Looking for an original gift idea for the interior decorator on your Christmas shopping list? Whether youre buying for someone whos just moved into new digs, or someone hoping to spruce up their existing living space, a beautifully designed household accessory is always a much-appreciated gift. WE Vancouver arts & style style reporter Kelsey Klassen and local lifestyles writer Taraneh Ghajar Jerven have scoured the city and compiled a list of this years must-have items for the house (or condo!).
Patch is a self-watering planter that enables you to grow herbs and lettuces year-round. Locally made in Richmond with post-consumer and recyclable materials, it comes in three slick designs: classic white, the line drawings of the Icon Jumble or the subdued grey ombre. The planters can be purchased flat-packed ($39.95 each, with a special holiday promotion of three planters for $99.95) or, for their Vancouver customers, fully assembled with soil and herbs ($59.95 each). Order online at Patch, and with each purchase, a planter is donated to Growing Chefs to use in classrooms around the Lower Mainland as part of a volunteer initiative to educate kids about planting, harvesting, and cooking their own food. Assembled planters are 12 x 6 x 6 and fit neatly on a windowsill. Kelsey Klassen
Designed by British papercut artist Rob Ryan, this gift boxed Four Seasons plate set is a design lovers must have. The look is modern, but with a whimsical, romantic twist. $46; Available at The Bay downtown (674 Granville). Kelsey Klassen
The Recipe Rock ($12.49): Did you know 70 per cent of cooks are abandoning their traditional recipe books for printed internet or magazine materials? The Recipe Rock is a stylish rock and magnet that holds up to eight pages of any printed recipe angled upright, and doesnt eat up precious counter space. Across Canada at Sears, Home Outfitters, London Drugs, and gourmet shops. Online retailers include Caynes Superhousewares, Cookworks, Goldas Kitchen, London Drugs. Kelsey Klassen
Crack a door in any East Van condo and youre sure to find a terrarium. But none so elegant as the hand-crafted hanging tear by Score + Solder. Founder Matthew Cleland scores each pane of glass and solders it into geometric designs, building his company name as well as artful homes for ecosystems, in his workshop on Pender Island. He leaves the plant selection to you. Suspended Teardrop Terrarium, $170. (Old Faithful, 320 W. Cordova, 778-327-9376). Taraneh Ghajar Jerven
Recreate the cozy scents of winter with Sydney Hale Co.s hand-poured candles. Made with soy wax, the most festive editions include Fir + Sage the aroma of Christmas and Woodsmoke + Amber, which smells like walking into a wintery cabin with the fireplace going. Sydney Hale Co. candles just keep on giving: 10 per cent of the profits goes to animal rescue. When the candle is done, re-use the apothecary jar for a flower vase or drinking glass. Sydney Hale Co. Candles, $29.95. (Much & Little, 2541 Main Street, 604-709-9034). Taraneh Ghajar Jerven
