Decorating & Design
The Ultimate House & Home Holiday Gift Guide 2017
Published on November 3, 2017
Our Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide is back and bigger than ever this year! Finding that perfect gift to place under the tree is no easy feat, so we’ve done all the work for you. Skip the busy shopping malls and fire up your laptop instead. We’ve got 86 great gift ideas, so you’ll be sure to find something for everyone on your list — and you may find a few things for your own wish list, too!
Crafted by hand in Prince Edward Island and sealed with an organic sunflower-beeswax finish, this solid walnut cake stand is destined to become a cherished family heirloom.
These luxe pillow covers are sewn in Canada using textured burnout velvet with an abstract pattern. They come with fabric on both sides, reinforced inner seams and a concealed zipper.
Shaped by hand on a pottery wheel in Vermont, this stoneware match striker — a collaboration between Studio McGee and Farmhouse Pottery — is the perfect companion for your festive candles.
The aptly named Canadian company Present Day Gifts takes the guesswork out of gift giving with their themed boxes, which are packed full of unique, locally-made goodies.
Give the gift of inspiration this holiday season with a stunning new coffee table book. Tara Bernerd’s Place is packed with striking photography, while Rockett St George’s Extraordinary Interiors is brimming with ideas to personalize your home.
This menorah is a bit of an investment, but being that it’s part of the National Museum of American Jewish History’s permanent collection, we think the splurge is well worth it. “The left and right diagonals create an 18-degree angle and in Judaism, 18 symbolizes chai or ‘life,’” says designer Brad Ascalon.
Cozy up by the fire with one of these high-quality fringe throws; the left is from Canada’s Au Lit Fine Linens while the right is from Ireland’s oldest weaving mill (which dates back to 1723!).
If there’s a diffuser on Gwyneth Paltrow’s Christmas list, it’s likely this handcrafted porcelain diffuser from Vancouver-based brand Virtuvi. Available in black and white, it was recently profiled on Goop’s online shop and has been selling out ever since. (Vitruvi’s essential oils make great stocking stuffers, too).
Dress up your holiday place settings with these conversation-starting linen napkins, which are designed, screen-printed and sewn in Canada. The blue design features silhouettes of iconic feminist women, while the black design depicts playful animal spots.
For the coffee lover, there’s no better gift than the perfect homemade brew. Cue the Nespresso Expert, which offers four cup sizes including Ristretto, Espresso, Lungo and a new Nespresso Americano. Pair this with the brand’s holiday Variations Confetto pods, and you’re set.
If you’re looking for dinnerware to accompany your new patterned napkins, this classic, neutral-toned collection from Royal Doulton is for you. Dreamt up by none other than Ellen DeGeneres, the set features an attractive mix of matte and glazed textures.
Selecting something for the map lover in your life? Look no further than Pangea maps, which are handmade using layers of plywood to represent water depth and come in a keepsake box. Pre-made maps include various North American bodies of water, but custom designs are available, too.
“We’re lucky to have a wood burning fireplace in our apartment, but were surprised that there weren’t many nice fire tool options on the market,” explain Mjölk owners John Baker and Juli Daoust Baker. “So we decided to reach out to Thom Fougere to design a set for our store.” Available through Shop H&H, this handsome set is comprised of natural materials that will get even more beautiful with use, including hardwood, leather and brass.
Tucked into a stocking or left for overnight visitors to test out in the guest bathroom, Marvis’s made-in-Italy toothpastes turn an everyday activity into something special with flavors such as liquorice and jasmine.
This fun kraft paper roller is made entirely by hand by New Zealand start-up George & Willy. “We want to make stuff you’d be stoked to find in your grandad’s shed,” explains one co-founder. “Hopefully people will feel that way when they find our stuff in a hundred years’ time.”
Wrapped in brightly patterned paper, these elegantly packaged soaps make a pretty hostess gift — but we won’t blame you if you decide to keep them for yourself! Triple-milled and made with 100% certified organic shea butter, they create a richer lather and last longer than regular bar soaps.
Bring your freshly-baked bread home from the local bakery in this 100% unbleached cotton tote made in Quebec. Not only does it win top points for appearance (no disposable plastic bags here!), but it will keep your loaf fresh, too.
Looking for an ultra-swanky and holiday-appropriate present? Avenue Road’s polished brass nutcracker, boasting elegant cane detailing, is a festive token that’s sure to impress.
These pop art-esque posters by Austrian graphic designer Albert Exergian, available at Elte Mkt, are as clever as they are colorful — and the perfect gift for the TV junkie in your life.
