Secret Santa
This year we’ve asked various members of the team, as well some of our favourite writers, to pick a piece of collectible design they would buy for the office Secret Santa – after slapping some zeroes on the end of the budget of course!
Tap each present to unwrap...
A pot from ‘The St David’s Collection’
Cicely Peers
£100 each
Where would you start looking for a piece of collectible design under £100? At the graduate shows, of course!
Cicely Peers was one of the ‘early career’ ceramic artists to be showcased at this year’s British Ceramics Biennial ‘Fresh’ exhibition. She is a recent graduate from Manchester School of Art’s 3D Design course and winner of this year’s THROWN Contemporary Ceramics Award at New Designers.
Her work is based on the medieval encaustic floor tiles of St David’s Cathedral in Wales and combines 3D printing with slip casting to produce these strong ceramic forms. I’d carefully wrap any one of these striking works for my Secret Santa, but if I had to choose one I’d spend my £100 on ‘2.3’ (the second from the right).
'It’s Dutch Design' film poster
Esther Janssen
£17.50
Collectible Design under £100 is hard to come by, but there are always creative ways to collect for those of us that aren’t willing or able to afford stratospheric prices.
As the person responsible for digital content at The Design Edit’s, something that’s caught my eye in recent times is Esther Janssen’s fantastic poster for Elbe Stevens’ film It’s Dutch Design – featuring the likes of Maarten Baas, Tejo Remy, Gerrit Rietveld and Nacho Carbonell. Not only is it visually delightful, it also supports the considered, independent filmmaking by Stevens and his team.
'Shuro Hand Broom'
June
£110
‘Discovering design’ for me meant coming alive to the astonishing beauties of Japanese dustpans and brooms, Soviet tape dispensers, Shaker hayrakes and antique hammers. What is an aesthete to do in the face of the unrelenting elegance of the world’s pedestrian minutia, never mind the grandness of our planet’s star-orbiting wonder? The author Ben Lerner writes that poetry’s “usefulness depends on its lack of practical utility.” It’s also the case that objects can be poetic precisely because of their practicality. As evidence, I present this ‘Shuro Broom’.
'Seggiolina Pop Chair' (for Magis)
Enzo Mari
£75
When looking for collectible design on a budget, I’ve always found that platforms like the MoMa Design Store and The Conran Shop often have some wonderful items at more accessible prices. On the latter of these you can find my Secret Santa pick, the ‘Seggiolina Pop Chair’ by Enzo Mari for Magis. It’s a functional and fun piece of design for children that introduces the younger generation to the world of design and provides a colourful and humorous nod to an iconic design on a smaller scale.
'Scary Pot/Emotive Pot'
Faye Hadfield
Contact artist for price
I already have a sad face and screaming face vase by the brilliant young artist Faye Hadfield, and would happily fill my house with them if I could. Prices may have gone up since I got in on it, but they are worth every penny.