Here are the sought-after items your fellow design enthusiasts snagged during the holiday shopping season.
Whether they were finishing up some last-minute gift purchasing or treating themselves to something special, our readers bought a lot of design-forward items last month—and we thought we’d share. From a cast-iron spice grinder and a classic calendar, to a new book from a landscape design firm with expert tips on how to revamp your backyard, these were the most popular products among the Dwell community in December.
Frieling Cast Iron Spice Grinder
Sugar, spice & everything nice. When all you need is a handful of spices on the fly, it’s still nice to have them freshly ground. The durability, weight and strength of this brilliant cast iron grinder lets you break down your spices to your desired coarseness (more turns give you finer spices)—the inner cup’s bottom ridges crush even the most obstinate seeds against the outer cup’s walls. Any extras can be stored beneath the inner cup’s beechwood lid. It’s a Scandinavian-inspired, elegantly simple design.
HAY Neon Tube LED
Designed to look like a neon tube, this long-lasting, energy-efficient light is made with an integrated LED. Hang it on a wall, place it on a table, or stand it upright in a corner to add dramatic atmosphere and colorful glow to any space. It’s available in a range of colors that can be mixed and matched to create an interesting light installation. Bulb: 12W LED. ETL Listed.
Wellen Quilted Sweatpants
Endlessly comfortable and effortlessly cool—these are lightweight sweats for staying stylish and comfortable at the same time. The Quilted Sweats are designed with a dialed-in fit that never sags, and their breathable, lightweight build is perfectly suited for year-round lounging.
Pop Chart 100 Essential Films Scratch Off
"A Brooklyn-based design company that specializes in turning nerdily encyclopedic pop-cultural knowledge into gorgeous, richly detailed infographics." —Esquire As diehard appreciators of good design, we’ve been picking up what Pop Chart has been throwing down for years. Bright, beautiful, and informative, their infographic posters take hundreds of hours to design, and the diligence shows. Each poster represents hobbies, personal passions, and areas of interest, done up in elaborate, display-worthy style. It’s as though walls have finally found their purpose (beyond just holding up the roof).
Greys The Outdoor Slipper Boot
Sliding into a pair of Greys slippers gives you the same satisfying feeling as a nice, steep pour of bourbon after a long day. A cozy wool blend keeps your feet nice and toasty, while the grippy rubber sole lets you take them beyond the bedroom—whether you’re venturing across the slippery kitchen floor or across the street to your local coffee shop. The shape is handsome enough to keep your neighbors from raising any eyebrows, while a thoughtful, stub-proof toe box keeps you from shouting expletives in public. Every pair is naturally moisture-wicking and odor-resistant, and comes with a leather pull-on tab to easily slip ‘em off (though we’re not sure why you’d ever want to).
Take It Outside: A Guide to Designing Beautiful Spaces Just Beyond Your Door
From the hosts of Bravo's Backyard Envy comes a beautifully photographed guide to converting your outdoor space into an enviable oasis, whether you have a backyard, brownstone patio, or three-season porch. Dubbed the plantfluencers by The New York Times, Mel Brasier, Garrett Magee, and James DeSantis, owners of the Manscapers landscaping company, do more than plant, mulch, and manicure a garden; they look at the space just as interior designers do a room, considering the aesthetics and the way people live in it. Now they show you how to apply familiar interior design principles to your outdoors, including: Deciding on a concept to help direct the mood of your space Zoning your space into functional areas, such as for lounging, cooking, or entertaining Defining the areas with furniture and hardscaping like fencing, decking, pools, planters, pergolas, and pathways Bringing in the green, including plants that are both functional (privacy shrubs and shade trees) and decorative (pretty perennials, climbers, and textural grasses) Adding the finishing touches the pillows, throws, hurricane lanterns, and other details that will make you want to linger long after sunset Plus, you'll have information on hiring a contractor and landscaper and the specific materials and plants the Manscapers love to use in their designs. No matter how big or small your exterior space, this ultimate guide to landscape design will help you bring the comfort of the indoors outside.
