From clever plant care and Italian glassware to good-looking tech, kitchen finds and pieces to make yourself, which will make ideal and interesting Christmas gifts.
The best homes are rarely the ones where everything matches. They are built over time, with useful things, beautiful things and the occasional find that simply makes you smile.
This edit brings together 12 pieces that deserve a closer look. There is technology for keeping houseplants alive, a wireless charger designed for the sofa, playful Italian glassware, very good olive oil, craft worth clearing an afternoon for and, yes, a corkscrew shaped like a salmon.
1. Plant Parent, £74.99 from
PlantWithWillow.co.ukAnyone who has stood over a drooping houseplant wondering whether it needs more water, less water or an entirely different owner will understand the appeal of this.
Plant Parent uses three sensors and a WiFi hub to monitor soil moisture, light, temperature and humidity, providing plant-specific information to help you understand what is actually happening in the pot.
Three plants can be monitored at once, making it particularly useful for anyone whose collection has grown beyond the odd succulent on a windowsill. It takes away some of the guesswork without taking away the pleasure of looking after plants yourself.
2. Krafted Couch, £39.99 from
KraftedTech.comThere are plenty of chargers designed for desks and bedside tables. Far fewer acknowledge that the sofa is where many of us actually spend the evening with our phones. Krafted Couch is a fast wireless charger with a flexible silicone pad that sits neatly over the arm of a sofa, keeping the phone within reach while it charges. No stretching towards a plug socket or leaving it on the other side of the room.
It is MagSafe compatible, Qi2 certified and supplied with a two-metre charging cable. There are three colours, Deep Blue, Matcha and Latte, allowing it either to sit quietly against the upholstery or provide a deliberate contrast.
3. Boho Butterflies Crystal Art® Hanging Decoration Kit, £17.99 from
CraftBuddyShop.comThe nicest craft projects are often those that earn a permanent place in the home when they are finished.
This Crystal Art® kit creates a hanging butterfly decoration embellished with crystals and finished with hanging feathers. Everything required to complete it comes in the box, making it easy to settle down and start rather than discovering halfway through that another trip to the craft shop is required.
Once complete, hang it somewhere the light can reach it: beside a window, in a bedroom or in a conservatory.
4. Ichendorf Milano Glassware, Various from £15.99 from
SousChef.co.ukIchendorf Milano Blue Goose Tumbler, 350mlIchendorf Milano Glass Set of 6 Animal Tumblers | Buy online UK – Sous Chef UKDrinking Glasses | 80+ Handpicked Designs | Sous ChefIchendorf Milano Amber Turtle Coupe Glass, 250ml | Buy online UK – Sous Chef UKIchendorf Milano White Tail Cat Tumbler, 350mlIchendorf Milano Glass Lemon Tumbler, 300ml
If your glass cupboard is dominated by matching sets, Ichendorf Milano provides a persuasive argument for breaking ranks.
The Milanese brand is known for glassware that combines traditional craftsmanship with a wonderfully playful approach to design. Across the collection, delicate fruits, flowers, animals and other tiny forms appear within otherwise simple glasses.
There are tumblers, mugs, jugs and other pieces to discover, and there is no particular need for them to match. In fact, collecting different designs is rather the point.
They bring interest to an everyday glass of water and look particularly good grouped together on open shelving or across a summer table.
5. Wild Salmon in a Tin Corkscrew, £13.99 from
SousChef.co.ukWild Salmon in a Tin Corkscrew
A corkscrew is hardly the most exciting object in the kitchen drawer. A corkscrew disguised as a wild salmon and presented in its own tin is another matter.
There is something pleasingly eccentric about this one. It performs an entirely ordinary job while looking nothing like the utensil you expected to pull out when opening a bottle of wine. Leave it somewhere visible rather than consigning it to the back of the drawer. Practical kitchenware is allowed to have a sense of humour.
