Some couples worry about what kitchen essentials to put on their wedding registry, but Noa Santos, co-founder and CEO of interior design company Homepolish, and his husband, Ross Matsubara, weren’t concerned. “Ross and I have all the necessities,” Santos says — so instead, they registered for things they loved but wouldn’t normally buy for themselves. Thanks to Santos’s design background, he’s got a particular eye for décor pieces. “It was more fun, frivolous gifts that we really like, rather than flatware or forks or something,” Santos says. In case you’re looking for the kinds of accent pieces you might want to put on your own wedding registry — or are trying to buy a wedding gift for a couple with a very nice apartment — we talked to Santos about his choices. If you’re feeling inspired, you can get started on your own Amazon registry, too.
“Billy [Cotton] is an interior designer here in New York, based out of Brooklyn, and whenever possible, I like to support other interior designers,” said Santos. Cotton’s line includes furniture and lighting fixtures, but Santos was charmed by these glass candlesticks. “Obviously, we wanted to be mindful that you have to have, on your registry, a range of things. You don’t want to only have $500 things,” he said. “So I think the candlesticks struck me as something that was extremely affordable. I was actually kind of surprised, given Billy’s normal price point for things.” And even though these were among the least expensive items on the registry, they’re definitely getting used. “I love the pieces,” says Santos. “They’re still front and center.”
“My design philosophy is that you should have fun with the things in your home and pick things that you’ll be able to keep for years and years, but with smaller things, you can always kind of switch them out,” says Santos. And though this stool is “actually a little bit different than our traditional style,” the blushy color stood out to the couple. But it’s still small and versatile enough to put anywhere. These days, Santos says, “It’s in between two chairs. It’s basically a place I leave to switch out a lot of different end tables. I quite like end tables.”
“This particular vase, I’ve wanted for a long time, so this is a good excuse to to get it,” says Santos. He loves the modern, masculine sensibility of the pieces sold through the online retailer TRNK. “Their aesthetic kind of proves that even if you’re a man, it doesn’t mean that you have to have a house that looks like a dorm room,” he says, adding that this vase “is one of my favorite things they have on their site, and it typically sells out, so it’s kind of tough to get your hands on sometimes.”
“This is a bit more of a sentimental one, because Tina is actually one of our original Homepolish designers, and she has a line of throws and pillows that I really like,” says Santos. “So I put I put a few of them on my registry. A lot of her stuff is sold out, but this throw, I’ve had my eye on for a little while.” He especially likes it because it’s versatile, the sort of thing that will end up wherever they live and fit in with basically any décor.
“Ross and I entertain a lot, and so you can use this jug to create a St. Germain cocktail or you can use it to have lemonade, or it could be a water jug, obviously. We use it more for batch cocktails than anything else,” Santos says. And though he loves Tom Dixon’s designs, and owns a number of different pieces from his other collections, “This is actually the only piece I have from the Form collection.”
“I loved these for a while, and so it’s like, ‘Okay, for a splurge item, why not stick them on there?’” says Santos. Apparatus is another New York–based studio that has become well-known for its modern brass designs, like these candlesticks. “They’re still relatively pricey, but they’re so stunning, and you can put them together with other items,” he says, like bookends.
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