Food52 Five Two Over-the-Sink Drying Rack
The Five Two Drying Rack rolls out, fits over your sink, and stows away in seconds. Silicone-coated stainless steel holds up under hefty pots and supports delicate glassware, while a perforated ledge and built-in utensil caddy makes room for all the extras. The rack and caddy are designed to promote extra air-flow, which makes for quicker drying times, too.
Stendig Calendar 2022
An instant classic. Designed by Massimo Vignelli in 1966, the Stendig Calendar was immediately added to the Design Collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Each month alternates between a black and white background with high-contrast graphics while individual sheets are perforated under the binding strip to allow them to be torn away neatly. Rather than discarding months past, consider repurposing the sheets as a unique and graphic gift wrap.
Reset the Table Conversation Cards
U.S. Women’s National Team members and World Cup champions Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, Tobin Heath, and Meghan Klingenberg created re—inc, a purpose-driven lifestyle brand to boldly reimagine the status quo and champion equity, creativity, progress, and art. They host Reset the Table events, at which they use conversation cards as an invitation to spark dialogue. Now available to the public for the first time, these Reset the Table Conversation Cards inspire exploration, collaboration, and reflection with others. Encased in a tray and sleeve with silver letterpress, these 20 cards with 40 thoughtful questions plus an instruction card can be used as starting points to dream big, think differently, and act with purpose.
Anker PowerPort Strip PD 2 Mini
Charge and power up to 5 devices at the same time via 2 USB ports, 2 AC outlets, and 1 USB-C port. With the AC outlets located on the side, you’ve got enough space for any size plug. Designed with a slimmer plug than other power strips, perfect for hard-to-reach outlets tucked away behind your bed or sofa. The child-friendly safety shutters prevent foreign objects from being inserted into the outlet, keeping you and your children safe.
Woman Made: Great Women Designers
Woman Made is the most comprehensive book on women designers ever published—a celebration of more than 200 women product designers from the early twentieth century to the present day. This glorious visual celebration of the most incredible and impactful design ever produced by women designers flips the script on what is historically considered a man’s world. Featuring more than 200 designers from more than 50 countries, including icons and trailblazers past and present such as Ray Eames, Eileen Gray, Florence Knoll, Ilse Crawford, Faye Toogood, Nathalie du Pasquier, it records and illuminates the fascinating and overlooked history of women preeminent in the field. With each designer represented by a key product and short text, this fascinating A-to-Z survey shines a vital spotlight on the most extraordinary objects made by women designers but, more importantly, offers a compelling primer on the best in the field of design demonstrating that design is not—and never has been—a man’s world.
Flint and Tinder Wool Camp Socks
Chunky wool blend socks keep your toes toasty and add a touch of classic style to any outfit. Pair these with your favorite boots, jeans, and a flannel, and you’ve got a certified classic fall outfit on your hands. Plus they’re functional—the wool blend keeps your toes nice and toasty whether the weather’s fair or foul.
Design Within Reach Neutra Modern House Numbers
In 2001, renowned design studio House Industries partnered with the estate of late architect Richard Neutra – whose notable projects include the Kaufmann House (1947) in Palm Springs, the Lovell Health House (1929) in Los Angeles and the Kronish House (1955) in Beverly Hills, among others – to create a set of fonts based on the geometric letterforms Neutra specified for many of his residential houses and commercial buildings. The resulting font family, Neutraface, became an integral part of the new millennium’s typographic landscape. Rendered directly from the Neutraface outlines, precision-crafted Neutra House Numbers (1930s) bring a piece of the Neutra aesthetic to any residential or commercial space. Designed for visibility, these robust house numbers mount approximately 0.75" off the wall to cast subtle shadows. Each includes extensive installation instructions and a full-scale drilling template to eliminate any guesswork, and the mounting hardware is hidden when installed properly. Made in China.
Haoma Earth Soap
Formulated for body, face, and hands, this gently exfoliating cold-processed soap creates a rich cleansing lather that fortifies the skin's natural moisture barrier, leaving your skin fresh, clean, and deeply hydrated.
HAY Time Hourglass
In a variety of colors and sizes, the Time Hourglass (2015) is a modern twist on the centuries-old invention of the sand glass or sand clock. Its organic shape and color combinations of clear or tinted glass add a hint of color and sculpture to bookshelves and consoles. Made in China.
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