Buratto, a former fashion designer who worked for upscale firms like Dsquared2 before defecting and moving to the homeware world. A native of the Veneto region, he sought out master glassmakers in Murano to make his keepsake designs in post-modernist motifs fashioned by hand — made for the holidays this season in the form of small donut candles and candle stick holders.
$225 for the candlestick holders and $662 for a set of three donuts. Available on storiesofitaly.com
Pineider and Colony Notebooks
Pineider, the Italian luxury brand known for paper, writing instruments and leather goods, has teamed up with Rome-based fabrics and wallpaper firm Colony for a selection of notebooks covered in Colony’s luxe hand-painted watercolor imagery and designed in its historic atelier in the Italian capital’s Piazza del Popolo. Three patterns characterize the collection: Melograno (Italian for pomegranate), drawing attention to the world of floral decoration; Papaveri (Italian for poppies), which expresses a fresh and novel approach to the representation of classical styles, and Sogi, which calls to mind Oriental motifs and landscapes.
$102, available on us.pineider.com
Apparatus Censer
Interdisciplinary design firm Apparatus makes Gabriel Hendifar’s chic vision available in the form of a brass chalice that calls to mind the mystery of ancient rituals. Made to endure the test of time, it is also an incense burner from which smoke emerges atop a hand-cased porcelain dome, and doubles as a candleholder.
Priced at $880, the Brass Censer is available on apparatusstudio.com.
Svenskt Tenn Vänskapsknuten Knot of Friendship Candle Holder
The gift of solidarity may very well be a welcome gesture this season, amid ongoing tension around the world. Before the outbreak of World War II, Austrian architect and designer Josef Frank designed The Knot of Friendship as a symbol of friendship and peace. Today, The Knot of Friendship is made at Humstorp Metal in Västergötland, a province in southwest Sweden and is one of Svenskt Tenn’s most iconic items.
$320, available on svenskttenn.com
Cassina Trinket Tray and Vase by Ico & Luisa Parisi
In the ’60s, architect Ico Parisi and his wife Luisa ventured into the world of ceramics to create decorative art objects. The same effervescent, playful spirit found in Ico Parisi’s furniture designs lives on today in three re-editions of these iconic pieces: a cylindrical vase with an opening in the shape of a mouth; a single-stem vase characterized by a hollow contour in the shape of a hand, and a trinket tray that reproduces the cast of an open hand.
Currently being sold on cassina.com as a design exclusive, it is priced at 481.90 euros for the larger square and 353.80 euros for the cylindrical vase.
Redduo Palo Third-Eye Santo Stone Holder
Hand-stained ceramics by Redduo, the independent homeware brand founded in 2020 by Andrea Rosso and Fabiola di Virgilio, make for the perfect gift for anyone looking to ward off evil spirits.
$260, available on redmilk.space/products/third-eye-plate-stone-black
Christofle’s Chess Set
Tea or coffee? Sugar or milk? If you are passionate about your choice of hot beverage, why not duke it out over Christofle’s high silversmithing “Duel des Thés” chess set. Pitched against each other on the chessboard are miniature versions of the Art Nouveau-style Printania and the Art Deco-inflected Courges sets. Precious and entertaining, it is also a design nodding to a lasting mystery in the 193-year-old house: the presence of a knight on the house crest.
250,000 euros, available on christofle.com
Wawwlatable
Talk about a conversation start, or rather, starter: with the Assiettes Parlantes 3.0, not only will the tarot design provide a hint of what’s to come beyond the turkey and trimmings, but the plates also come with an Instagram filter that brings them to life.
320 euros for the “Divinity” or “Oracle” set of four plates, or 80 euros per plate, available on waww.fr
Carrières Frères Scented Tapers
The ultimate stocking stuffer, particularly if one of the candelabras struck your fancy, would be handsome tapers. With a rich heritage rooted in both the know-how of the Trudon royal wax manufacturer and botanics, Carrières Frères is offering versions scented with jasmine, cedar, mint or more surprisingly, tomato.
32 euros for a box of six, available on carrieresfreres.com
Mini Memphis Carlton Bookcase by Ettore Sottsass
At a little more than 18 inches wide and 19 inches tall, one can have a taste of the modernist school of Memphis in their own home this season. Modeled after the legendary bookcase by Italian designer Ettore Sottsass in 1981, its junior size is a great way to share his vision, at a more affordable price.
$970, available on artemest.com
Mario Luca Giusti Caterina & Vittoria Salt and Pepper Set
Imbuing aspects of the Baroque and Pop Art, Mario Luca Giusti’s synthetic crystal pieces are perfect for a holiday dinner centerpiece, a poolside bash or the interior of a yacht. In addition to the salt and pepper set featured above, the brand’s larger pieces also include an ice bucket.
Priced at 52 euro, available on mariolucagiusti.it.