These dashing designs prove that beautiful candleholders come in all shapes, sizes and price points. Structube’s modern trio (left) are ideal for those looking to keep their Christmas spending in check, while Apparatus’s bold, aged-brass holders will attract those with a little (or a lot!) more coin to spend.
Your heart may already be aflutter after glancing at these sweet-hued stools, but it’s their backstory that steps things up. Started by “kidpreneur” Owen, The Nice Bench Co. puts $10 from each bench sold toward childhood cancer causes, such as purchasing gas gift cards for families traveling to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.
What’s more, each one-of-a-kind bench is built with sustainable wood from Novar, Ontario, painted with Canadian nontoxic milk paint and finished with a natural hemp oil. Cue the oohs and aahs!
Don’t forget about all the home cooks whipping up delicious baked treats around the holiday season! May we suggest you treat them with this 5-quart mixer in one of KitchenAid’s newest colors, Black Violet? (In hopes they share their treats, of course!)
The holiday season is all about sharing, so when we came across Barter’s terracotta ‘Sharing’ bowls we knew they’d be a perfect fit. Barter is a small two-person operation on British Columbia’s West Coast so you can bet the attention to detail is top notch.
Dillon’s, one of Ontario’s favorite distillers, is making it easy to wow holiday guests this season with their artisanal cocktail ingredients. We’ll be stocking our bar cabinets with their Ginger Bitters (containing fresh ginger and natural botanicals) and Cranberry Bitters (made using local fruit, anise and white pepper).
Each broom from Newfoundland’s Fogo Island Shop is made of a single piece of birch, and crafted entirely by hand by a local woodworker. Strikingly simple in design, they’re also super practical: the full-size broom is ideal for yard work, while the miniature version is handy for tidying up surfaces around the house.
When a candy dish is this pretty your guests won’t be able to resist reaching for a sweet treat — especially if those treats are from Montreal-based artisanal candy company Squish. For grown-up affairs, fill your dishes with the brand’s Negroni Gummies and Champagne Roses, or choose from more than 100 other flavors.
Show a friend or loved one how much they mean to you by giving them a fun, gem-shaped candle from Noble & Co. made of pure Canadian beeswax (and let the box do the talking!).
Crafted in small batches out of solid white oak and zero-VOC oil and dye, Coolican & Company’s Adelaide bench is built to last. Or to put it another way, as the Toronto-based company jokes, “It’s something the kids can fight over after you croak.”
We can’t wait to try all of the 125 “highly cookable” recipes in Alison Roman’s Dining In, but it’s the photography that’s really caught our attention. The book is beautifully shot by H&H faves and real-life couple Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriot.
Commemorate the festive season with holiday cards they’ll want to set out on the mantel. This year, our top picks come from go-to stationer Rifle Paper Co. and the always-inspiring MoMA Design Store.
Cast in solid brass with an Italian leather handle, this bottle opener — designed and crafted by Vancouver’s Brand & Iron — is what your cocktail-loving friend’s home bar has been waiting for.
Hip Toronto retailer Drake General Store has a range of charming and cheeky Christmas ornaments on offer this winter. Our top picks include a plush sea turtle and snowy owl — 10% of each sale benefits the World Wildlife Federation.
Forget dealing with ice cubes and drippy messes. This solid soapstone wine cooler from Toronto’s Mjölk is both sculptural and simple to use. Just place it in the fridge or freezer until it’s thoroughly chilled, then remove it and pop in your bottle — the cooler will stay cold throughout the evening.
While solid soapstone isn’t always in the budget, there’s always room for beautifully made soap. These colorful bars from 7 Deadly Soaps are made by hand in Montreal, eco-friendly and almost entirely organic and vegan.
The holidays mean tons of home cooking — and lots of leftovers. Rather than reaching for plastic to keep your cooking sealed, consider switching to reusable wraps (or gifting some to your host!). Abeego’s are made of hemp and organic cotton cloth coated in beeswax, resin and jojoba oil.
A luxurious alternative to basic cotton, these 100% linen towels prove that it’s often the smallest details that take a space from standard to sophisticated. Crafted in Europe from stone-washed Belgian flax, each towel is incredibly soft and absorbent, featuring crisp stripes on a solid background.
Easy to work with and smooth to the touch, a single-piece pin makes rolling out dough a breeze. This handcrafted piece from Herriott Grace is sure to become any baker’s go-to tool.
Cozy up your stemware (and keep tabs on your own glass) with Graf Lantz’s 100% merino wool Wine-O’s made in L.A. Or, as the company puts it, “Never confuse your glass of Grüner Veltliner with your buddy’s Sancerre again.”
If surprise guests pop by for a visit while you’re in the middle of baking mayhem, there’s no need to take off this stylish apron from Fog Linen. The home cook in your life will also appreciate its lightweight, well-made design.
