They are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus movement. You couldn’t drag them into an IKEA with a 1,000 pound winch. They’ve got beef with Karim Rashid. They’re a wonderful, lovable design snob—and impossible to shop for. For the detail and design-obsessives, we’ve got affordable treasures that will please their highfalutin sensibilities.
Best Gifts Under $100 for the Design Snob in Your Life
These are the inexpensive gifts you can grab and give to that loved one with overly discerning taste.
By Gabriel Bell May 22, 2019
Image via Amazon.
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“Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album”
A generation or more ago, the Manchester label helped reset what we think of as rock when it brought brands like Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, and many other New Wave stars to radios and record players worldwide. It also, thanks to co-founder and designer Peter Saville, used its vinyl covers, posters, and promotional materials as the canvas for some of the best graphic design of its era. Get a look at the imprint’s entire output with this volume. $38 at Yoox.
Seletti Desktructure
A desk is a holy creative space. Keep it pure. This soft, somewhat ironic porcelain design by cheeky product design vet Héctor Serrano brings order and levity to any workspace. $70 at Yoox.
Le Corbusier Modulor Rule
On top of revolutionizing architecture, design, and the modern vision of the city, Le Corbusier made a bid to upturn how we measure our lengths, our widths, and our spaces by putting the human body and the golden ratio first in his calculations. Of course, centimeters and inches still rule, but this facsimile of the architect’s tape measure comes not only with his metrics, but an inspiring look at how a great mind saw space. $28 at Amazon.
Alessi “Diabolix” Bottle Opener
The Germans seem to have a word for everything, and Feierabendbier is one of their best. Literally, it translates as “the beer after work.” Whether you’re drinking it straight from the bottle or pouring it into a stein, greet the moment with the devilish smile it deserves. $19 at LBC Modern.
“SuperDesign: Italian Radical Design 1965-75”
Studio65, Pietro Derossi, Gaetano Pesce, Gianni Pettena, Superstudio: The designers and groups that filled out the ranks of the Italian Radical Design in the 1960s and ’70s lived up to the movement’s name with confrontational, surrealist, unforgettable work that remains a source of inspiration and diversion for anyone pursuing their own vision today. This glossy tome is the perfect place to dive in. $59 at Yoox.
Tom Dixon Cog Pen
Bold and industrial, this desk accessory is less the Tom Dixon of globular lighting pendants suited for hotel lobbies, but the expression of a hardened creative at work. That it stands on its own and features a good amount of weight and ruggedness should make it an office favorite. $87 at Yoox.
Diptyque La Redoute Scented Candle
Yes, it is one thing to invite a fine Diptypque candle into your home. They smell darn good. But their design is perhaps too familiar, too wrote for your loved one’s liking. Here we have all the floral and herbal notes the Parisian brand is known for in a vessel that represents the kind of craft they care about. Handmade using terre mêlée techniques, each one is unique with a marbled patterned sure to pass any design obsessive’s sniff test. $85 at Saks Fifth Avenue.