Christmas Gift & Goodwill Guide 2021
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I love compiling an interior and home lovers gift guide on this blog every year; as well as being a present source list, I always want to do it to support independent businesses, crafters, and brands that I love. However, there is no denying that after the year we have had, I weighed up even writing this post for 2021. The pandemic has hit so many people so hard financially, our NHS and other incredibly important services are on their knees, while the climate crisis really doesn’t need us to be buying more than we require. However, when I did a poll on Instagram a whopping 90% of you wanted to see a gift guide on the blog, so I’ve created one that is split into two parts: gift and then goodwill. The first part is my usual gift guide made up of the best interior and home products from both independent businesses and our UK high street that would make great presents for new homeowners, renters, and general home lovers. The second half is my ‘goodwill’ guide: a list of brilliant charities and great causes that require more support. Buy the gift of giving a girl an education, purchase items for the home for those who are fleeing domestic abuse and are starting from scratch, invest in an item that gives a percentage to charity, or simply make a donation. You can do this on behalf of family and friends who declare they really don’t need anything when you ask them what they would like for Christmas, or simply add one of the goodwill gifts as an extra to your existing gift shopping list if you can afford to. If you do donate to any of the charities I list based on the back of this blog post, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
THE BEST GIFTS FOR HOME & INTERIOR LOVERS
House of Kaarigari is an independent business selling a curated edit of the most beautiful artisan pieces and vintage homeware items. This Mira ruffled real marble bowl has been on my lust list all year.
High street heroes Dunelm have seriously upped their game and are now selling trend-led pieces at amazing price points. This Montreal table lamp comes in two sizes and is a great value buy for those that love the modern, monochrome interior trend.
There is a wide range of cosy scented candles out there that suit this time of year, but one of the best will always be the ‘Winter’ candle by The White Company. This special edition filled with dried seasonal fruit and wrapped in a red bow makes a great gift for those who love to stay in and curl up on the sofa.
Annie Dornan Smith is one of my current favourite illustrators and I’ve got a number of her great-value prints framed and dotted around my home. Get all of her floral drawings in one with this beautiful 2022 wall calendar.
House Beautiful has just released a new collection of tableware sold exclusively via Homebase. The Metro Linear ribbed glassware is very on-trend and dishwasher safe.
Curves and wiggles are still in demand and these gorgeous candle holders available via Liberty come in a range of sizes and colours.
I got this handmade Alesi Vase from maker Annabel Cucuz a few months ago and it is one of my favourite new pieces in my home. I style and display it everywhere. Buy one via Heals.
If the person you are buying for has moved into a new home or just loves to decorate, then a starter kit from sustainable eco brand Eco-Union is a great buy. The paint tray can be used over and over without washing out, before going on the compost heap at the end of its life. Eco-Union also offers recyclable paint brushes and painter’s tape, plus biodegradable dust sheets. Order via Travis Perkins.
You have to have the practical as well as the pretty! This Karcher mini vax is fantastic to achieve a spotless shower screen or remove condensation from windows.
Relaxing bath salts from creative business Earl Of The East with a grown-up, sophisticated peppery scent. They also come in an interior-design friendly, recyclable glass jar.
A fun, crafty subscription box by the wonder maker Emily Dawe. Choose a 1, 3, or 6 months Oh Hello Maker Box subscription and your recipient will receive everything they need to create their own interior projects such as macrame plant holders, paint your own ceramics, and dried flower wreaths.
These scalloped artisan doormats by Sunday & Story are a huge hit on Instagram.
The first book by vintage and charity shop interiors guru Lisa Dawson. A fun read with great tips to create an authentic home via creative repurposing.
A brilliant source for alternative homeware gifts, W.A. Green is a go-to for modern, quirky home lovers. My favourite of the new stock this year are these ceramic pepper pots for kitchen worktop storage.
The candle holder bowl by H&M Home is so versatile. Just add candles for a simple display, or fill with flowers or foliage for a table centrepiece.
This ribbed toaster combines great design with functionality. Also available in black via Aria Shop.
