The Fifty: Winter 25 — A Design Editor's Edit of the Hottest Holiday Gifts for Any Interior Design Lover on Your List
Our editor-picked list of interior design surprises — from steals to splurges — is guaranteed to indulge those with impeccable taste
We’re never ones to complain about shopping at Livingetc, and the holidays give us an extra excuse to scour the best brands and boutiques for design-driven gifts. There’s no shortage of tasteful products on the market, but this season we’re also leaning into that sweet spot between taste and theater: beautiful objects that make our eyes light up and make us say wow.
What’s new this year? There’s been a flurry of nostalgic items with a touch of kitsch (especially trompe l'oeil effects, like a jelly-shaped lighter) as well as common objects (from cocktail jiggers to candlesticks) with a stylish twist, making them all the more giftable. Our gift guide includes everyday essentials products (like game-changing glassware that’s virtually unbreakable) as well as playful purchases (like a Bloody Mary cocktail glass with a celery-shaped swizzle stick) guaranteed to lift spirits.
From design-led decor to future-forward tech, we’ve curated a batch of stylish gifts for every design enthusiast on your list.
It’s a statement. It’s a splurge. But these eye-catching and Parisian-made speakers are now available stateside for the first time, only through the gift-savvy MoMA Design Store — they’re loud in all the right ways.
Dare we put more leopard print on this list? We dare. These linen cocktail napkins, with those playful squiggly edges, look rad in Schumacher’s iconic 70s pattern, now totally refreshed in green.
Hotel gift shops are underrated spots for holiday shopping. From a boutique in Houston, this cone-shaped cachimba wood box — crowned by an angelite gemstone with calming properties — is both chic and chakrah-forward.
The Swedish rug maker never misses a step. Its all-new home decor line includes a jacquard leopard-print pillow, a lovely gift for a range of personal styles (designers often say the print is basically a neutral).
If someone in your life could use a little edge, try a hint of chrome. This sculptural object brings the cool metals trend home — in just the right dose (and an even better price).
Jelly Honey Mirror, Ready To Hang
From a trendy new brand, this joyful mirror was named after the treat it looks like: jelly molds. When light hits the honey-toned rim, it glows (and whoever unwraps it will be glowing, too).
This clever collab, four years in the making, brings Farrow & Ball’s cult-favorite colors to modernized antique designs. Mail or upload pretty much anything, and they’ll frame it.
Old dogs, long dogs, little dogs — every pooch deserves TLC (hence the rise of pet-driven interior design). These customizable pet steps (say yes to stripes and checks) will get your pooch to their favorite perch safely in style.
I swoon for bold contrasts — and the glossy fuchsia and bordeaux in this Campbell-Rey collab will shine on anyone's coffee table. Plus, lacquer is one of the biggest interior design trends for 2026, if you ask us.
Know someone whose home has an all-white palette? Introduce them to texture. This lamp’s lovely white finish was inspired by Santorini’s cliffside homes, and the mushroom dome adds extra visual interest.
Even the most basic mixology jigger has an eye-catching silhouette, but this little stocking stuffer adds a touch of midcentury charm to any home bar with its mix of stainless steel and walnut finish.
Maybe we’re biased, but a year-long subscription to Livingetc would look rather smart in this stylish magazine rack. Curved brass and olive green leather — what’s not to love?
Prinsesstårta Candle, Flamingo Estate
If you already gifted their wildly popular Roma tomato candle last year, the Prinsesstårta candle also has a cult following, inspired by the Swedish cake that’s trending at hip restaurants all across the country.
Malachite: there’s a fascination with the precious stone coursing through design lately, and these dessert plates are a real treat — not to mention a conversation starter — for the discerning host.
As our style editor noted earlier this year, bamboo decor is back (at least in minimalist forms), which will make any photos of loved ones rather trendy in this sleek, gold-plated frame.
Brands are having fun with resin, and this sculptural, swirled catchall might just be the perfect, practical gift (for the person in your life who’s always losing their keys).
This new Bloody Mary glass — with a chic celery swizzle stick — will make any brunch sparkle, but other cocktail-specific glasses are also on the table from this brand (espresso martinis, margaritas, and more). Cheers to that.
It's pricy, but the fluted details on this glass soap bottle makes it a keeper; it’s easily refillable (shh!) once they run out of soap, and before that happens, the tomato scent injects peak summer into long winters.
I can vouch for this espresso maker — I have it in stainless steel — but I'm envious of the Almond Nougat color, made just for Crate & Barrel. For such a large appliance, the neutral tone will bring a quiet, luxurious look to anyone’s kitchen counter.
HAY Charlotte Serving Platter, Design Within Reach
Massachusetts-based artist Emma Kohlmann has a cult following in Copenhagen, and her line of hand-painted tableware for HAY shows why. Expressive, joyful illustrations — like this wonderfully wonky feline — serve hygge on a platter.
We’ve seen more interior designers creating meditation spaces, but for those who lack the space for a designated room, this bouclé set can tuck into a corner without — building a temple inside your home.
They aren't flashy, but I bought a set of these thin, ion-toughened (read: very-hard-to-break) glasses and haven't cracked any in over a year. A foolproof gift for the klutz on your list? Fancy that.
The once-dated look of dark wood is making a comeback, and this lamp doubles down. Perfectly matching its wooden base, the design swaps linen for a unique burl wood shade. It’s dark, but it'll add a whole lot of warmth to anyone’s home.
A limited edition set, designed for the fashion brand’s 50th anniversary, the currently on-trend sour chartreuse tone of this splatterware by that American-Dutch artist Sterling Ruby might just be a collectible set 50 years from now.
If Little Greene’s color of the year is any indication, purples are about to have their moment. The new ‘plum’ colorway of this beloved, gift-worthy waffle towel is a lovely way to bring it home.
I've had my eye on the basketweave trend after seeing this stunning leather pouf at Artemest this year. It costs four figures (one can dream!), but this suede pouf alternative is expensive-looking and still on-trend — a luxe gift for less.
A mirror shaped like a cone? We won't question it. The novel design turns a normally flat surface into a sculptural object. It’s ready for its close-up.
Once you've sorted out your gifts, it's time to make sure your Christmas decorating ideas are just as stylish — luckily, we've got plenty of them, too.
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Keith Flanagan is a New York based journalist specialising in design, food and travel. He has been an editor at Time Out New York, and has written for such publications as Architectural Digest, Conde Nast Traveller, Food 52 and USA Today. He regularly contributes to Livingetc, reporting on design trends and offering insight from the biggest names in the US. His intelligent approach to interiors also sees him as an expert in explaining the different disciplines in design.