This holiday season, Texas Architect presents a selection of reasonably priced, well-designed gifts for clients, coworkers, friends, and family. Browse the 14 inspired items below to find the perfect pick for everyone on your holiday list.
The CMY Cube
The CMY Cube is an interactive toy that plays with light to keep children and adults entertained for hours. Each face of the translucent CMY Cube is coated in an electromagnetically subtractive material in cyan, magenta, and yellow colors that transform as the cube is twisted and turned. The cube can be used as a form of color therapy or a non-disruptive sensory tool for neurodivergent learners to help regulate moods and anxious feelings. They can also be used to teach color mixing, light refraction, angles, or geometry. Comes in three sizes starting at $19.95. cmycubes.com
Norm Bottle Grinder
Designed by the Danish architecture and design firm Norm Architects, this ceramic tabletop grinder has a bottle shape that makes it easy to operate, fill, and clean. It can be used to grind salt, pepper, spices, grains, nuts, seeds, or dried fruits. The upright design ensures surfaces remain free from unwanted residue. The grinders are available in a range of colors and finishes, including brushed and bronzed brass, and come fitted with a walnut, beech, or steel lid. $199.95, menudesignshop.com
Mr. & Mrs. Night Water Set
The Dusty Rose color variant is the newest addition to the NUDE Mr. & Mrs. Collection. The minimal night water set features a face motif with the winking eye adorning the complementary cup, which also doubles up as a bottle stopper. The water set is designed by Turkish designer Erdem Akan and crafted from fine, lead-free crystalline glass in two sizes. $121 (short), $133 (tall); lumens.com
Atomic Mailbox
This Mid Century Modern-inspired, wall-mounted mailbox from Atomic Avocado Designs is crafted from galvanized steel and powder-coated in turquoise with golden yellow vinyl starbursts. This atomic mailbox measures 14″ long x 11.5″ high x 4″ wide and offers a capacity large enough for magazines and large envelopes. The locking mailbox comes with pre-drilled holes, screws, keys, and instructions. $175, atomicavocadodesigns.com
Frank Lloyd Wright Tea Towels
Featuring an iconic geometric pattern from the archives of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, this tea towel comes in three colors (yellow, peach, and mint). Made from 100% cotton jacquard, the Frank Lloyd Wright Tea Towel measures 30” long x 20” wide. A portion of sales from the tea towel will be donated by the manufacturer to support the conservation and education program of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Machine wash warm, tumble dry low. $15, store.moma.org
Mid Century Modern Night Lights
Handcrafted from multiple layers of precision-cut acrylic, these retro-modern lights from Atomic Avocado Designs will bring warmth, ambience, and character to a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, nursery, office, or workspace. The night lights come with a black starburst and “wood grain” look border or in a choice of other available colors. Each night light includes one incandescent light bulb and a choice of a manual toggle switch or light-activated base. $38, atomicavocadodesigns.com
NYC Glass Ornaments
Adorn your tree with some classic New York City icons including a salty soft pretzel, the Statue of Liberty, a pepperoni pizza slice, a hot dog cart, a subway car, and a black and white cookie. These hand-painted ornaments are crafted from mouth-blown glass in Poland. $26–$35, store.moma.org
LEGO Ideas The Starry Night
LEGO has reimagined Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night as a 3D depiction using 2,316 LEGO bricks. Acquired by MoMA in 1941, The Starry Night was the first artwork by Van Gogh to enter a New York museum collection. The LEGO set includes a mini-figure of the artist, a mini-easel, and a mini-version of the painting, along with a paint brush. A platform can be attached that fits all these components with an adjustable display. $169.99, store.moma.org
Perpetual Planner
The Perpetual Planner is a dateless, Swiss-bound book designed by MOO to be a helpful canvas for organizing and planning. The planner covers 80 weeks with 160 pages of silky smooth Munken Kristall paper. A brass or stainless-steel calendar clip helps to keep days, weeks, and months on track, while a flexible layout with grid and lined sections aids list-making, sketching, and planning. The durable cloth cover comes in four colors: Midnight Blue, Jet Black, Charcoal Grey, or Berry Red. $30, moo.com/us/planners
Bauhaus Era Christmas Ornaments Design
Designed by architect Johannes Gabriel in 1930 while on faculty at the Bauhaus Dessau School, the original set of 12 ornaments have been reproduced to exact scale and color and released in celebration of the centennial of the Bauhaus (1919-2019). Their colorful, geometric forms are hand-crafted in the Black Forest of solid maple. Ornaments vary in size and measure between two and four inches long. $195, designstore.theglasshouse.org
Braun Clock
The BC22 classic analogue alarm clock has an easy-to-read dial layout and features the iconic yellow second hand that is synonymous with Braun’s award-winning design history. The clock’s silent precision quartz movement is coupled with an elective continuous backlight function and a crescendo beep alarm. Every purchase supports The Glass House. Available in black or white. $50, designstore.theglasshouse.org
Ornamental Pencil Set
This set of six sculptural ornamental pencils are designed and made in Switzerland by Swiss design firm Tät-Tat of European lime wood. The motifs carved into the pencil include a ring, code, fish, cube, tower, and “Eiffel” shape. Every purchase supports The Glass House. $49, designstore.theglasshouse.org
Gomma Steel Butter Cup
Designed by Mattias Stenberg for the Swedish brand Klong, the Gomma Steel Butter Cup can offer guests butter, candy, or desserts. Gomma is manufactured in Sweden of stainless steel with a knob handle in wood. Every purchase supports The Glass House. $68, designstore.theglasshouse.org
HAVLY Towels
HAVLY is a sustainable towel brand known for its quick dry technology, signature colored loop detail for easy hanging, and spa-like plush feel that withstands up to 1,000 washes (vs. the average 35). For every towel sold, HAVLY donates to DonorsChoose.org to fund special needs classrooms in districts where more than half the students are from low-income households. Classic bath towel, $55; Hand towel set, $30; shophavly.com