Latest Review
The holidays are upon, so today we have the last of our gift guides, this time sponsored and inspired by Rado Watches. One of the few brands to align with contemporary designers, Rado’s watches combine cutting edge materials with minimal aesthetics. For this guide, we took cues from Rado’s approach to watches to find objects that are modern, minimal, material focused and great gifts for the design enthusiast in your life.
Gift Guide for the Design Enthusiast
Designed in collaboration with Swiss design house Big-Game, the True Phospho cleverly combines minimalism with a playful approach. Featuring a 40mm ceramic case, automatic movement and partially skeletonized design, what sets the watch apart is Big-Game’s approach to transparency. Rather than fully exposing the dial, they use a perforated sheet of black brass to semi-reveal the movement within. The perforations are then used like pixels to color in with luminescent material. The effect is subtle, but striking.
Geometry with a purpose, this icosahedron is made of 3D-printed bronze and features 20 sides, each skeletonized and shaped to create a functional bottle opener, creating no less than 60 functioning openers. When not in use, it makes for a gorgeous table-top object.
mininch (pronounced mini-inch) Tool Pen Mini
Can a tool be beautiful? The answer is a resounding yes. The Tool Pen Mini is a small form-factor precision multi-tool that houses many different, useful bits in a single handle. What makes it stand out is its sleek and clever design that makes it the kind of object you’ll want to keep out rather than inside a tool box.
James Brand takes the age-old EDC staple, a pocket knife, and turns it into a modern pièce de résistance with subtle curves and contemporary materials. Featuring a geometric titanium body, a 2.75-inch locking blade and a pocket clip, it’s a go-everywhere, do-everything tool that looks as good as it works.
No design gift guide would be complete without something coffee related, so here we have a gorgeous Japanese-made kettle from Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. Pour over kettles create a steady and controllable stream of water that is extremely helpful when making a proper pour over coffee. This kettle is made of heavy gauge, gently shaped stainless steel and a nylon and fiberglass handle, giving it an overall subdued and minimal appearance.
Chilled drinks make sense, diluted ones don’t. Drink Rocks keep your drinks cold without the concern of melting. Just chill them and throw—well, don’t throw, but carefully place them in a cup, add your liquid of choice and enjoy. This set from Areaware are made of soapstone and marble in platonic forms, adding some pure aesthetic enjoyment to every drink.
Those plastic, pre-filled salt and pepper grinders have to go at some point in your life (I’ll let you know when I get there) and in their stead, something tasteful and adult should appear. The Menu Bottle Grinders by Norm Architects of Denmark instill some Scandinavian design into these easily overlooked items.
