Wallpaper* gift guide: shopping with managing director Malcolm Young
From an artful Kate Bush reissue to a Kubrick-esque turntable and a monkey puzzle worth solving, there’s much to covet in this gift guide
I love to give and receive all year round, so to me the best gift guides are ones that allow for a ton of fun peppered with dream items that you know you're unlikely to get your hands on but that you can enjoy wishing for nonetheless.
Wallpaper* gift guide: shopping with managing director Malcolm Young
A gift from Kate
The occasional collaboration between Kate Bush and Timorous Beasties has thrown up a new logo for her official Fish People site and a Hounds Of Love special: the 'Baskerville' edition, a black vinyl LP with fantastical sleeve illustrations by the Glasgow design studio. If I don’t get it, I am beginning to think that my holiday will be well and truly spoiled.
Kate Bush Hounds of Love 12" Vinyl Album (Baskerville Edition), £138 katebush.com
A soothing ritual
Wherever you’re planning to spend the holiday, I highly recommend you keep a bottle of this soothing potion to hand because it’s designed to whisk you into the leafy confines of an enchanting forest, wherever you are. And it works. Inspired by Japanese forest-bathing rituals, a traditional anti-stress antidote, this intoxicating conflation of wood oil, cypress and pink pepper is a gift for any overworked soul, comforting and uplifting at the same time.
Aromatherapy Associates Forest Therapy Bath & Shower Oil, £55, aromatherapyassociates
A monkey puzzle solved
Lemurs may look cute but they have been found to be more than a little tetchy around humans. I’m not letting that eclipse the attraction, though, and have found a stylish solution to their prickly character. One, I think that will bring joy to all: Loewe’s Suna Fujita Lemur Puzzle Fold tote in shiny calfskin. I mean, you can take that anywhere.
Loewe Lemur Puzzle tote, £1,550, loewe.com
A refreshing palette
Green or yellow? Pink, maybe? How about the blue? Oh, go on then, I’ll take the whole damned lot. Lobmeyr’s mouth-blown Alpha Water Tumbler is sure to make even New York water taste nice.
Lobmeyr Aplha Water tumbler, £54 each, abask.com
A soft touch
I’d like to say that the fact the Celine Triomphe shearling toy is at the top of my all-too-pampered pet’s gift list has nothing to do with me. But that would be a lie. I love Hedi Slimane’s fun, new dog accessories and I’d happily see any of them light up my little companion’s furry face around the Christmas tree.
Celine Triomphe shearling toy, £300, celine.com
A purple patch
One of the joys of writing with a Montblanc pen is the array of the Swiss luxury house’s coloured inks to choose from. I prefer violet ink and this Purple Haze variety, celebrating one of the legendary Jimi Hendrix’s best-known tracks, is high on my list. And it comes in that perennially good-looking ink bottle, too.
Great Characters Jimi Hendrix purple ink, £35, montblanc.com
A chic seat at the table
As this time of year is all about fantasy, I am dreaming of a rare thing with a rare price tag. Namely, Rick Owens’ 2012 Tomb Stag Bench – his chairs come up on good design auction sites every now and then. It’s a perfect fit for me, as cosying up with a good book in a comfy chair has never been high on my ‘me time’ list.
Rick Owens Tomb Stag Bench, £39,500, 1stdibs.com
A sound with vision
As the family at Michell engineering would tell you: ‘the task of a turntable is simple, the design of a turntable is not’. The late designer John Michell, audio engineer and audiophile, created the GyroDec in the early 1980s. Today, it is lauded not only for its superior vinyl playback but as one of the most coveted turntable designs of all time. But then Michell was also a model maker, and built the the ‘Discovery’ ship for Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Michell GyroDec turntable, £4,500, audiogold.co.uk
A symphonic soundscape
As a regular ballet-goer and fan of the composer and performer Thomas Bangalter, I’d like this symphonic delight as my official holiday season soundscape. It’s the first orchestral album by Bangalter, working independently of Daft Punk, with choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, who commissioned the score for his titular ballet at the Opéra National de Bordeaux. A 23-scene album, Mythologies muses on how humans create and interact with learned traditions old and new.
Thomas Bangalter Mythologies, £75.00, roughtrade.com
A Frank exchange
I love Folkform collaborations and I love Josef Frank’s cartoony prints, so I have to ask: have you seen ‘Pleated for Frank’, this year’s Folkform collaboration with Svenskt Tenn interiors? I love that, too. Folkform has used Svenskt Tenn linen featuring Frank’s 1940s Brazil print to fashion this hand-pleated lamp, creating a new take on a classic.
‘Pleated for Frank’ table lamp, €1,104, svenskttenn.com
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Focal launches Diva Utopia, wireless speakers for aesthetically minded audiophiles
Focal’s felt-clad Diva Utopia speakers bring high-fidelity wireless sound to a huge range of audio applications
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Watch: Jamie Dornan takes a bath in Le Corbusier’s villa for Loewe Perfumes
Jamie Dornan stars alongside Sophie Wilde in the new Loewe Perfumes 2024 campaign, shot by David Sims in Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
One to watch: Casey Zablocki’s Rocky Mountain surroundings feed into his vast sculptural work
Montana-based artist Casey Zablocki uses one of America’s largest kilns to create monumental ceramic, functional sculptures
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Wallpaper gift guide: shopping with lifestyle editor Caragh McKay
A perfect puppy, a scary pot and a Hungarian lament make for a gift guide brimming with strange delights
By Caragh McKay Published
-
Shop independent design from these online destinations
The best curated online platforms to shop independent design, from designers’ artworks to furniture by emerging creatives
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Wallpaper* gift guide: shopping with design editor Rosa Bertoli
For serious design objects with a whimsical twist, delve into this playful gift guide
By Rosa Bertoli Published