Christmas is just around the corner and the last-minute shopping season is officially in full swing. You're checking names of the gift list, happy with your thoughtful choice of presents – that is, until you get to the architect. Nobody ever knows what to get the architect! They have impeccable taste, revel in the obscure while eschewing the ordinary, and they generally know exactly what they want in a product or design. Choosing something that fits just right is a problem every architect's friends and family know all too well. This year, skip the anxious bookstore visits and gift-card guilt with this handy guide.
BUY ITCity Themed Organizer Set: Architectural tools of the trade include plenty of pens and pencils, clips and tacks, and an endless variety of miscellanea – all necessary to coordinate the incredible amount of information that goes into even the simplest project. Staying organized is serious business, but Desktructure offers a fun and flexible approach with modular design in fine porcelain.
BUY ITCinderblock Magnets: These cute little cinderblock magnets are another way to stay organized in style – and they’re made of real concrete, a detail sure to delight any architect. In the rare instance when there isn’t anything to hang or display, multiple packs would allow for the creation of fun 2D structures on the desk or whiteboard.
BUY IT Inception Desk Organizer: Venetian designer Luca Nichetto created this flexible silicone organizer with inspiration from a scale model of Manhattan, naming it after the movie “Inception” and its famous scene depicting New York City folding into itself as if it were made of rubber. It works well as a sorting tray for mail, a dish drainer for the kitchen, or as a decorative object for any fan of city skylines.
BUY IT Danish Designer Figurines: Made by architects, for architects – these iconic wooden toys are from Denmark’s ArchitectMade, whose design philosophy revolves around creating products that will inspire and last for generations. Designers include Kristian Vedel, Paul Anker Hansen, Hans Bølling, and other names your recipient will surely recognize.
BUY ITBauhaus Chess Set: Is your gift recipient an admirer of architects like Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe? This beautiful Bauhaus Chess Set is sure to inspire. The pieces look simple at first glance but hide an internal meaning and extremely functional form, their shapes demonstrating the moves that each piece can make: the knight has the shape of an L, the bishop an X, the king is a singular sphere on a cubic pedestal, etc.
BUY IT Miniature Chairs: Who doesn’t love miniatures? These small-scale chairs represent the most iconic mid-century designs – few can afford the full-size originals but these gorgeous miniatures allow anyone to own a piece of history. They’d make for a fantastic display on a desk, shelf, or might even make an incredible addition to a dollhouse if your favorite architect has children.
BUY ITMiniature Drafting Table: Made of laser cut wood and paper, this miniature drafting table model kit is easy to assemble with just a bit of glue. It’s a great weekend project for an architect who likes to get hands-on.
BUY IT Sleek Minimalist Table Lamp: Designed by Jean-Marie Massaud, the W083 table lamp is all about balance. It swivels and turns easily thanks to a heavy rounded base – and the warm 3000K LED is ideal for nighttime sketches when inspiration strikes.
BUY IT Architect Designed Alarm Clock: This stylish alarm clock is the work of Danish architects Jonas Bjerre Poulsen and Kasper Rønn of Norm Architects. Jonas focuses on shape and tactility in his work, whereas Kasper is more interested in tech and inventions. Here, their collaboration resulted in a clock with a rounded no-tilt design and no button to turn off the alarm. Instead, one simply turns the clock upside down to silence the ringing, ideal for the overworked architect who wakes up groggy and doesn’t want to slap at a button in the dark every morning.
BUY ITDesigner Tumblers: Extreme attention to construction, purpose, and proportion makes these tumblers a work of art any architect can appreciate. It naturally swirls the drink when set down and fits the hand like a carefully tailored glove. Designed by Daniele Semeraro, the Cupa-Rocks ICE set contains a pair of hand-blown frosted glass tumblers set in a well-constructed gift box for a perfect presentation.
BUY ITDopper Water Bottle: Long nights at the drafting table and long days running from site to site require an ample amount of caffeination – that means it’s easy to forget to work water into the equation. A gorgeously designed refillable water bottle might be just the thing an architect needs to remember to hydrate throughout the day. It’s produced in Holland and created with a zero carbon footprint, a nice gift for an architect who supports sustainable design initiatives. Dopper gives 5% of sales to water and sanitation projects.