With their simple design and warm gold tone, these salad servers equally suit traditional, contemporary and eclectic table settings. Crafted from mango wood and gold-finished stainless steel, they’re a natural complement to today’s on-trend copper and gold flatware.
Hot off the presses comes Cherry Bombe: The Cookbook, which is filled with more than 100 recipes from inspiring women in food. Discover Chrissy Teigen’s famous Crab Rolls recipe or learn how to make one of Milk Bar’s Christina Tossi’s sweet treats.
Take a drive to historic Dundas, Ontario, and you’ll likely want to pop into Detour Coffee Roasters. “Freshly roasted, thoughtfully sourced” coffees are their speciality, but we think the packaging wins top prize, too. Pick up one of their latest roasts, or spring for a coffee subscription. (And don’t worry if you’re not in that neck of the woods; Detour beans are sold online, as well.)
These adorable red silicone molds from Ikea are perfect for baking up some traditional Scandinavian gingerbread this season (or any cookie or cake, for that matter). Bonus: they’re microwave-, freezer- and dishwasher-safe!
These sleek new wireless headphones from Kreafunk are as funky as the company name. Listen to music for up to 14 hours straight between charges, take phone calls with bluetooth and the built-in mic, and choose between six trendy colors.
Bring some Moroccan flavor to your bathroom in time for guests with Nickey Kehoe’s Sadek bath mat. Blue and white stripes and pom-pom trim are playful details, but it’s the 100% cotton, quick-drying composition you’ll be thankful for.
A fun gift for kids and family members, this affordable Bluetooth karaoke mic from HomeSense will encourage them to belt out their favorite fa la las in style.
With its matte black finish, subtle hammered texture and hand-painted gold rim, this prestige porcelain serving bowl is a high-glamor addition to the dining table — or, jazz up your kitchen counter by using it as a fruit bowl!
Combine these 24ct gold-plated scissors — which are made in the U.K. and come with a special notch for removing rose thorns — with a unique vase and flowers for a complete hostess gift. Unlike traditional vases, this waterproof paper vessel (available in a number of Mediterranean-inspired patterns) collapses for easy storage.
Sonos’s highly-anticipated new speaker, simply called “One,” boasts a sleek design that allows it to blend perfectly into bookcases and mantel vignettes. Once it’s turned on, however, the superior room-filling sound makes it hard to miss. (Coming soon to Canada: A voice-activation feature that will allow for easy, hands-free control.)
A hand-stamped, vegetable-tanned leather bottom and richly veined marble top make these trivets from Brooklyn’s Fort Standard stand out from the pack. Choose from trivets in unexpected octagonal, hexagonal and triangular shapes.
Slightly grooved, matte black ABS handles with dotted accents and stainless steel caps give this flatware a funky vibe. The 20-piece stainless steel set also includes a natural wood drawer insert.
If the name “Marmalade Discovery Box” doesn’t already pique your interest, maybe the Whiskey-Orange, Bergamot and Lemon-Cranberry flavors inside will. Crafted by Ottawa’s own Top Shelf Preserves, these small-batch preserves make a thoughtful hostess gift or holiday brunch accompaniment.
Smeg’s mid-century-style kettles are perfect for the tea and coffee-lovers on your list, and come in a wide range of refreshing colors. We can already see ourselves pouring a hot cuppa (or toddy) using the cool chrome version.
Ready, set, game on! This lacquered backgammon set by prolific designer Jonathan Adler is attractive enough to take center stage on your coffee table, whether you’re playing along or not.
Lend a bit of luxury to your powder room with a bottle of Hermès soap. Eau d’Orange Verte packs a citrus punch, with fragrance notes of orange, lemon, blackcurrant bud and patchouli, while Eau de Mandarine Ambrée is scented with mandarin, passion fruit and amber.
It wouldn’t be Christmas if Fixer Upper‘s Joanna Gaines didn’t come out with a picture-perfect line of holiday decor. We’re currently crushing on her Magnolia Market pillows, which have a charming vintage vibe.
This magazine rack from Umbra Shift is perfect for storing, and showcasing, your latest issues or vinyl records. Made of curved steel and available in two neutral colors, the Hoop would make a seamless addition to a contemporary living space.
A pretty seagrass basket is great for carting a couple kids’ toys to a family gathering and makes a lovely — and practical — gift in itself. We love Winnipeg-based brand EQ3’s handwoven vessels, which come in at a super affordable price point.
Each year, venerable Danish company Georg Jensen releases new Christmas ornaments, and this year’s designs are seriously stunning. “I decided to focus on the angel, adding some decorative holes symbolizing snowflakes or starry skies,” says designer Alfredo Häberli. “They have a twist, which will hopefully make you smile.”