6. Olio Guglielmi Tales Terra Pregiata Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Gift Box, 500ml, £29.99 from
SousChef.co.ukOlio Guglielmi Tales Terra Pregiata Extra Virgin Olive Oil in Gift Box, 500ml
There is everyday olive oil, and then there is the something special, a bottle kept within reach for finishing a plate just before it reaches the table.
Olio Guglielmi's Terra Pregiata belongs firmly in the latter camp. Produced in Puglia from native Coratina olives, it has an intense fruity character, with notes of almond, artichoke and tomato followed by the bitterness and peppery finish associated with the variety.
The Guglielmi family has been producing extra virgin olive oil for more than 60 years, and this is one to taste rather than simply cook with. Try it over grilled vegetables, meat, aged cheese, soup or pizza, or pour it into a shallow dish and give it nothing more complicated than very good bread.
7. Cherry Blossom Hoop Kit, £25 from
Paraffle.comInspired by Edinburgh in spring, Paraffle's Cherry Blossom Hoop Kit captures one of the loveliest moments in the city's calendar.
The floral embroidery brings colour without becoming overly twee, while the included pattern and guidance make the project approachable for those still finding their way around a needle and thread. Finished in its hoop and displayed on a wall, shelf or gallery arrangement, it has the charm that comes from knowing somebody actually sat down and made it.
8. Botanical Rum Infusion Kit, £19.99 from
SousChef.co.ukBotanical Rum Infusion Kit
A well-stocked drinks cupboard is all the more interesting when there is something in it you have made yourself.
This Botanical Rum Infusion Kit provides a selection of spices and botanicals for experimenting with different combinations at home. Add them to rum, adjust the ingredients and infusion time to taste, and eventually arrive at a house blend of your own.
It adds a little ceremony to the drinks trolley and provides an excuse to experiment beyond the usual bottle and mixer.
9. Cookut Miam Easy Pancake Shaker, £22.99 from
SousChef.co.ukCookut Miam Easy Pancake Shaker
Pancakes are simple. The collection of bowls, whisks, jugs and spoons they somehow leave behind is less appealing.
Cookut's Miam Easy Pancake Shaker pares the process back. Ingredients go directly into the shaker, are mixed inside and the batter is then poured straight into the pan.It means fewer utensils, less washing up and, perhaps most importantly on a slow weekend morning, less fuss between deciding you want pancakes and actually eating them.
10. Crystallise Me Crystal Art® Canvas Kit, £29.99 from
CraftBuddyShop.comWe take more photographs than ever, yet remarkably few make it beyond the camera roll. Crystallise Me offers a rather different way to bring a favourite into the home, turning your own photograph into a personalised Crystal Art® canvas to complete by hand.
Choose a picture of the children, a wedding, holiday, favourite place or much-loved pet, then select from Vintage, Black & White or Pop Art. After uploading the image online, a personalised pattern is created to follow using the crystals supplied in the kit.
The mounted canvas, crystals and tools are all included. The result is personal without relying on the usual photo frame, and you have the pleasure of making it yourself.
11. Bee Embroidery Kit, £25 from
Paraffle.comThere is a particular pleasure in doing something slowly when almost everything else in the day encourages us to hurry.
Paraffle's Bee Embroidery Kit is intended for beginners and includes what is needed to work through the design stitch by stitch. There is no requirement to arrive with years of needlework experience, just the willingness to give it a go.
Once finished, the bee can remain in its hoop and be hung straight on the wall. A few quiet hours well spent, with something tangible at the end of them.
12. Serax Carte Blanche White & Black Ceramic Espresso Cup & Saucer, 90ml, £28 from
SousChef.co.ukSerax Carte Blanche White & Black Ceramic Espresso Cup & Saucer, 90ml
The morning espresso may only last a few minutes, but that is no reason to drink it from an uninspiring cup.
This 90ml ceramic cup and saucer from Belgian design house Serax uses a restrained white and black palette with graphic detailing that gives it far more presence than its diminutive size might suggest. It is distinctive enough to leave on display beside the coffee machine, while remaining perfectly suited to everyday use. A small upgrade to a daily ritual.
.jpg)