BUY ITMinimalist Grinder Set: Designed by architects, the Bottle Grinder doesn’t look like any other spice containers out there. The smooth shell contains a ceramic mechanism that produces a beautifully consistent and even grind with adjustable coarseness. Because the spices come out of the wooden top, no remnants can fall out to dirty the table.
BUY IT Miniature Concrete Home Blocks: Spark the imagination of the architect in your life with the miniature SPACES collection from Material Immaterial studio. These modular forms are made of concrete, and look beautiful freestanding or grouped together.BUY ITConcrete Planter: Architect’s office lacking a rooftop garden? There’s a planter for that. This piece features careful drainage design ideal for succulents and mosses – no green thumb necessary. 
BUY IT Mansion Planter: This architecturally inspired planter boasts incredible detail, complete with miniature balconies, stairs, glass windows, and metal rails. The windows are the coolest part because you can peer inside and might even catch a glimpse of some roots.
BUY ITFire Escape Wall Shelves: Hand-welded epoxy-coated steel makes this unique fire escape shelf as sturdy as it is inspiring. It’s even stackable to create a unique and customizable landscape to suit the storage needs of its owner. The photo shows this neat design holding photos and plants, but it would work just as well to hold jewelry or small books too.
BUY ITHerman Miller Chairs: As one of the best ergonomic work chairs out there, the famous Aeron Chair is an iconic design that feels right at home in the office of a creative. Architects spend hours sitting in front of a computer each day – so while the price may not be something everybody is comfortable with, a good chair pays for itself by reducing the risk of harm to the back and joints. Of course, don’t forget to move around frequently no matter how luxurious the chair may be!
BUY ITEames Lounge Chair: After a grueling day hunched over the draft table or computer, what could be better than… that’s right, THE Eames Lounge Chair, perhaps the most iconic chair in the world. Okay, so this one is a replica, but the price of the true licensed original is not for the faint-hearted. Getting a lookalike for $$$ is quite a steal, especially with this attention to detail. Materials match the original and include top grain Italian leather, rosewood plywood, and a sturdy aluminum base. Any architect would be giddy to receive this.
BUY IT Art Prints: Classy posters a great design gift for the architect who has everything. Not sure which one to get? Architects typically love anything black, white, or charcoal – but if you know the rare architect who boasts a colorful wardrobe, you’ll probably be fine picking something with a nice color theme.
BUY ITArchitecture Books: Because Frank Lloyd Wright is required study for architects, this is a great choice for younger professionals and students and truly devoted fans. It’s hard to find a volume more thorough than this one: this hardcover book contains 544 pages detailing all 289 extant houses, including stunning full color photos and a selection of floorplans and archival images, along with essays written by several notable Wright scholars.
BUY ITCabin Architecture Book: For an architect who longs for a vacation away from it all, this book might be just the ticket. This substantial hardcover book explores the modern architecture of cabins of every shape and style, complete with delightful illustrations by Marie-Laure Cruschi and gorgeous full-color photographs of interiors and exteriors alike. The included briefs, clients, and situations are sure to make for some inspiring and useful reading.
BUY IT Architecture Themed Moleskine Notebooks: Architects love Moleskine – but these books put a new twist on the old favorite. As part of the Process in Architecture series, each volume reveals previously unseen work and preliminary processes from famous architects around the world.
BUY IT Landmark Model Kits: Model kits are so much fun, and the structural process strikes many of the chords that lead architects to love their art from the outset. Fascinations Metal Earth laser cut architectural models are easy to assemble with a snap-in-place design. These polished objects look classy when arranged in combination, and are perfect to order as a set.
BUY ITLEGO Architecture Studio: LEGO! This one little word will put a smile on any architect’s face. The LEGO Architecture Studio contains an amazing 1210 monochromatic bricks, a pair of convenient sorting trays, and a “create your own architecture” book with 271 pages of architectural history and concepts. This set was designed by architectural modeler Adam Reed Tucker, and is endorsed by REX Architecture, Sou Fujimoto Architects, MAD Architects, and more.
BUY ITArchitectural Model Building Kit: The Arckit 240 Architectural Model Building Kit was designed by architect Damien Murtagh in his efforts to find a more convenient and affordable way to present architectural models to clients. This Red Dot Design Award winner offers infinite components, including innovative “architextures” to print out for sprucing up the facade or interior walls. Anyone with a 3D printer and modeling software can create add-on components, too!
