When you make a purchase through a link on this page, we may earn a commission. Thanks for support New Yorker.
According to most rules of etiquette, a guest should not feel obligated to bring a gift to the host. And yet the question arises: if Odysseus had given the Cyclopes a collection of fashionable soaps for the cave or theater tickets to the new Oedipus on Broadway, would his crew have been served dinner, not a meal? For dinner? So here are some suggestions to help put your next owner at ease. (Caswell-Massey Sandalwood Explorer Soap Set for men for $36 or Farmhouse Artisan Goat Milk and Soap Sampler from Farmhouse Belles for $45.)
Let's start small. Mid-century style work TinyTV ($60), the size of a large marshmallow, has a clear image and comes with a tiny, functioning remote control. It comes preloaded with TV programs and you can easily download more videos and movies onto this adorable thing. You know who will like this? Barbie. The best bite size umbrella is Tax Mini ($65), weighing eight ounces and measuring seven inches when closed. If your friend isn't worth that much, Sy Compact Tourist umbrella range from $14 for what we'll call the “Black Umbrella” to $14 for a canopy with a castle scene in the woods by the lake. Money is no object and you want to make someone feel miserable by leaving their umbrella on the subway? Full size Snakewood from the House of Swain is made of hand-stitched silk and has a handle made from forty to seventy year old ebony, “harvested” in tropical Africa, one suspects, by Carson from Downton Abbey (US$2470and this is not a typo; choice for $4160 with a silver plated band around the handle is sold out, which shows how much some people don't like getting wet). To make it cute, add Davek. Lost Alert Sensor it ties to his phone so he can track the movement of his umbrella ($35). There may be vases that are more microscopic than vases that are 1.9 inches tall. pastel colored glass vessels V MOMA Design Store ($20 for a set of five, or $18 if you're a museum member), but I don't see them. To complete the look, add a sprig of parsley or bouquet of artificial roses in a dollhouse ($7 for a half dozen or so).
Tax Loss Alert Sensor
Even after snow disappears from the planet, snow globes will still exist. I was especially fascinated by the one in which the family three topiary elephants ride out a snowstorm in a daisy patch ($69; a portion of sales goes to Save the Elephants). In another case, a quick shake turns three bare birch trees into winter wonderland ($69).
Snow globes that stay in place act as paperweights. If your problem with flying paper gets out of control, translucent jellyfish in different colors may help ($33). Anyone with unresolved anger issues should stay away from this huge crystal applewho could moonlight as a wrecking ball ($50).
Even those who are indifferent to the updated conditions will appreciate L'Objet. Gecko magnifying glass this makes the small print seven times smaller. The gilded lizard extends its tail (aka pen) and crawls along the edge, heading towards the best prints ($150). I won't tell if you choose aluminum snake version ($50).
In these polarized times, can we all agree that bringing a bouquet of flowers to a party without a vase is as inconsiderate and burdensome as showing up nine months pregnant and asking the host to give birth to the baby? This is why the kokedama plant is an ideal gift. Kokedama is a Japanese style of potting that involves placing the root in a ball of soil and clay covered in moss—think of a melon dressed as a Chia pet. The ball serves as a pot and can be displayed on a plate or hung from the ceiling. Minimal care is required – several times a month, immerse the ball in water for ten to twenty minutes, then let it drain. There are wonderful pieces available to order. Bloomist ($58-$88) and About soil and moss (from $48). In addition, many florists sell them – for example, in Brooklyn there is a Moss and Green store where you can purchase pink feather it looks like a pineapple turning into a flower ($88). If you prefer a plant that enjoys a more sheltered lifestyle, Terrrart NYC sells terrariums, including one inside a light bulb ($43).
For pet lovers who hate taking care of pets: a self-sustaining ecosystem containing two or three miniature scrap shrimp that can live for years without much help from you. Along with crustaceans, four inches in diameter glass sphere contains gravel, an elegant branch of faux coral, and algae to provide oxygen and food—the perfect guests ($99).
Potty, protests and Cher are back, so why not lava lamps? They were invented by Edward Craven Walker, a British accountant who also made films about underwater nudists. Walker came up with the idea for the lamp in a pub, where he saw an experimental egg timer contraption that entailed boiling a mixture of oil and water (when drops of oil reached the surface, the egg was ready). Mathos, the lighting company that Walker founded in 1963 to produce his creation, still makes lava lamps. Among them: a a thin column almost ten feet high (£8,500), the tower which looks like a dolphin about to blast off into outer space (£415), and a shiny copper candle-powered device reminiscent of large capsule with tablets (£50). Mathos doesn't ship to the US, so why bother smuggling? Here in America we have amazing new products that are causing elongated hourglass And rockets (from 30 dollars).
