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Staff Holiday Gift Picks Part II
As a follow-up to last week’s much loved staff Holiday gift picks, we asked Sarah A. (pictured bottom right), Andrew (top left), Kristin (top right) and myself (David) to chime in on the subject.
SARAH ANDERSON
Sarah A. is our Web Manager and new to New York City from San Francisco. She’s attracted to objects that function as well as they look good. And lifestyle-wise she belongs here in NYC, but hasn’t quite shaken that chilled out west-coaster vibe.
1. Cosmic Necklace from Boyscouts
“I take most advice from the cosmos and that includes style advice. I love this simple, geometric necklace from Boyscouts. The unique double chain design allows the pendants to be interpreted in various ways, just like your horoscope.”
2. Olympus Mons Incense Burner
“I love this vessel for burning incense from one of my favorite Brooklyn based design duos - Chen Chen & Kai Williams. It leaves no mess and looks good even when it’s not in use.”
3. Backpack by Joshu+Vela
“This top load backpack somehow manages to satisfy my tomboy instincts, utilitarian needs and city girl style. Finally! A bag that can hold my bike lock, work laptop and change of clothes for tonight’s gallery opening.”
ANDREW SAVARIN
Andrew is one of our best sales associates and visual merchandisers. His discerning eye was trained studying sculpture and fine art back in college. He enjoys the finer subtleties of objects and seeks out pieces that seem rather important for that dude on your list.
1. UniformWares Wristwatch
“The Uniformwares 100 series watch in black is the perfect combination of minimalist design and classic watch construction. Handmade in England from milled steel, italian leather, and japanese movement; you can’t go wrong! “
2. Handsome Dan Leather Football
“What Johnnie Walker Blue label is to whiskey, these handcrafted footballs from Leather head are to the sporting goods industry.”
3. Fort Standard Bottle Opener
“Speaking of drinking… why not crack open a bottle of your favorite ale in style with the new brass bottle openers from Fort Standard.”
KRISTIN ROSBORO
Kristin is sharp, smart and witty. She’s that friend who says that thing at the table and you totally have to pause before you burst out laughing. Perhaps a little on the shy side, but don’t let that fool you, she is never without a strong opinion.
1. Coyuchi Throw
“These Rippled Stripe Throws are so cool. They have the coziest inner fleece lining and still maintain an awesomely rustic appeal.”
2. Retainer Pendant Necklace
“I really love the retainer necklace in gold. I used to have a retainer… it made me sound like I had a speech impediment. It was amazing.”
3. Scrapwood Wallpaper
“Piet Hein Eek’s Scrapwood wallpaper is perfect…it’d be such a cool accent piece to any room, and its not at all fussy (as wallpapers sometimes tend to get).”
ME (DAVID ALHADEFF)
I’m the owner of The Future Perfect and picking my favorite things for the holidays is like picking my favorite child. Almost impossible. That said, I’ve chosen a few of what I think make great classic gifts for anyone and everyone.
1. Breadboard by Edward Wohl
“These solid bird’s-eye maple cutting boards are hand crafted, precision shaped, beveled and then hand-sanded and finished to a soft silkiness that gives each board the feeling and look of a piece of art. That said, they are designed to provide many years of service and satisfaction and with minimal care will preserve their appearance.”
2. Giant Souvenir Snow globe
“Who doesn’t need a gigantic oversized completely empty Margiela Snowglobe?”
3. Rainbow Goblins Book
“I was given Rainbow Goblins when I was 8 years old by my hippie school bus driver. It was my absolute favorite book and the only memento from my childhood I still have with me. The story of Goblins who try to steal the color of the rainbow is beautifully told and the artwork is exceptional.”
EXTENDED HOLIDAY HOURS
For the last couple weeks till xmas, we’re staying open late so you can get your last minute shopping done.
Brooklyn
Sun-Wed 11am-7pm
Thurs-Sat 11am -9pm
Manhattan
Mon-Wed 10am-7pm
Thurs-Fri 10am-8pm
Sat 12pm-8pm
Sun 12pm-7pm
Staff Holiday Gift Picks
This Holiday season we asked our staff to pick their favorite gifts to inspire you and yours to shop this holiday season. We asked Amanda, Peter, Sarah B (there’s a Sarah A as well) and Royelyn to weigh in and here’s what they picked!
Amanda and Peter are pictured to the left. Royelyn is pictured with Sarah B on the right.
AMANDA McCREARY
Amanda’s our General Manager and 8 months pregnant. She’s obviously wrapped up in baby and home and her gift picks share her thoughts on what she’s thinking about for her little one to be!
1. Woodmobiel Kits
“I like these Woodmobiel Starter Kits because Matt (her baby Daddy) and I will have just as much fun building stuff as our kid. You can make a plane, a wheel barrel, a scooter, and the list goes on.”
2. iWood Laptop
“I loved to draw when I was young and I hope my future kid does too. The iWood Laptop comes complete with the chalk, so this makes a perfect gift.”
