By Diane Pham, Wed, December 16, 2015 Image: skyline illustration adapted from Linda Eliasen’s “There’s no place like home.” Prints available for purchase here.
Who better to ask for unique gift ideas than those with an eye for the amazing? This year, 6sqft asked 10 New York City designers, architects and artists to share five things that they’re gifting this holiday season—as well as what they’d love to get their hands on for themselves!
Ahead you’ll find 50 fantastic gift ideas for every budget and for every kind of person on your gift list, from the techie to the design buff to your pal with kids to the hip hop and “Star Wars” nerds in your life. Start checking off your holiday shopping list here!
Check out all the gifts here
By Michelle Cohen, Thu, December 3, 2015 December’s first days bring dozens of holiday gift markets whose aim is to find new homes for a wealth of shiny goodies and crafty gifts. We’re all familiar with the big NYC markets, but some of the best scores–and the most fun–can be found at smaller, cooler pop-ups and local markets throughout the city. Some are only around for a weekend, others for the whole month or longer. In addition to locally-made jewelry and crafts, vintage finds, artfully curated fashions, home items and other things we didn’t know we needed, these hip retail outposts offer up DJs, drinks, food, tarot readings, nail art, music, and family fun to keep shoppers’ spirits bright.
Find out where to get the goods, this way
By Dana Schulz, Fri, November 20, 2015 It’s always tough when your Thanksgiving host tells you not to worry about bringing anything for the meal. With stuffing and pumpkin pie out of the question, what can you bring as a token of gratitude? Forget standard run-of-the-mill host gifts like a jar of jam or Yankee candle–6sqft has rounded up some fun and affordable options that are unexpected yet surprisingly useful. From a clever wine tote made in Brooklyn to an adopted olive tree in Italy, here are our top ten hostess gift picks.
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By Dana Schulz, Fri, December 19, 2014 This pocket-sized device may be less than three square inches, but it certainly packs a lot of punch. Karma Go takes a cellular connection and turns it into your own personal WiFi signal to power up to eight devices, including laptops, tablets, and cell phones. Plus, the battery lasts for 220 hours of standby time and five hours of internet usage.
More details here
By Dana Schulz, Thu, December 18, 2014 The kids today posting their selfies and cat pictures to Instagram have no idea that they owe the square-shaped insta-photos to the good old Polaroid. So give them a little history lesson this holiday season with the Polaroid Socialmatic camera. It prints your photos on the spot like the original model, but also uploads them directly to social media outlets thanks to a WiFi connection that also lets users download apps and use the internet.
More details on the Polaroid Socialmatic camera
By Dana Schulz, Wed, December 17, 2014 If Jesus is your homeboy, you can share a bit of religious flair this holiday season without offending any Christian on your list. The Minimal Nativity Set is a contemporary take on the bible-based scene, employing beech wood or brass blocks inscribed with each scene member’s name (Donkey, Joseph, Baby Jesus, etc.) to stand in for the traditional figurines. Created by French artist and designer Émilie Voirin, the blocks still represent the story and take place around the crib, but the characters have no skin color or features, leaving it up to people’s imagination and personal beliefs.
More on the Minimal Nativity Set
By Dana Schulz, Tue, December 16, 2014 There’s nothing worse than grabbing your favorite necklace just to realize that its chain is in a knot that would take you all day to detangle. Or when you reach for your favorite earrings to find one has gone missing. Know an absent-minded jewelry lover like this? Get them the Arbor Jewelry Stand this holiday season. Not only is it functional, but we love the avian inspiration that designer Zoë Mowat infused into the piece.
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By Dana Schulz, Mon, December 15, 2014 Here’s a gift that both parents and children will get a kick out of. The Chalk Ware Metropolis chalk set contains eight custom-carved chalk pieces shaped like houses, skyscrapers, and everything in between. They don’t resemble the buildings of a particular city, so they’re perfect for your cousin in NYC or your aunt in Chattanooga. The fun pieces can be used as decorative objects on a mantle, and if mom or dad is feeling generous, the youngsters can take them and create their own works of art on the sidewalk or the chalkboard wall.
More on Chalk Ware
By Diane Pham, Fri, December 12, 2014 Do you have a friend who, year after year, promises that they’ll work harder and exercise more? Pedal Power‘s kick-ass Big Rig exer-desk might be exactly what they need to stick with those new year’s resolutions. This cool desk is totally “off-grid” and has the potential to generate up to 100 watts of electricity for one motivated user. And because it’s modeled off an actual high-performance bike, it features an ergonomic seat for comfort, quick adjustments for different riders, a flywheel to smooth pedaling, and a wide range of gearing—meaning your giftee could easily go from tubby to Tour de France cyclist before the new year’s close.
Find out more about the bike here
By Diane Pham, Thu, December 11, 2014 There are fewer things more annoying than waiting for a friend or family member as they frantically search for their keys. Help them in their hunt (and preserve your sanity) by gifting them a Tile this holiday. This simple but brilliant device takes the mystery out of finding one’s most important belongings and takes advantage of something we all have: a smartphone.
How it works
