Updated daily, the Buy section is a deep directory of stuff we love. From this collection we organize Gift Guides for the holiday season and special occasions all year long.
Gravel & Gold is a San Francisco-based shop of kitschy wonders that’s serious about knowing (and supporting) the artists behind the wares they stock. Their in-house line G&G Goods is nothing to scoff at either. Bare it all with their hand-printed and -sewn canvas Boob Tote, which adds a little thrill to those routine activities, like the commute to work or venture to the grocery store. Details like an interior pocket and heavy red leather straps make the bag as high quality as it is provocative.
Joey Roth’s elegant speaker and subwoofer combo offers balanced, bass-heavy sound in gorgeously designed vessels. All built from porcelain and Baltic birch, the set looks as terrific as it sounds.
Home beer brewing receives a lot of love these days, but let us not forget the virtues of viticulture. This fun cartoon print by New York Times illustrator and graphic journalist Wendy MacNaughton reduces the age-old art of winemaking down to 22 easy-to-follow steps for any industrious enthusiast. For example, “Let it sit, for months… and months… and months… and months.” Easy!
Stand apart from even the artsiest of crowds with Cutler and Gross’ 1082 sunglasses, one of the latest 100% UV400-absorbent styles from the London-based opticians. Flattering cat-eyes channel Piet Mondrian, and put a new spin on how you “frame” your artwork. Crafted from Italian acetate and finished with a signature hand-polishing process, these high quality specs are as collectable as they are fashionable.
A scented candle made from super fresh ingredients can really lend a stimulating, invisible ambience to a room. The extraordinary Brussels-based Baobab candle collection, each hand-poured into a handmade glass vase, channels historic destinations through meticulously refined fragrances. Chinese Ink, for example, will transport you to the ancient Orient and the energy of calligraphy in motion with its decadent notes of antique wood and jasmine.
For those who crave the look of DIY but without the actual doing, Smallhome’s Apple-a-Day lamps serve as a whimsical way to illuminate any interior. Made in Brooklyn by Julia Small O’Kelly—who began selling her goods at the Brooklyn Flea in 2009 and recently opened a brick and mortar shop in Williamsburg—these lanterns are constructed from repurposed Martinelli apple juice jugs and emit light that it as soft as it is sustainable.
A definitive written account of the fabled experimental institution where Buckminster Fuller created his first dome and Merce Cunningham founded his dance company, as well as countless other artists who defined the 60’s avant-garde in America.
Receive some of our favorite foods from small-batch producers around the US in one easy go with a monthly subscription service to The Fare Trade. Created in Los Angeles by two friends with enduring enthusiasm for artisanal goods, this culinary club is a great way to discover new companies and thanks to specific recipes, new ways to cook with some foods you might already love.
Treat yo’self. The SHUT V3 Gold-Plated Skateboard—constructed from exactly 99.999% electro-plated gold—is designed to be fully functional. There’s a good chance that a boarder with a bit of expendable income to spare might actually take this gilded beauty for a ride. That said, for those who view designer Matthew Willet’s piece as more precious decoration than functional deck, the piece comes with archival cotton gloves.
Launched with the mission to produce beautiful, simple objects for everyday use, General Manufacturing Concern is a project by former Best Made Co. designer Hunter Craighill. This durable walnut jump rope is lovingly handmade and features a leather rope with a bevy of bright paracord wrapped handles, making it resistant to wear even outdoors.
Put the top down and journey across the US with Herb Lester Associates’ American Vacation maps, a collection of design-minded guides to Chicago, Austin, LA and San Francisco. Packed with an array of exceptional options, all neatly laid out, Lester’s unique approach to map-making is sure to excite the Clark Griswold in your life.
Handmade in NYC, the Embrace Cuff is a striking piece of polished arm candy by Brooklyn-based designer Rebecca Mapes, who manifests her love for antique and vintage jewelry into bold, modern designs. Like the wrist that bears it, the solid brass will also change over time by developing a rich patina through use. The sterling silver version sports ten champagne diamond bracelets on each “hand” for even more eye-catching bling.
California’s Heath Ceramics has teamed up with the typo-philes at House Industries to create a line of elegant wall clocks. The collaborative piece of decor—which comes in two styles and colors—uses House Industries’ typically strong visual language and aesthetic on ceramic clocks that have been glazed and fired by Heath.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s development of ultra-thin calibres goes back to 1907, when Jaeger challenged LeCoultre to create the flattest mechanism of all time—and the 145 Calibre, only 1.38 mm thick, was born. Today, their expertise for creating slender watches lives on, as demonstrated by the Master Ultra Thin 41, which packs 28,800 vibrations per hour into a 7.4 mm case. Combined with the watches minimalist aesthetic, this stunning timekeeper is a study in refined elegance.
These sweet animals, created by Spanish designer Yuly Monsanto for her label Bibu, can be used as a pillow, teddy bear or just decorative cushion. Made from 100% soft cotton with a colorful print on the back, they are light and bright and created with a Sanitized® Hygiene Application to prevent bacteria growth. Available in penguin, giraffe, frog, fox, elephant and bee print.
Greatly inspired by archaeology and rock art, the late South African artist Walter Battiss beautifully fused indigenous stone markings with abstract painterly concepts to become one of the country’s premier painters. Battiss was dubbed “the Bushman Painter” in the 1950s for making a home in southern Africa’s Namib Desert (an area almost completely uninhabited by humans), which provided a strong foundation for the 10 books he would write in his lifetime. Battiss’ art is now celebrated in a range of tableware by Mervyn Gers, a highly talented ceramicist who creates his own shapes, colors, glazes and decals. A percentage of profits from each sale are donated to the Walter Battiss Museum.