32 Gifts for the Most Discerning Person in Your Life
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Shopping for themost discerning personin your life can be a challenge, but focusing on craft and material will help youfind a giftthat will impress them. Below, I’ve rounded up an array of options across categories, including handmade ceramics, museum-worthyjewels, andcozycashmere, all of which are made with quality in mind. For even more holiday gifts for just about everyone on your list, head to our hubhere.
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A new way to have your morning soft-boiled egg, by Swedish ceramicist Ann-Charlotte Ohlsson.
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From British designer Tom Dixon, here’s a portable lamp you can adjust, making it an excellent task lamp that happens to be wireless.
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A pair of handsome household scissors made of blackened copper and designed by Daisuke Tajika for Nalata Nalata.
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An intricate new coffee maker from Weber that “brews in reverse direction,” hence the name. It’s the “first non-bypass brewer to create piston-driven vacuum brews” in a glass vessel, allowing for controlled extraction using finer grounds than a pour-over.
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If you prefer a traditional pour-over, try a metal coffee dripper by Seoul-basedStudio Yun Yeodong.
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This quick-drying khadi towel is naturally dyed in light indigo and has narrow selvedge stripes in red.
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This speaker from Teenage Engineering is also an FM radio that can play 72 hours of radio or 40 hours of Bluetooth streaming on a single charge. It also “memorizes” everything you play so you can rewind the radio or remix. You can even use it as a studio monitor by plugging in instruments and other devices.
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Matouk’s sleep shirt is made of 500 thread count Egyptian cotton percale from Italy (just like the brand’ssheeting) and could also be used as a beach coverup.
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A jacquard take on a woven terry velour bathrobe that has the tactility of wide-wale corduroy.
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These extra-high-pile cotton-velvet throw pillowcases are made in Italy and come in five sumptuous colors.
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Austrian children’s jackets made from merino wool with a Nehru collar and stamped metal buttons in a Spanish atelier.
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These porcelain dishes by Layla Cluer are handcrafted in Hasami, Japan. They’re also available infire-engine red.
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This red-light mask from big-right-now skin-care brandMonasterypenetrates the skin a couple millimeters deeper thanother maskson the market thanks to its darker shade of red light, which has a slightly longer wavelength.
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Frati Home’s made-in-Italy wool throw is woven with a raised daisy design and border.
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A handknit merino wool hood for children that’s fastened by a pull-through kerchief scarf.
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For the grown-ups, &Daughter’sfoulardis woven with a heritage Fairisle pattern in Scottish cashmere.
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Toiro’s donabe rice cooker is produced in Iga, Japan, and comes with an inner lid that mimics the effect of pressure-cooking.
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A turtle-shaped pill box made of sterling silver from downtown jeweler Ted Muehling.
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The French fragrance house’s packaging and presentation are unparalleled, and this octagonal chest contains an azure-themed collection of hand cream, a porcelain scent-diffuser box, body lotion, and six vials of Sizaine Universelle, a perfume.
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The TV that doubles as an art frame.
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A small copper saucepan from Mauviel to kickstart their collection.
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Perceval Adret
Thesechef-approved steak knivesare made in France and have micro-serrations that require minimal blade maintenance. They’re used at places likePreludein San Francisco.
[Editor’s note: Couteau lists all prices in euros, so the price shown is an approximate conversion in U.S. dollars.]
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Chocolate leather slippers for men, made in Campania, Italy.
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Hartland, Vermont–based maker Andrew Pearce craftswooden salad bowlsby hand-turning them from a single piece of cherry or walnut.
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A hair-and-body oil from May Lindstrom that combines cacao, rose, lavender, and ylang-ylang in a formula with or without shimmer (imparted by golden mica).
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Satin pouches never looked this good — or glamorous enough for an evening at the opera. Handcrafted in Los Angeles, the Sophie Buhai design includes carnelian beads and a sterling-silver teardrop.
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A hand-built ceramic lamp by Brooklyn-based designer Christopher Merchant that combines a domed porcelain shade, ribbed stem, and three-way touch dimmer.
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All of Lindquist’s bags are crafted in-house in its East Providence workspace in Rhode Island, including this bucket style made with milled, vegetable-tanned leather.
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The only sunglasses you need to know about right now are by Jacques Marie Mage.New YorkMagazine creative director Jody Quon has a ’70s Steve McQueen–esque pair that she first told us about inSecret Strategistlast year;Kaitlin Philipsswears by themand so docelebrities. The small-batch eyewear is made in Japan and Italy.
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Aheated outdoor loungerfor extended al fresco entertainment even in the winter.
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Jewelry designer Lizzie Ames will craft a bespoke journal cover for your notebooks.
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The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
