Search

2024 Modern Gift Ideas From Managing Editor Joseph Sgambati III

11.20.24 | By
2024 Modern Gift Ideas From Managing Editor Joseph Sgambati III

Confession of a shopaholic: My habit started when I was young, marking everything from toys to small appliances to home furnishings in whatever catalogs I could get my hands on. As technology proliferated, so too did the ways I kept track of my wish lists – countless online carts at this very moment are waiting for me to commit. Architecture school and various design jobs let me exercise this skill in a more productive manner, pouring over materials to specify finishes and furniture using someone else’s budget. All that practice has prepared me to provide gift guides that boast an eclectic array of items. So suspend reality and join me as I imagine fantastical tabletops decked out with Kelly Wearstler’s Glassware or the lush upholstery on Steven Bukowski’s Doric Stool. Read on to get a peek behind the curtain and see what gifts I’m obsessing over this holiday season.

A variety of wine glasses filled with rose and clear liquid are arranged on a marble surface, casting shadows.

Dune Glassware by Kelly Wearstler for SERAX \\\ From $18

While our eyes enjoy clean lines and simple silhouettes, those attributes also help articulate interruptions for intentional moments of visual interest. This mouth-blown glassware – offered in nine varieties – is exemplary of those principles with their classic shape and distinctive ribbed or rippled detailing at the widest part of the bowl. This set pairs well with ceramics that boast thin surfaces and crisp edges.

A hand reaching for chocolates in a multi-tiered rotating dispenser on a countertop, with plates, a cup, and a coffee machine nearby.

Plissé Capsule Holder and Crusher by Michele De Lucchi for Alessi \\\ $105 + $35

For those looking to elevate their pod-based, at-home coffee rituals, consider adding this chic accoutrement. The architect-designed objects borrow pleated fabric forms from fashion to inform the fluting featured on both product skins. Their sartorial structure is as dynamic as the duo is functional, making pod storage and recycling, as well as waste disposal, quite simple.

Three books with brown covers stand upright between two curved, wooden bookends on a dark, ribbed cabinet against a plain white wall.

Pi Book Ends by Alain van Havre for Industry West \\\ $179

Functional elegance is front and center with these sculptural bookends that fuse utility with visually pleasing proportions. Each object showcases a different silhouette based on placement as soft arches converge into a rounded edge to form a prism-like volume with a sloped top surface. And their hand-finishing ensures the wood’s organic nature is preserved.

A wall clock with concentric circles in shades of gold, pink, and peach, featuring gold hour and minute hands.

Brass Clock by Daughter Manufacturing \\\ $800

Seemingly plucked from the golden age of manufacturing, these wall-hanging clocks are sturdy, stylish, and constructed from solid spun brass. The off-kilter rings and gradually tinted layers of epoxy temper an otherwise industrial aesthetic to create something emotive with a quality that can only be imbued by handcraft. It’s the perfect gift for someone looking to dispel the notion “they just don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

A modern table lamp with a round, glowing white bulb on top of a wooden spherical base, placed on a white pedestal against a neutral background.

Lens Poise Table Lamp by Snelling Studio \\\ $1,392

Comprising white glass and hand-turned rosewood, this lamp’s pure geometry is celebrated with contrasting materials and an unlikely dynamism found in its symmetrical silhouette. Snelling Studio carefully balances solid and seemingly void volumes for a product that provides onlookers with multiple expressions.

Pink velvet cushioned seat with a cylindrical, multi-legged wooden base on a white floor.

Doric Stool by Steven Bukowski \\\ $1,470

Brooklyn-based maker Steven Bukowski references classical elements in his Doric Stool design, translating the column capital into a lush textile seat and the shaft into a base that inverts fluting for a scalloped surface created by clustered legs. It’s a particularly striking form in the walnut and velvet variation. Distilled through whimsy, we can embrace tradition without rejecting modernity.

A red transparent glass table beside a beige sofa on a light rug, with a fashion magazine on the floor.

MoMA Exclusive Two-Way Side Table by Element de Base \\\ $195

The MoMA Two-Way Side Table proves that ultra-modern home furnishings can be simple without being sterile, visually impactful, and deceptively playful. Designers and design students alike can also appreciate its subversive, architectural quality and unique ability to have multiple readings, much like reorienting a study model for fresh perspective. It transforms from side table to bookshelf to basic stand with great ease.

Pink tote bag with a tennis racket-shaped pocket attached on the front.

Sinuous Shopper Bag by Terrida \\\ $440

Despite the recent uptick in pickleball’s popularity, tennis still reigns champion over the paddle- and racket-based sports. And accessories provide another playing field to exercise that prowess. This gym turned tote bag is available in a variety of bright colors that make storage and travel with your items a personal statement whether you’re on or off the court.

A blue book rests on a green, wave-shaped wooden stand against a white background.

Bookmark Bookscape by Trey Jones Studio \\\ $480

Reading is fundamental, and there’s something daring about having an oversized marker at a time when the act seems radical. This functional sculpture honors and displays your texts, whether it be books or magazines, while creating a conversation piece for any interior design scheme. Trey Jones Studio is pioneering a fresh subgenre of home furnishings.

Two geometric art posters with abstract shapes. Left poster features blue and pink tones, right poster features orange and yellow tones. Both are framed and displayed on a wooden floor.

Architettura Sussurrante by Alessandro Mendini – Limited Edition Art Print \\\ $53

The late Milanese architect Alessandro Mendini originally released an experimental vinyl album in 1983 with this geometric pattern on its sleeve. It has since been retooled by New York designer Lapo Belmestieri for a variety of artful music ephemera including these posters with a limited run of 50 each. The eccentric illustrations and energetic colorways are an homage to postmodernism.

Follow along so you don’t miss any of our 2024 Gift Guides this year!

This post contains affiliate links, so if you make a purchase from an affiliate link, we earn a commission. Thanks for supporting Design Milk!

With professional degrees in architecture and journalism, New York-based writer Joseph has a desire to make living beautifully accessible. His work seeks to enrich the lives of others with visual communication and storytelling through design. When not writing, he teaches visual communication, theory, and design.