Gifts for Architects and Designers
Christmas is just around the corner and we are all left scratching our heads wondering what presents to buy. It can be quite tricky to come up with new unique and quirky ideas, particularly for your creative and designer friends and relatives. Here, at Hames Sharley, we’ve collated a list of the 11 Best Christmas Presents for Architects and Designers that are sure to put you in the good books.
Perfect for Santa’s lists…
Ever wondered about the thought processes of some of the world’s leading architects and how this translates to their designs? Well, now you can learn by peeking into their very own notebooks! Moleskine has collaborated with architects such as Frits Palmboom, Dominique Perrault and Michael Graves to bring you an insight into their world through Moleskine’s ‘Inspiration and Processes in Architecture’ series.
Perfectly measured cheese
To some, eating cheese itself can be considered an art. Have some fun with Fred’s Cheese Degrees Cutting Board, cutting pieces into exact shapes and sizes. It’s sure to make an intriguing cheese platter for your next guests.
Building up your memory…
Fun for all your family and friends, this stimulating mind game will test your memory on interesting buildings from Tokyo to Paris. The sheer illustrations and design of the cards should be enough to tickle your fancy.
A Mug’s game
No architect is complete without their architecture mug for the office. Let everyone know your profession with this careful and intricate blueprint design. It’s available in both a mug and travel mug version with larger sizes for ones that need that extra caffeine kick.
Always room for colour
Colouring in is a great calming, meditative exercise making it a popular present for stressed adults. Thanks to illustrator Melissa Michaels you can now decorate your dream space without having to buy all that new furniture. Have the freedom to experiment with your favourite colour palettes and patterns in this imaginative colouring book.
Take your tablet
Transform your hand drawings into the digital world with a graphics tablet. Draw on paper using a smart ballpoint pen which then copies your masterpiece onto the tablet. Great for architects, designers and drawers alike, getting back to the basics of drawing might be just what you need to create your next masterpiece. There are a range of graphics tablets on the market, however, the Bamboo Spark seems like the most affordable option with a price tag of $89.
Drawn to a place
Expand your drawing abilities with this detailed book of places to draw. Pair this gift with a sketchbook and pencil and you’ll be set for a creative adventure, doodling places from Mt Fuji to the Eiffel Tower. It’s a great way to practice sketching over the Christmas break.
Urban Guidance
For your next holiday, you won’t want to leave home without one of these. CITIx60 have collated information from 60 local creatives to bring you an intricate and well-illustrated guide to their city. Explore their recommended architectural sights, history and art scene in cities from all over the globe. This guide is sure to be the perfect companion for your next trip.
Lovely, rubbery NYC
This quirky yet simple present is sure to put a smile on one’s face. Replicating the Empire State Building, the Citigroup Centre (formerly the Citicorp Centre) and the Chrysler Building in New York, these erasers are impressive in detail; so much so they might end up as more of a desk ornament than a purposeful eraser!
Do you accept cheques, mate?
Earlier this year we discovered the ultimate gift for architecture and chess aficionados who may also want to invest in a potentially bestselling board game. Skyline Chess is the brainchild of London-based architects Chris Prosser and Ian Flood, who used an initial Kickstarter campaign and 3D-printing technology to create a chess set with pieces modelled on iconic buildings from their home city.
