Gift buying can be a tricky task. What do you give an onerous engineer, a demanding client, or a snarky colleague? We check in with three architects and a designer for a few ideas. The list below compiles their picks. Or, you can view their selections by team member.
1. Messenger No. 1, MOOP
Picked by: Adam Zimmerman, AIA, Zimmerman Workshop
For: Design Colleagues
Durable and stylish, the MOOP Messenger No. 1 by the Pittsburgh-based bag designer is made from waxed canvas or brushed cotton canvas and lined with water-resistant cordura fabric. $137–$187; moopshop.com
2. Scent Candle Gift Set, Tom Dixon
Picked by: Brooks Atwood, founder and principal of Brooks Atwood Design
For: Engineers
Those colleagues who ensure your designs will work will appreciate these candles for their heavenly aromas as well as their handspun brass, copper, and nickel vessels. "Engineers will love the metals and weight to these amazeballs scented candles," Atwood says. Amazeballs, indeed. $120 (set of three); tomdixon.net
3. Runwell, Shinola
Picked by: Colin Brice, cofounder of Mapos
For: Interior Designers
Operating out of a former factory building, Shinola is a revived heritage brand determined to restore manufacturing to the city of Detroit. "Everyone needs a good watch," Brice says. "Keep it analog and keep it made in the USA, Detroit." $550; shinola.com
4. Feather Trolley, Mandarina Duck
Picked by: Emily Putas, AIA, Stantec
For: Design Colleagues
“We often are working out of the mobile office–client meetings, jobsite trailers, etc.,” Putas says. “It’s great to have an efficient carryall that doesn’t make you look like an overachieving college student— preferably one that is kind to your back or has wheels.” $234; mandarinaduck.com
5. Coil Lamp, Craighton Berman Studio
Picked by: Zimmerman
For: Design Managers
This luminaire by Chicago-based Craighton Berman Studio will make a design statement on anyone’s desk. It consists of just a single 100-foot extension cord wrapped around an acrylic armature. $69 (DIY kit), $199 (assembled); craightonberman.com
6. Cube Birdhouse, Loll Designs
Picked by: Zimmerman
For: Landscape Architects
As an alternative to the traditional Alpine-style designs, this Modernist birdhouse is made from 24 recycled plastic milk jugs. Whether mounted to a tree, hung on a fence, or stacked into towers like a mini-Moshe Safdie’s, FAIA, modular Habitat apartments in Montreal, the Cube Birdhouse is perfect for landscape architects and their discerning feathered friends. $79; modure-r.com
7. Switch-Buckle Belt, Everlane
Picked by: Zimmerman
For: General Contractors
Zimmerman says he was only half-joking when he picked this Italian leather belt from San Francisco and Los Angeles studio Everlane. “It seems the contractors I work with don't have belts,” he says. With three different colors of leather and four silver buckles to choose from, the belt can be tailored to your contractor’s style. $45; everlane.com
8. Travel Checkers, Fredericks & Mae
Picked by: Atwood
For: Architectural Interns
Encourage reports to get away from their monitors and spend more time contemplating. “This is a classic, like you!” Atwood says. “Over time, all things will become clear. Just like chess!” (Or, err, checkers.) The portable game includes a silk-screened playing surface and 30 playing pieces. $160; fredericksandmae.com
9. Baguette Board, Michele Varian
Picked by: Atwood
For: Clients
Instead of the ho-hum crystalware, consider a chopping board. “To all of my longtime clients, please accept this amazing cutting board because the one you’re using is hideous,” Atwood says. The boards hang from a leather strap and are handmade in the USA from sycamore wood. $95 (small), $145 (large); michelevarian.com
10. Manual Coffeemaker No. 1, Craighton Berman Studio
Picked by: Brice
For: Design Managers
Every designer needs a caffeine fix close at hand. This coffee maker turns the act of preparing coffee into a craft. The Manual coffee maker by Craighton Berman Studio sits quietly on your countertop, providing you with complete control of the pour-over brewing process. “We all need a little boost sometime in the day,” Brice says. Coming soon; studio.craightonberman.com
11. Cube Terrarium, Score + Solder
Picked by: Atwood
For: Landscape Architects
Landscape architects can create their personal tabletop Eden with this cubic terrarium. “Warped landscapes— need I say more?” Atwood asks. “What else can’t you do with these? They are perfect. Landscape whatever you like. There’s no client!” $110 (small), $45 (large); scoreandsolder.com
12. Balancing Blocks Multi, Fort Standard
Picked by: Zimmerman
For: Engineers
Connect your engineers to their inner child with this smart set of blocks. Packaged in a drawstring bag, the 10 faceted stone-sized wooden shapes will allow them to build their own desktop structures. $48; fab.com
