christmas at our house, circa 1957. photo courtesy of the pressler family

Just in time for the shopping season, here is our 4th annual installment of our favorite things –  gift ideas for modern design lovers!  

vince guaraldi trio – a charlie brown christmas

my favorite album of all time. i limit listening to nov. and dec. every year and i never tire of it. i even had this one on vinyl. vince guaraldi must have been the coolest cat of all time. genius. classic!

birds and words by charley harper

the 40th anniversary reissue of the 1974 classic. It was so popular that ALL of the original copies were stolen from the cincinnati and hamilton county public libraries. time to get your own copy!

harper christmas tile

love this never before seen harper design. his depiction of people in his artwork always makes me laugh.

ekko workshop mobile

this was a gift from my friend jenny and not only do i love the shapes, but somehow the white on white just pops in our hallway. it comes in other colors, too!

cincinnati zoo/ museum center / cincinnati art museum / contemporary arts center memberships

cincinnati zoo membership – it’s the gift that keeps on giving!

modkat litterbox

ok – this one is a little pricey, but pets appreciate good design, too. well at least some do! this was a gift from a client whose cat refused to use it. as you can see here, our little guys are more than willing to try something new!

dansk kobenstyle cookware

designed in 1956 by jens H. quistgaard, this genius design has lids that double as trivets. we have a couple of vintage pieces that belonged to arlen’s mom and they are a bit less than perfect after all these years, but still gorgeous.  

chemex coffee maker

no, starbucks did not invent the ‘pour over.’ dr. peter schlumbohm phd did in 1941 with his sexy chemex coffee maker. part of the permanent design collection of the MOMA. it’s on display on our kitchen counter as well.

hood map from mica 12/v

maybe it’s because we’re realtors and we love maps, but this bit of hometown pride kind of says it all. designed by artist sarah hyland and sold at our favorite hometown gift shop. it’s yet another reason to to go otr (or something to do while you are waiting for a table).

fern studio

college hill’s fern studio has gorgeous modern plants, pots and air plants. perfect hostess gifts. because who couldn’t use a cool plant?!

cincinnati anthology by zan mcquade

nice collection of cincinnati essays. click on image above for review.

modbox

this modern reproduction mailbox is like having a modern sculpture in your yard! lovely range of colors to match the original eichler color palette from benjamin moore. a tad pricy, but what a statement!

Hope this list of things we love helps to inspire you.  For more ideas, check out our 2011,  2012, and 2013 favorite things lists as well.

And don’t miss local shopping opportunities like the City Flea Small Mall and Mica 12/v (see above).  And our personal favorite, museum gift shops – Cincinnati Art Muesum Shop, Contemporary Arts Center Gift Shop and the amazing Indianapolis Museum of Art Museum Store (just an hour and a half up the road.  fab selection of jewelry – it totally puts our museum shop to shame!)Happy Holidays!