16 beautiful furniture and lighting gifts to impress the design-devotee in your life
From sculptural stools to lamps that change the mood of a room, this collection of furniture and lighting picks makes for gifts to treasure.
Few presents last as long as a well-made chair or a lamp that transforms a room. Our pick of the year’s best furniture and lighting spans folding seats from Jasper Morrison and Hay, reissued design classics by Hans J Wegner and Pierre Paulin, and lamps from Flos, Tala and Astep. Gifts, in short, to be lived with.
Furniture
1.
Take a seat in the Outdoor Market folding chair
The Outdoor Market series, a new collaboration between UK designer Jasper Morrison and Denmark’s Hay, includes this comfy lounger.
Slung across its lightweight beech frame is a striped seat made from recycled polyester and it can be folded into a matching fabric carry bag. It’s a flexible seating solution that would be at home in just about any garden, terrace or landscape.
hay.com; jaspermorrison.com
2.
Decorate the great outdoors with Hay and Jasper Morrison
Danish design brand Hay’s latest collaboration with UK designer Jasper Morrison is a paean to outdoor living. Built around camping, picnics and spontaneous gatherings, the collection comprises 29 objects – among them stainless-steel plates and cups, a six-bottle carrier and folding chairs.
Each piece is shaped by a functionality-first logic, albeit with some room for sentimentality. Take, for example, the nautical striped fabrics inspired by Morrison’s trips to Mallorca and the Pyrenees. The end result is an invitation to spend a sunny Saturday outside.
hay.com; jaspermorrisonshop.com
3.
Settle into the Eri armchair
The Eri armchair is a masterclass in harmonising structural integrity and sculptural appeal with a soft, enveloping form. Designed by Tokyo-based Fumie Shibata for Flexform, it reflects a pleasing coming together of Japanese minimalism and Italian manufacturing nous.
The Eri’s silhouette gently curves around the body, creating cocoon-like comfort. The seat and back cushions are filled with goose down. The armchair comes with a swivel metal base (pictured) or finely crafted, hand-turned wood legs – a detail that neatly reflects Shibata’s meticulous approach.
flexform.it
4.
Take a seat at a Roche Bobois Catalina outdoor table
Since 1960, Paris-based furniture brand Roche Bobois has sought out international designers to collaborate with. Their outdoor collection ‘Catalina’ was made in partnership with the New York-based Stephen Burks. It’s headlined by a dining table that merges practicality with elegance: a rectangular ceramic top sits on a base made from marine-grade stainless steel.
“It’s designed to be at the centre of an outdoor lifestyle,” says Burks. The collection, which also features sofas, armchairs and a cocktail table, is an expression of what Roche Bobois calls art de vivre – an ethos that is more than a simple combination of French and US sensibilities. “Our goal with Catalina was not to capture a nationality,” says Burks. “Instead, it’s about a cosmopolitan way of being that invites comfort and freedom.”
5.
Perch on a Puput stool by Studio Jaia
Anna Lena Kortmann grew up in Cairo and studied in Mainz, Melbourne and Paris, before becoming an interior architecture and exhibition designer in Los Angeles and Berlin. But she was after something – and somewhere – else. She knew Mallorca from holiday visits and started spending time on the island, initially working remotely on architecture projects but perhaps looking for a reason to put down roots and use her hands again.
“I missed the creation part and working with materials. Here in Mallorca I discovered these traditional chairs with beautiful weaving,” says Kortmann. “I found someone who taught me how to do the weaving. It was not a business idea to start with but it became one.” Today she works with a carpenter who makes the frames for the furniture, while she and her team focus on the weaving. Her Puput stools, recently acquired by the Design Museum of Barcelona for its permanent collection, are a great addition to a living room. The Puput’s oiled oak frame sports a range of cotton cord seats. Our pick is the terracotta-like armorel colourway.
studiojaia.com
6.
Start the night right with Faye Toogood’s Spade Bar Stool
Taking something home from a night out downtown isn’t always the best idea – but lifting ideas and design inspiration almost always is. So pull up one of London-based designer Faye Toogood’s Spade bar stools to your kitchen counter or home bar.
Adapted from Toogood’s original seat, this three-legged, backless version has been sand-cast in corrosion-resistant aluminium, giving it a sculptural, molten-like texture.
fayetoogood.com
7.
Pick up a retro Pierre Paulin seat revived by Danish brand Gubi
When French designer Pierre Paulin unveiled his F300 lounge chair in the late 1960s, it caused quite the stir with its low-slung, futuristic silhouette. More than half a century later, the appeal of the F300 has stood the test of time – so much so that Danish design house Gubi has taken it upon itself to revive the chair from the archives, albeit with some welcome contemporary tweaks.
While the first iteration of the F300 was made with fibreglass or injected polyurethane, Gubi’s version is manufactured in Italy from industrial plastic waste that is lightweight, UV-resistant and high-gloss. The selection of colours for the chair’s upholstery is still anchored in the 1970s (think orange, red, cream and browns), while the base can be ordered in a pastel green or alabaster finish. The F300 is a pleasing time warp: one that combines the aesthetics of a time gone by with the technology of the 21st century.
gubi.com
8.
A new chair you’ll be inclined to enjoy
UK designer Jasper Morrison’s comfortable new chair for Hiroshima-based Maruni Wood Industry has the makings of a classic. The Arm Sofa (in truth a chair, also available as a two- or three-seater) is an extension of his cult Lightwood series that already includes a handsome constellation of hardwood dining chairs, sturdy stools and fetching tables.