BUY ITDesigner Citrus Juicer: Designed by Philippe Starck, this just might be one of the most recognizable citrus juicers in the world. It’s a piece of artwork for the kitchen.
BUY ITPrecise Cutting Boards: The Obsessive Chef Cutting Board allows architects to translate their love of precision into delicious homemade meals. The burnished grid lines mark the appropriate cuts for slicing, dicing, brunoise, julienne, and more.
BUY ITCubit Steel Watch: It’s hard to find an architect who DOESN’T love a nice modern watch. The Cubit STEEL, designed by architect Michael Graves, features a hexagonal bezel inspired by the axonometric projections used to visualize architectural projects.
BUY ITApple Watch Series 2: Does your gift recipient have an iPhone? Chances are good that they’ve been curious about trying the Apple Watch too. This one comes with a sleek sports band, and like all Apple Watches, comes with a wide availability of apps to help an architect stay in touch and navigate a busy schedule.
BUY ITStylish Watch Bands: Or, perhaps the architect in your life already has the Apple Watch. Give the gift of a perfect complement with the Kartice luxury leather double tour watchband, available in a nice variety of colors to suit any style.
BUY ITHuawei Watch: Huawei watch is a stylish smartwatch option for both Android and Apple users. As a plus, it has perhaps the best-looking watch face options available anywhere.
BUY ITPebble Watch: The Pebble Round is a sleek platform-agnostic smartwatch, one of the thinnest and lightest on the market – great for an architect that enjoys streamlined designs.
BUY ITAmazon Echo: Amazon Echo offers information, audiobooks, news, traffic – even music – with the hands free convenience an architect could really appreciation at the drafting table or while just relaxing on the weekends. It’s compatible with a number of smart home devices too, a real treat for architects interested in experimental Internet-of-Things concepts.
BUY ITSmart LED Lights: Creative architects know that lighting is a crucial feature in any home – and customizable LEDs offer a huge palette of possibilities to explore. The Phillips Hue Smart Lights start kit makes it easy to choose and save custom color themes, and even synchronize them with music, games, or movies for a fully immersive experience. Control by smartphone or even the Amazon Echo.BUY ITiPad Pro: The iPad is no longer a mere consumption device for the casual user. With larger pressure sensitive screens and high-quality styluses, they are becoming versatile creation tools as well – especially combined with the huge range of apps on the app store that make an architect’s life easier. 
BUY ITMicrosoft Surface Pro 4: Many of the tools architects need are only available on Windows – so for architects who work in the Windows ecosystem, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is the premier choice for productivity on the go with its sleek tablet/laptop combination. Plus, it’s by far one of the best-looking devices of its kind.
BUY ITFORM 3D Printer: A 3D printer is perhaps the ULTIMATE gift for an architect. It’s an invaluable tool for creating models, visualizing concepts, and making useful objects for the office. Even if the architect in your life already has a printer, the Form 1+ SLA offers a completely different approach, using advanced stereolithography and fine-tuned capabilities for a build quality rarely found in consumer-level appliances. This one is easy to setup and start printing in as little as 15 minutes for immediate enjoyment and value.
BUY ITSamsung Gear VR: If your architect friend has a new Samsung Phone, the newly released Gear VR is a must-have. Virtual reality is just starting to take off and some of the content out there already would truly blow you away. Also, the applications of headsets are quite tempting for an architect. Mind-blowing visualisations, 3D walkthroughs and the ability to design spaces with full immersion would help any architect excel in what they do.
BUY ITDJI Phantom 4 Drone Camera: Drones are one of those things people are often hesitant to spend their own money on – but deep down inside, nearly everybody dreams about the cool possibilities. The DJI Phantom 4 is currently one of the best drones on the market, complete with auto-landing, auto take-off and a 4K UHD video camera for amazing aerial views. Imagine giving an architect the ability to capture iconic architecture landmarks, or survey construction plots from the sky. A drone like this would be a total game-changer.
BUY ITDigital Art Frame: Give your favorite architect the gift of endless inspiration from this purpose-built digital art display. From the powerful rendering engine capable of rendering generative art, to the screen texture and the high-quality frame, everything about this digital display is meticulously engineered toward a true gallery experience. Change the display with a simple smartphone app and enjoy fresh art on demand.
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