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Buying a gift for someone’s home this holiday season may seem like the easy route. Whether they live in a studio apartment or a lakefront mansion, everyone on your list has a place they lay their head at night. Then you actually start looking for said presents, and you begin asking yourself: Will they actually keep this? Does this fit their design sensibilities? Am I simply gifting them something they’ll feel obligated to display when I visit, but then throw in a closet the second I’m out the door?
The InsideHook 2023 Holiday Gift Guides
There’s no better feeling than giving that perfect holiday gift…and there’s no harder task than finding it. InsideHook is here to help.
These are all valid questions, but they’re also moot, at least when it comes to InsideHook’s home gift guide. The presents you’ll find below — including our favorite digital photo frame, the most beautiful hot tub we’ve ever seen and a frankly magical bidet you’ll want to gift to yourself — are all appropriate for a number of recipients, from your sibling with a loft in the city, to your grandparents whose home hasn’t changed since the ‘80s, to your Gen Z niece who just started college.
And unlike every other home gift guide out there, we’ve included exactly zero candles. Go on, get them something they’ll remember come December 2024.
Yellow Leaf Hammock Throne
Statement piece chairs will never go out of style, but instead of going to Eames route, have some fun with an enviable centerpiece: a hammock. The handwoven Hammock Throne converts from chair to full-body hammock (extending up to seven feet), and can live at the center of a living room or in the backyard thanks to marine-grade weatherproofing. It can even be tucked into a tiny balcony due to its compact U-shape and 360-degree swivel stand.
Aura Walden Digital Photo Frame
Aura makes our absolute favorite digital photo frames. They’re so easy to use, even your grandparents can do it: just download the Aura app onto your phone and add photos to the frame whenever you want. While Aura has a number of smaller tabletop models, the Walden is special because you can also opt to mount it on a wall. Now they can actually do something productive with the thousands of pictures on their phone.
Stikkan Norwegian Kindling Splitter
There’s no need to spend time awkwardly splitting kindling with a hatchet when we live in a world where the Stikkan Splitter exists. Hang it on a post or some other sturdy structure, place a piece of wood on the stalk and let leverage (not your wild swing) do the work.
King Kennedy Rugs
If your intended recipient’s home is full of what we’ll call “curiosities” — that is, furniture, art and objects that elicit the question, “Where the hell did you get that?” — then you can’t simply buy them something off the store shelf. The vintage rugs from King Kennedy, which come from all over the globe and are purposefully chosen for a healthy dose of wear and patina, should do nicely.
Theory11 Monarch Playing Cards
What’s the one thing everyone should have on their coffee table? No, not a coffee table book, but a deck of eye-catching playing cards. We love Theory11’s classic Monarch decks, but they deal in all sorts of themed decks too (from Basquiat to James Bond). Put these out on display, and guests will put their phones down. These also make great stocking stuffers since you can get a discount for buying in packs of six.
Faribault National Park Blankets
Faribault Mill has been around since 1865. If you’re going to gift someone a blanket, why not make it one with almost 160 years of history behind it? Their National Park series features some of the company’s most impressive designs, including Half Dome in Yosemite, realized in a sumptuous blend of merino wool and cotton.
The 100+ Best Gifts for Her in 2024
Wife, mom, daughter, girlfriend…we’ve got you coveredFramebridge Walnut Wood Picture Frames
You’ve got hundreds, if not thousands of photos on your phone. Put them to good use by uploading them to Framebridge and ordering immaculately framed photos your friends and family will cherish (especially because all the hanging hardware is included with easy instructions). We dig their wooden frames, like this dark walnut, but there are hundreds of options to choose from when you take into account frame styles and sizes.
Toto Washlet C2 Bidet
Is a bidet an appropriate gift for the holidays? Of course it is. Sure, you may have to do some explaining when they unwrap it, but once it’s installed, they’ll be thanking you after every luxurious trip to the commode. After personal experience with this entry-level model from Toto, we stand by its array of features, including a heated seat and adjustable pressure.
Loll Designs Lollygagger Bar Cart
There are plenty of bar carts designed around the preconception that they’ll be paired with leather-bound books, cigars and wool suits. That’s fine for some. However, the Lollygagger Bar Cart, which is made from recycled milk jugs and comes in a kaleidoscope of colors ranging from sky blue to sunset orange, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Goes well with modern design, tequila and outdoor spaces.
Ice Barrel 300
Turn their home into a wellness retreat with the Ice Barrel 300, which makes cold plunges and ice baths a breeze. This insulated barrel features a small seat inside, a connection port if you’re using a chiller instead of ice, and a lid for keeping things frigid. They’ll have to provide one thing themselves: an explanation when the neighbors ask why they’re sitting in a barrel in their backyard.
Barebones Railroad Lantern
Friends don’t let friends use their smartphones as flashlights. Friends get their friends these antique-styled, USB-charged Railroad Lanterns from Barebones so they can channel their inner Indiana Jones when they’re in need of a little illumination.
Hatch Restore 2 Alarm Clock
Hatch started off selling sleep and sound machines for babies, and parents loved them, so they expanded into products for adults, like the beautifully designed Restore 2 Alarm Clock. If they were able to crack the code of helping infants sleep, you can trust that their sunrise alarm and sleep sounds will work for you. Finally, a way to banish your phone from your bedroom.