While the Arm apes the line’s appealingly slender frames – available in maple or ash from sustainably managed forests – the chair’s added bulk gives it more presence than its predecessors. Some of that heft is added by comfy down cushions that are available in a range of finishes, while the gently angled back offers room to recline. We’ve got our eye on the wool Melange Nap in beige or blue.
jaspermorrison.com; maruni.com
9.
Turn your work around with a reissued CH621 Swivel Chair
Who says that your office doesn’t deserve a treat? The idea of what makes a great workplace has evolved since the mid-20th century but that of the perfect chair has stayed pleasingly still. The long out-of-production CH621 Swivel Chair was designed in 1948 by Hans J Wegner. Now reissued by Carl Hansen & Søn, it offers plenty of support and timeless style.
The chair’s stainless-steel frame is softened by leather or fabric upholstery over an oak back support. The design is faithful to the original but eagle-eyed Wegner-watchers might spy a fifth castor added for stability and ease of movement, as well as an upgraded gas-lift cylinder for the height-adjustment lever. It’s an office chair that’s sure to turn heads.
carlhansen.com
10.
Fresh designs that have legs by Ainhoa Perez-Urdangarin
In an unassuming workshop in San Sebastián, a talented designer is quietly turning out some fine furniture finds spotted on our recent travels. Ranging from benches and stools to squat side tables, Ainhoa Perez-Urdangarin’s work combines solid oak with geometric woven patterns made from cotton and Danish paper cord.
“The process is laborious,” Perez-Urdangarin tells The Monocle Minute. “You immerse yourself in it, paying close attention to every pass of the rope. The part that I enjoy the most is when the weave starts to take shape, the design begins to show and the colours blend.” Custom designs and colourways are available on request.
11.
Bring the Barbican into your living room
Unless you have access to a resident’s key, London’s Barbican Estate can feel a little impenetrable; its light-sapping concrete and labyrinth-like pedestrian system disorientating. But its verdant balconies, tranquil pockets and modernist forms do offer captivating spaces to live and work – especially for the design-minded. Now, thanks to a collaboration between the Barbican and London-based design studio Made, you can purchase sculptural interior pieces for your own home.
The new range includes smaller furnishings from table lamps, rugs and plates to pieces that can elevate an entire room, including chairs, sideboards and sofas.
made.com; barbican.org.uk
Lighting
12.
Bask in the glow of Bellhop Glass T by Barber Osgerby for Flos
With its triple-layered opal-glass diffuser, Barber Osgerby’s sleek Bellhop Glass T throws a warm, uniform light wherever it stands. This new iteration of the London-based studio’s iconic Bellhop lamp is dimmable too.
“I wanted to concentrate on a light that can act as a central focal point in a space and enhances an environment, rather than just illuminating it,” says co-founder Jay Osgerby.
flos.com
13.
Wake up next to a Tala lamp
Owning the correct bedside lamp can make getting up in the morning a genuine pleasure. London-based lighting company Tala’s Wake model – designed in collaboration with Thomas Heatherwick – features a ceramic, hand-glazed base and a custom-made bulb that mirrors the sun’s full-spectrum luminosity to support salutary circadian rhythms.
The result? A soothing soft glow in the evening and brighter, energising illumination in the morning, reinforcing your natural sleep patterns. Its distinctive globular design makes it an eye-catching addition to any bedside table.
tala.co.uk
14.
Astep’s minimalist Model 262 lamp returns with a glow-up
Modernist design principles never tire – as Danish-Italian design company Astep is well aware. Its Model 262 wall lamp, originally designed in 1971, has been given a 21st-century pep-up. Through better use of materials, additional functionality and added trust in its role as a major light source, Alessandro Sarfatti – Astep’s founder and a third-generation lighting designer – has found a way to improve on his grandfather’s design while maintaining the fresh feeling of the original.
This fixture is bound to be a striking staple of any space, emitting warm, diffused light from the central bulb cradled by an aluminium frame. The piece is a great example of a design work that celebrates both the past and present simultaneously.
astep.design
15.
Lighten up with Joris Poggioli’s Maé lamp
French-Italian designer Joris Poggioli’s Maé lamp is a glowing tribute to Japanese kokeshi dolls (a traditional wooden toy) and a playful option. With its sloped sides and anthropomorphic silhouette, this glass-and-ceramic lamp is a cartoonish companion for your sidetable.
Working closely with skilled Venetian glassblowers, Poggioli developed a mould that lends soft angles to these pieces and allows them to emit a mellow light diffused through a thick layer of glass. Beneath the bulb, the ceramic base comes in vibrant orange, black, jade-like teal and bright-green hues.
youtheditions.fr
16.
An ILKW lamp that you can take (or leave)
Great design doesn’t always dazzle. In fact, when it comes to lighting, subtlety is often the mark of success. For a portable treat, South Korean firm ILKW has created Snowman15, a wire-free, rechargeable little wonder that casts a warm glow across terrace tables for dusk drinks or wherever else you fancy perching it.
The balloon-like, join-free silhouette by ILKW’s creative director, Kwon Sunman, can be adjusted to cast cooler or more flattering light. “The body, shade and integrated LED, which is capable of producing a wide range of colour temperatures, all come together,” says the aptly named Sunman. Another nice touch? Adjusting the settings generates some attractive haptic feedback. No wonder this little luminescent number is creating a buzz.
ilkwdesign.com