Pick up an ethically made, fair trade kantha quilt for the worldly friend on your list who likes to give back. Hand-stitched in Bangladesh by women who were previously in at-risk situations, these premium sari cloth quilts make wonderful gifts.
The cozy Tweed Cabin Blanket from Roots is a no-fail gift for the woodsman (or woodswoman) in your life during the chilly winter months. Each one is made in Canada, and features Roots’ classic grey, white and red palette.
Each of these one-of-a-kind utensils from Smiths Falls, Ontario–based woodworker Bram D’Hoest, is made from a single piece of solid maple or cherry. A mineral oil finish means they boast rich color, and are food-safe and ready-to-use.
Bring the invigorating scent of the great outdoors into your rooms this holiday season with a delightfully scented pine and eucalyptus spray from celebrated U.K. perfumer Jo Malone.
“Silly, playful, colorful and delightful!” That’s how the husband and wife duo behind Montreal’s popular line of handmade kids’ toys Des Enfantillages describe their products. This adorable wooden balancing game is made by hand, finished with beeswax and recommended for ages 0-6.
Hand-sculpted from stainless steel and elevated with burnished black handles, this set of three artisanal cheese knives are ones your host will definitely want to show off at their next cocktail party.
Brooklyn pet rescue organization Found My Animal helps place rescue dogs into loving homes, but they also make attractive leashes, collars and harnesses. The entire collection is made in the U.S. using marine-grade rope and durable brass carabiners.
Farmed in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, this organic dark amber maple syrup is a quintessentially Canadian gift. The fact that it comes from a small family-run farm makes it that much more special.
This refined shagreen and brass tray from Aerin is available in an array of soft colors, and is ideal for corralling holiday cocktails, objets or a collection of perfume.
Topped with a bow, Kate Spade New York’s black and gold Ellery mirror would make a striking, not to mention opulent, Christmas gift. We think it would look particularly stunning in an entryway.
Faribault Woollen Mill’s handsome merino wool and leather log carrier is a practical gift to use on snowy cottage weekends — and it will look great fireside.
Take a daily ritual to the next level with a mid-century modern French press or pour-over coffee maker from Yield Design Co. Made of heat-proof borosilicate glass in three trendy hues, brewing coffee has never looked so good.
For a functional and long-lasting stocking stuffer, look to Toronto’s Apogee Goods for handmade leather key lanyards, coin cases and more. Brittany Junek, the maker behind the brand, uses only the best leathers and anti-corrosive brass hardware, so this gift will continue look look good for years to come.
Reminiscent of a luxurious coffee table book, this photo album features ultra-thick pages and a binding that allows the book to lay completely flat — perfect for panoramic shots! A hand-stamped cover with foil lettering makes it a true family keepsake.
These neon crayons feature a typographic design drawn by famed Danish architect Arne Jacobsen back in 1937. With the recent popularity of adult coloring books, we think they’d be a great stocking stuffer for all ages.
Denmark’s Ferm Living offers up graphic patterned dish cloths for a practical, but pretty hostess gift. This set of seven includes a reusable dish cloth for every day of the week.
This glossy gold-plated strainer and slim jigger from Toronto’s trendy BYOB Cocktail Emporium are waiting to be gifted to the amateur mixologist in your life.
For a substantial look, go for something crafted from a single piece of wood, like these striking maple boards from Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading Co.
Tuck this Canadian-made conditioning oil into a stocking or gift it alongside a cutting board. Scented with rosemary and lemon and made in small batches, this cutting board oil helps prevent wood boards from cracking or warping.
Pour the perfect draft-style pint in your own home using a copper beer foamer and glass set from Copenhagen.
Enchant the little ones on your list this year with a cheerful puzzle made from sustainable hardwood and colorful, non-toxic dyes.
Who says tech has to be sleek and modern? Vifa’s compact Helsinki speaker is accented with tactile wool and buttery leather for a rich, retro look.
‘Tis the season for opening holiday greeting cards, so what better gift than a gorgeous letter opener? Designed by Elsa Peretti, this sterling silver opener makes opening mail (yes, even bills) a delight.
Artfully decorated sweets — such as Brandon Olsen’s show-stopping chocolates — make the perfect holiday party gift and are almost too pretty to taste.
This plush, animal-friendly rug from New York’s One Kings Lane would look very cozy draped over the back of a chair or laid out next to a bed.
Chicago retailer Jayson Home’s stackable, Japanese porcelain ceramics are striking in their simplicity, reasonably priced and eminently hard-wearing.
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