13. J.A. Fällman Bucksaw, Sanborn Canoe Co.
Picked by: Brice
For: General Contractors
This hickory wood bucksaw from the Winona, Minn.–based company speaks to the outdoorsman or outdoorswoman in every contractor. “It’s an old-school tool that transcends simple use and brings beauty back to craft,” Brice says. From $75; sanborncanoe.com
14. A Cartoon History of Architecture, Osbert Lancaster
Picked by: Zimmerman
For: Architectural Interns
Zimmerman will be giving his reports—spoiler alert!—a copy of British cartoonist Osbert Lancaster’s A Cartoon History of Architecture. Playfully exploring the pretensions, aspirations, and details of architectural periods and styles, this witty classic is a must-read. Pair it with an Amazon gift card slipped inside “for something more recent,” he says. Various prices; amazon.com
15. Splatter Paint Mugs, Peter Shire
Picked by: Atwood
For: Interior Designers
“Any interior designer will go gaga over these,” Atwood says. “They are unique with splashes of color—muted and simplistic with a twist of sass—and they also scream that you are awesome and have great taste. Because you do. You know you do.” $40; thefutureperfect.com
16. Llama, Heifer International
Picked by: Zimmerman
For: Clients
If you are looking for a truly unusual gift for a socially conscious client, give a llama to a struggling family in the Andes Mountains of South America via nonprofit Heifer International. Don’t forget to include a fetching framed photo of the llama for your client’s desk. $150; heifer.org
17. Timberly, Rich Brilliant Willing
Picked by: Brice
For: Design Colleagues
Simply a solid walnut rectangle with eight steel, brass, and aluminum pegs in three sizes, this hall rack speaks to the design purist in every architect. “A quirky, well-designed wall hanger is a great present,” Brice says. “Whilst functional, it also doubles as a feature piece for your walls and is a great way to remind your supervisor of your excellent eye for detail.” $240; thefutureperfect.com
18. Cuboid, Established & Sons
Picked by: Atwood
For: Design Managers
First impressions also make lasting impressions. This doormat is “so amazing, so 2D, and so cool that you’ll never believe that you could have existed without it,” Atwood says. “Plus, who buys doormats for themselves? This doormat exists on its own; it doesn’t need your help!” $182; mattermatters.com
19. iPhone 5s with Leafsnap or Plantifer apps, Apple
Picked by: Putas
For: Landscape Architects
Identify plants and trees from a photograph instantly with Leafsnap (shown), an app developed by researchers from Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution. Meanwhile, Plantifier is an app that allows users to ask a crowdsourced community of plant enthusiasts to help identify a plant. From $199 (iPhone), Leafsnap (free on iTunes), Plantifier (free on iTunes); apple.com
20. Tiffin Food Boxes, Module R
Picked by: Zimmerman
For: General Contractors
Though jobsites can be 24-hour hubs of activity, nearly all workers will break for food. Give your favorite contractor a stackable, reusable, and "cool" lunch box, Zimmerman says. These containers come in an array of bright or rugged colors. $32; module-r.com
21. Age Your Own Whiskey Kit, Woodinville Whiskey Company
Picked by: Brice
For: Engineers
A bottle of whiskey may be an unimaginative present, but “some things need DIY engineering,” Brice says, “like aging your own 110-proof whiskey.” Give engineers a chance to become distillers and create their own special scotch in as little as three months. $149.99; binnys.com
22. Architect Plan Carrier, White Sycamore
Picked by: Brice
For: Architectural Interns
“Even in this digital world, we still need to get drawings to a job site or meeting,” Brice says. This U.S.– made, oil-tanned leather carrier is “a huge step up from using a bunch of rubber bands” and “specifically created for architectural drawings.” $180; whitesycamore.com
23. Home On-The-Go, Romp
Picked by: Zimmerman
For: Interior Designers
Arrange the furniture in more than 1,300 configurations with this 13-piece campervan dollhouse, a great gift for the interior designer who never really grew up. From $80; rompbklyn.com
24. Steve McQueen Edition, Triumph Motorcycles
Picked by: Brice
For: Clients
To guarantee client loyalty for life, Brice suggests Triumph Motorcycle’s Steve McQueen special edition model. “Gotta match their newly designed digs with an über-stylish ride,” he says. That’s if you can find one. Just 1,100 motorcycles were made, and each one is individually numbered and painted to match the military-style matte green finish of the Triumph Trophy TR6 that McQueen rode in The Great Escape. triumphmotorcycles.com
25. Geometric Trivets, Fort Standard
Picked by: Atwood
For: Design Colleagues
A hand-stamped leather bottom prevents these stone trivets from scratching table surfaces. “Dear fellow architect,” Atwood begins. “These will blow your mind. I know you want to organize the things on your desk, so go do that.” $88 (set of two); thefutureperfect.com
26. A:LOG Notebook, A:LOG
Picked by: Putas
For: Design Managers
“Some of the most beautiful or fantastic things sketched out never make it to construction,” Putas says. “Capture all those tidbits into a fanciful reminder of one’s own creativity” in something like A:LOG notebooks, which are designed by architects for architects. $25; projectalog.com
27. Pewter Round Coasters, Match
Picked by: Atwood
For: General Contractors
Stacked in a wooden case and handmade by Italian artisans, these coasters “are beautiful in their simplicity and material honesty,” Atwood says. “Contractors will love that these coasters have a place to return them [to]. They won’t get lost or run out of power—and they won’t change their designs every week.” $105 (pair); thefutureperfect.com
28. iPad with Bluebeam Revu, Apple
Picked by: Putas
For: General Contractors
To promote organization, Putas will be sending her general contractor a jobsite tablet with Bluebeam Revu document review and management software. “Everyone could be more informed while on site without carrying around a bazooka-sized drawing set,” she says. “Now that we have the ability to view drawings and 3D models on a screen, paper sizes shouldn’t be an obstacle anymore, especially as we move toward more model-based processes.” $399 (iPad), $9.99 (Bluebeam Revu via iTunes); apple.com and itunes.apple.com
