From a Linder Sterling dinner set to an Hermès ashtray, the editorial team presents a curated list of objects we'd be delighted to wake up to on the 25th
1. Christmas is a time for impossibly luxurious nightwear, and there is none more delightful-feeling than that of Three Graces, whose fine cotton camisoles, robes and loungewear are worthy of Holly Golightly-level stylish sleep. We love the brand’s Journey’s End silk satin pyjamas in soft ’canvas’ beige, which are best gifted on the 24th to ensure a chic awakening on Christmas morning.
2. In underwear: the cotton for Pico’s organic knickers is grown and harvested by a small team of cotton growers in the north of India, and sewn by a small fair trade factory in the south of India, before they are transported to the UK, making them fair-trade as well as impossibly soft. They come in three shapes – low rise, high waist, and trunk – and all in navy, which, let’s face it, is often the only colour necessary.
3. Comme des Garçons’ line in leather purses and pochettes has made it an excellent default for gift-giving; the classic leather wallet – in bright blue, lined with gleaming silver, or in a festive scarlet hue – is a versatile and practical solution for even the most opaque of recipients.
4. There are city guides, and then there is Astier de Villatte’s impossibly well informed list of Paris’ unknown gems, from the best dry cleaners to kitchen utensil suppliers. It’s better suited for the city’s inhabitants, perhaps, than for enthusiastic travellers looking for a spot in which to take an aperitif en route to climb the Eiffel Tower; this little gold-edged book aptly demonstrates how important a role the city of Paris plays in ceramic house Astier de Villatte’s time-honoured tableware.
5. To own one of radical feminist artist Linder Sterling’s pioneering works hasn’t always been the most attainable of goals – this is modern art we're talking about, after all – but House of Voltaire has made it far, far easier. See above's set of six china dinner plates, each of which is emblazoned with one of Sterling’s super sexy and slightly jarring collage works. To display on the wall like pieces of fine art, or to eat from, as you please; Sterling, we’re sure, would heartily endorse the latter.
6. Elsewhere in the Voltaire shop, there are prints and original drawings aplenty. Sol Calero’s vibrant, colourful work has been received to great acclaim at art fairs and in galleries around the world since she first made her name, and now the same can be said of living rooms; this joyful rendering of the contents of a fruit bowl is sure to be a wise investment indeed.
7. In photography, Baron Magazine’s partnership with Pedro Ramos to sell this limited edition print bears pleasingly sensual results – and the perfect talking point for when your parents come to dinner.
8. Or, if you’re looking for a more affordable artwork alternative, museum and gallery bookshops are endlessly fruitful places to find Christmas gifts – and this print from the Tate, of a luscious work by Renoir, a painting he made in 1901 entitled Peaches and Almonds, is no exception.
9. There’s office furniture and then there are examples of design so iconic and timeless that they simply can’t be improved upon – which is, without a doubt, where the Anglepoise falls. First invented in 1934 as an accidental by-product of another venture by George Carwardine, an expert in vehicle suspension, nowadays the desk lamp is an ideal gift for a craftsperson, a freelancer with an enviable office space, or simply for your own living room. The colour range only adds to its desirability.
10. Design aficionados will be similarly enamoured by this must-have book on Eames. Published by Assouline, it begs both to be read and to be displayed atop a coffee table, chronicling as it does one of the 20th century’s best loved creative couples.
11. Long is the tradition of fine artists who glory in the capacity for their finest works to be reimagined as pieces of jewellery – take Picasso’s prolifically gifted earrings, example, or the magnificent pieces Peggy Guggenheim wore. These excellent (and wearable) earrings made by Agnes Hay in collaboration with Alex Eagle make for eye-catching accessories when worn – but hang them over a dressing table and they’ll likewise provide an intriguing interior design touch.
12. Long gone are the days of clumsy clip-on earrings for those who love jewellery but don’t have pierced ears. Coops earrings are available in strikingly simple geometric shapes and squeeze on, providing a brilliantly easy solution.
13. A living room is not complete without a range of soft furnishings for cosy winter evenings; this pale pink velvet cushion from Habitat could have been taken straight from the set of a Wes Anderson film, and will look suitably plush on an otherwise unloved sofa.
14. Complete this vision of comfort with a scented candle courtesy of Fornasetti. Good luck, however, trying to settle on your preferred graphic – a task which, with so many variations of operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri beautiful features to choose from, is no mean feat.
15. Last of all, a wonderfully opulent Hermès ashtray. This, we would venture, needs no further explanation at all.
