Gifting must strike that balance between a want and a need – we all love stuff that is gorgeous for its own sake, but increasingly I’ve sought out things that are useful too, or at least bring a spark to the everyday. If you can wear it, drink from it or listen to it, you can’t go far wrong – here’s a gift guide to what I’ll be admiring, using, and buying…
Wallpaper* gift guide: arts & culture editor’s picks
Sarah Lucas T-shirt from Tate Britain
While there’s little I love more than meandering around a gallery, exiting through the gift shop comes a close second. When it comes after a visit to one of the most playfully subversive exhibitions of the year, so much the better. ‘Sarah Lucas: Happy Gas’ at the Tate Britain was one of my favourite shows this year, so indulging in a bit of merch to carry me through into the next will do nicely. Tits in Space, a tribute to Lucas’ 2020 work of the same name featuring tempting-looking balls of cigarettes, comes in a soft grey, just the thing for slouching round another exhibition in.
Alaïa ballet flats from Matches Fashion
How to smarten up a pair of a-bit-too-tatty Adidas trousers? A pair of expensive and impractical shoes. How I love Alaïa’s black ballet flats made from fishnet mesh, with a sweet patent leather buckle my three daughters would love. After recently seeing Serpentine CEO Bettina Korek teaming hers with a sharp black trouser suit, I’m almost convinced these would make a useful and practical purchase.
Wilma Johnson washing-up gloves from House of Voltaire
Anything that brings joy to the mundane is good with me, and artist Wilma Johnson’s effusive brand of righteous colour is somehow the perfect partner for a pair of washing-up gloves. House of Voltaire’s edit of limited-edition blankets, prints, silk scarves and homeware is worth regularly checking back on for quirky gifts for art lovers.
Lexon x Keith Haring gift set from Musart
At the intersection of art, homeware and tech, the fun Keith Haring and Lexon set – comprising a speaker, an LED lamp, an alarm clock and a radio – is guaranteed to be a people pleaser. Lexon’s easy-to-use tech meets Haring’s bold and distinctive motifs (pictured here is the radio in the ‘Heart’ variation), bringing a welcome dose of pep to the early mornings.
Full set in ‘Happy’, $200, from musart.com
Radio only in ‘Heart’ as pictured, $70, from musart.com
Completedworks glass dinner set from Net-a-Porter
I’m a huge fan of Anna Jewsbury, the founder of London-based Completedworks, who brings a cool edge to jewellery design. It is an offbeat aesthetic that also stretches to the brand’s tableware – think undulating silhouettes, drunken candlesticks and delicious sorbet shades. One day, I will be the person whose dinner table is gorgeously coordinated, and when I am, it will be thanks to Completedworks.
17-piece glassware set, £2,985, exclusively from net-a-porter.com
Seven-piece set in green, £1,795
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