3. Terrarium Kits
“I would choose this gift for myself. I love tons of plants and greenery in my house. The Score + Solder Terrariums come with a sack of supplies like stones and crystals. The Terrarium Craft books completes this for a nice gift, for someone that might not have such a green thumb.”
PETER STAPLES
Peter is our Contract Sales Director and is one of the more stylish guys on staff. He veers toward the finely crafted and studio-made and his picks are sure to be perfect for those who have everything.
1. Alma Allen 3-Footed Bronze Bowl
“I love Alma Allen’s work, and the 3-Footed Bronze Bowl is a great accessory to add to anyone’s collection. It has a great presence to it. It grabs your eye, it draws you in; there are slight imperfections in every bowl as each is hand crafted. It feels real and substantial. This is the kind of gift that people will have for the rest of their lives, and one they always remember getting.”
2. MQuan Quartz
“I have always been drawn to MQuans work especially the new Quartz series. They are just amazing objects, period. It is the kind of gift that you give to someone who loves their space, and loves making it special, they will have a dozen perfect places to put it.”
3. Leather Coasters (set of 6)
“These Coasters from Commune make me wish I had a coffeetable. They are so great and easy. A great addition to another gift, a great addition to anyone’s apartment. These are going to age and wear beautifully and become amazing little objects.”
SARAH BOATRIGHT
Sarah B is in the know of the Brooklyn design scene. She surrounds herself within this community of emerging designers and always knows the best of what’s new.
1. Woolfiller
“I love useful and creative gifts, like Woolfiller. Woolfiller is a really cool invention that gives you a kit to patch up any holes in your favorite sweaters. So instead of throwing them away they can live on for years to come!”
2. Echo Park Ceramic Mugs
“I love these Mugs by Peter Shire of Echo Park Pottery. Each one is one-of-a-kind, they’re all like their own little artworks.”
3. Holiday Blanket #1 by Richard Saja
“Beautiful abstract design + warm, well-crafted woven (not screen-printed) textile = my favorite new throw - The Holiday Blanket 1 by Richard Saja.”
ROYELN DE LA CRUZ
Royelyn always brings a fresh perspective with a great sense of humor and color. He’s a mercurial sort, with a particular penchant for the conceptual pieces that tell a larger story.
1. Donna Wilson Giant Creature
“Donna Wilson’s Giant Creature are great. I’ve been a long-time fan of all her creatures and when we got in these lifesize giants I flipped.”
2. Whiskey Decanter by Laurence Brabant
“I love Laurence Brabant’s Whiskey Decanter. I’m a total francophile and these hand blown glass decanters come from a small town outside Paris.”
3. Frankentoile Cushions
“Richard Saja’s Frankentoile Cushions is Toile for those who don’t mind if the sofa and drapery don’t match.”
Check out the other really fun and unique gift offerings we have here and take a peak at the press’ favorite picks below, too.
- New York Times’ Gift Guide for $250 & Over
- Washington Posts Gift Guide for the Home under $50
- Treehugger’s Green Gift Guide for the Design Junkie
- Awkward City’s Gift Guide for Awkward Girls
Designers: Chen Chen & Kai Williams
TFP: How did you start working in the materials used in the window installation, as well as in your pieces?
Chen Chen: Our studio is set up to do a little bit of everything. We have a welding setup, we have stone working tools, a small wood shop area. It allows us to combine materials in different ways and experiment with creating our own composite materials which is our signature. We have both always been very material centric in the way that we look at things, wanting to find the form that the material wants to become on its own. On one hand it makes the design more honest and on the other hand it makes production easy because you’re not forcing something to be in a state it doesn’t want to be.
TFP: Is there a narrative to the window installation? How does the breakage/deconstruction of the imagery add to that?
Chen Chen: I feel like we have a “evil genie” mentality to commissions. We want do fulfill the request in full but also do the exact opposite. With the window we used very archetypal holiday imagery but then made it completely devoid of “holiday cheer”.
TFP: There seems to be a collage trend in art, across the board currently and has become increasingly recognizable in computer generated 2-D art and in sculpture. There seems to be this need or want to capture many ideas at once, perhaps in response to how we take in images and ideas. Do you feel your work is a response to this or more of an organic result of the materials used?
Chen Chen: I feel like there is definitely a connection to the collage quality of computer generated art but that is either more of a coincidence or an subconscious influence. Our creation of these composite materials is more rooted in our desire to create something where the production process is extremely simple yet completely opaque to the uninitiated. We wanted it to be like magic.
Chen Chen & Kai Wialliams’ window installation will be on display through the Holiday Season at The Future Perfect’s Great Jones location. Their work is available online and at both locations.
Donna Wilson Pouffes on sale, 15-20% off! Come see what we have left at our Brooklyn store. Pssst we’ll honor the discount in our Manhattan store too.
CONFETTISYSTEM is happy to announce the launch of PARTYPARTY! Our new collection of hanging paper decorations inspired by our classic pinatas. Now available online and at The Future Perfect. Diamond Hanging Paper Decoration.