Jolie Filtered Showerhead
There’s a reason people gush about luxury hotel showers: they actually spend time picking out showerheads. To bring that vacation-level experience to your own home, there’s Jolie, a filtered, waterfall model (that we’ve previously reviewed) which removes contaminants like chlorine and heavy metals. Consider it a bathroom upgrade in a box.
Fable Dog Crate
Your run-of-the-mill dog crates may get the job done, but no one is commenting on how inviting they are — pets included. If you know someone who treats their furry friend like their own child, then a proper dog-sized home is in order. The Crate from Fable looks like a side table while providing a cozy place for Spot to sleep. (If they need a bed insert too, that’s sold separately.)
4Artworks Pop Star Mirror
The best part of waking up is…looking at your gorgeous mug in this groovy mirror. Go sophisticated with the gold or silver finish, or for the right recipient, maybe they’ll appreciate the visual audacity of the pink edition. Available in a 24”x24” or 19”x19” size.
“Ferrari: From Inside and Outside”
With the upcoming Michael Mann movie and interest in Formula 1 surging in the U.S., Ferrari is having a bit of a cultural moment stateside. For the person in your life who binged Drive to Survive, give them a history lesson with this chronicle of Ferrari’s F1 team in 213 images from legendary photographers Rainer Schlegelmilch and Ercole Colombo taken over 50 years of racing. (We got a sneak peek earlier this year.)
Modernica Papa Bear Chair
Retire their tired recliner and grace their living room with the Papa Bear Chair, which is quite possibly the greatest example of truth in furniture advertising. Designed by Danish maestro Hans Wegner, it’s like being embraced by a friendly polar bear (especially if you choose the angel wing fabric). If you’re feeling generous, get them the accompanying ottoman.
Goodland Wood-Burning Hot Tub
Is Goodland’s hot tub the easiest hot tub from a user experience perspective? Of course not, it’s a wood-burning model that you’ll need to stoke yourself. But instead of being a hassle, the entire experience becomes meditative: starting the kindling, stirring the water, building the fire, and then finally immersing yourself in the gorgeous cedar tub. Warning: If you get this for a friend, you’ll never see them at happy hour ever again.
A24 “99 Movie Crosswords”
Leave it to A24 to make the most aesthetically pleasing crossword puzzle book of all time. If you’ve got a cinephile on your list, put them to the test with this collection of movie-themed crosswords ranging from “Easy: Neophyte” to “Hard: Expert.” Bonus: There are some special puzzles sprinkled in that actors like Jenny Slate and Stephanie Hsu collaborated on.
Alice Mushroom Lamp
Among the treasure trove of curios in the MoMA Design Store, the Alice Mushroom Lamp is a diamond (or toadstool?) in the rough. Get a large one ($289), get a couple small ones ($75), pepper them around a room and you’ve got an enchanted forest right in your own home.
Nordic Knots Garden Maze Rug
Be forewarned: while this hand-knotted, New Zealand wool rug is exactly the kind of aesthetic centerpiece that will turn a run-of-the-mill living room into a host’s dream worth of Architectural Digest, its maze design is also likely to induce vertigo for people who stare too long, or who spend too much time refilling their glass at the bar cart.
Branch Basics Premium Glass Starter Kit
For the environmentalist in your life (read: everyone, if they know what’s good for them!), Branch Basics offers a complete, no-brainer cleaning kit that will put you on the track to cutting out single-use plastics and harmful chemicals. Their eco-friendly Concentrate solution can be used to clean the kitchen, bathroom, glass surfaces, even laundry — all you need to do is dilute it at different levels for different purposes, using the labeled glass bottles. Couldn’t be easier.
Harry McNally Footwork Doormat
Normal people have doormats that say things like “Welcome” or “Hello” or nothing at all. Fun people have this doormat from artist Harry McNally. Now you and everyone who visits will know how to box step.
GUBI x Noah Outdoor Lounge Chair
The menswear gurus at Noah dipped their toe into the furniture world this year with this GUBI collaboration. The frame is made of handsome iroko wood, while the seat is strung with high-performance waterproof polyester available in navy, royal blue and yellow. We can’t think of a better place to relax during aperitivo hour. Ocean views not required.
Smythson Small Leather Trinket Tray
The heritage label represents over 135 years of British luxury leather goods and unrivaled craftsmanship. This trinket tray is a handy catchall for keys, jewelry and more made from Smythson’s scuff-resistant Panama leather. It stands beautifully placed on a desk or bedside table.
Johanna Howard Home Taupe Cozi Throw
Handwoven in Portugal, the Taupe Cozi Throw from Johanna Howard features a loose cotton weave and wool. The designer combines her background in traditional Swedish craftmanship and love for artisanal techniques to design sustainably luxurious line textiles.
Flamingo Estate Roma Heirloom Tomato Room Spray
Flamingo Estate bottles a summer garden distilled. Specifically, the aroma of “heirloom tomatoes hanging heavy from the vine and releasing its intoxicating aroma — especially at sunset when the Tomato vines are watered and the leaves become their most fragrant.” The scent is anchored by wild-harvested Tarragon grown in Oregon, and Black Pepper essential oil grown on flowering vines in the forests of Madagascar.
We've put in the work researching, reviewing and rounding up all the shirts, jackets, shoes and accessories you'll need this season, whether it's for yourself or for gifting purposes. Sign up here for weekly style inspo direct to your inbox.