Decorating lovers will adore this Farrow & Ball paint fan. Featuring all of the F&B shades, these large swatches make it easier to choose the perfect colour. Pair with F&B’s How To Decorate book for the perfect reno gift!
Interiors bible Living, Etc has collaborated with Lights & Lamps for a great range of design-led, affordable lighting. This table lamp combines brown marble and rattan with a modern, conical shade.
Good quality, thick napkins with a playful pom pom edge, House Beautiful for Homebase.
There is nothing an interior lover despises more than badly packaged bathroom products! Space NK is offering a gift box of design favourites Aesop in recyclable packaging.
With so many of us gaining more confidence to DIY, Zara Home are now offering this very pleasing set of white and wood tools for sale via their website. These are a lot more design-friendly than your ugly grey options from the local DIY store!
“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” - William Morris. This William Morris Christmas bauble will be cherished every year and makes a lovely small gift.
This wavy textured bowl from Anthropologie is great value for how large it is. I have it and I love it. I’ll plant bulbs in it in spring and use it as decorative coffee table storage the rest of the year.
Print Sisters offer beautiful vintage archive prints and this peachy brown colourway for Golden Bough II is my new favourite from the collection.
THE GIFT OF GOODWILL GUIDE
Furnishing Futures is a charitable initiative in London that aims to fully furnish the homes of families who are experiencing furniture poverty by using community donations of good quality preloved furniture and items for the home. Founded by Emily Wheeler, an interiors writer, stylist and designer who is also a registered social worker, Furnishing Futures aims to help families create a safe and comfortable home with dignity and hope for the future. Emergency housing and social housing tenancies are unfurnished and do not include flooring, curtains, or white goods such as ovens and washing machines, so they never include basic items of furniture. When a family is allocated a Council or housing association property, it is often completely bare and up to the family to furnish. For those on low incomes or on benefits, this is often impossible. But it is not just about accessing second-hand furniture; these properties also need painting, decorating, which is why Emily is currently running a crowdfunding page to gain funds to organise to do this. She also has to pay for storage for the donations that she receives. To donate directly to the crowdfunding, please click here. If you have any good condition preloved goods that you would like to donate to Furnishing Futures, you can email Emily directly at hello@furnishingfutures.org
The world watched in horror as we saw education for girls taken away overnight this year. Oxfam has created this brilliant gift card for £20 that you can give to a loved one to show them that you donated on their behalf. Buy in their shops or online here.
Image credit: The Dogs Trust
One of the heartbreaking effects of the pandemic/lockdown was the mass purchasing of dogs, with many being discarded once lockdown was lifted. Many of these dogs were purchased as puppies and were not trained or socialised, making them difficult to rehome. Sponsoring a dog from the Dogs Trust is a great gift to give - especially to a child who is lucky enough to already have lots of toys and gifts and would love to know they are sponsoring a pet. The Dogs Trust does a great job in sending regular letters written ‘from the dog’, along with stickers, bookmarks, and birthday cards. Sponsor a dog here or purchase a gift, where a portion of the sale price goes to the charity.
Image credit: Crisis UK
No one likes to see people on the streets at Christmas. This year, many more people will be homeless as a direct result of the pandemic. Give someone the gift of a warm Christmas dinner and some companionship by purchasing this gift option via Crisis UK.
If you are visiting others for Christmas dinner and want to bring a token of appreciation, these Advent Of Change crackers are eco-friendly, plastic-free, sustainable, and recyclable. Plus, over 80% of the proceeds go towards 24 carefully selected charities.
According to award-winning backpack producers Madlug, there are over 90,000 children in care in the UK and Ireland, with one child entering the care system every 15 minutes. Most of these children transport their worldly belongings in plastic bin bags or plastic shopping bags. Madlug operates under a ‘buy one, give one’ model, which means that with every Madlug bag purchased, a pack-away travel bag will be given to a child in care to carry their things. With a huge range of colours and bag types available (including school and laptop bags), this is a great gift choice and your purchase will also make a difference to a young child's life.