The Christmas Gift Guide: Home, Table, Art and Style

A small mushroom lamp in ribbed amber glass that runs on a battery, so it can go where there is no socket: a bookshelf, a bathroom ledge, the middle of a dinner table. The ribs break the bulb into soft vertical lines, and the amber warms whatever is around it. A timer means it can be left to switch itself off. For someone who rents and cannot add lighting, or anyone with a dark corner that needs one warm point.

Oiva Toikka designed Kastehelmi, Finnish for dewdrop, for the Nuutajärvi glassworks in 1964. Iittala, which makes it now, brought it back in 2010. The glass is pressed with rows of small beads that scatter the flame across the table. This one is in a soft brown, 64 mm tall and sized for a single tealight. An easy gift for a host, a colleague or a neighbour, and one that tends to start a collection.

Alvar Aalto designed this vase in 1936, and Iittala still mouth-blows it in Finland. The outline is said to follow the Finnish lakes; in practice it holds a few stems at loose angles, or stands empty and still looks finished. The 160 mm size suits a mantelpiece or a desk. For the person who likes design history, or a couple setting up a first home who want one piece that will outlast everything else.

Sophie Lou Jacobsen works in New York and Paris and makes glass that is meant to be used daily. The Wave pitcher is borosilicate, so it takes cold water and warm tea, and its wavy handle is the detail people notice. It works as a water jug at dinner and as a vase the morning after. For the friend whose table is always set properly, or anyone who collects contemporary glass.

Designed by Hans-Christian Bauer for the Danish ceramics house Kähler, and named after Svend Hammershøi, the Kähler ceramicist and brother of the painter Vilhelm Hammershøi, whose quiet grey interiors it suits. The porcelain is cut with fine vertical grooves that catch side light. At 10.5 cm it is made for one stem or a small sprig of winter greenery. A modest present for someone with a windowsill, a bedside table or a desk that needs one living thing.

A small stoneware vase, about 16 cm tall, in a crusted glaze that reads like iron left out in the rain. The surface is uneven by design, so it sits well beside old wood, stone and linen. Put dried grasses or a single branch in it, or nothing. For anyone who likes things that look as though they have been around for years, and for the person whose shelves already hold too much that is new.

A matte ceramic vase shaped as a sculpted face with closed eyes and full lips, about 16 cm tall. With a few stems it reads as a head of hair; empty, it is a small sculpture. Its pale pink is soft enough for most rooms. A good gift for someone with a sense of humour about their home, a friend who keeps flowers in every room, or a teenager decorating their first space of their own.

Wheel-thrown, carved and glazed by hand in a pottery studio in Bulgaria, so no two are quite the same. It stands about 21 cm tall, with an all-over pattern in deep colour. It holds a proper bunch of flowers, or works on its own as a piece of folk craft. For someone who values handmade work and the people behind it, or anyone who prefers one strong object to several quiet ones.

Carved from solid travertine, a limestone pitted by water, with its natural holes left visible and a matte finish. The pedestal lifts fruit off the counter and turns a bowl of clementines into something worth looking at. It is heavy and stays where it is put. For the host who already has everything for the table, or someone who has started using stone in their home and wants more.

A set of four wide, deep stoneware bowls in a deep red glaze, with a rippled surface that holds light at the rim. They are sized for pasta, stew or a large salad, and the colour makes plain food look generous. For anyone who cooks for friends on Sunday, a couple who have just moved in together, or the person who hosts Christmas lunch and deserves new bowls for it.

A set of four deep ceramic bowls in a soft green glaze, roomy enough for broth, noodles or a morning bowl of porridge. They are dishwasher and microwave safe, so they get used every day rather than saved for best. A practical gift with some colour in it: for a student, a first flat, or the friend who makes soup from scratch every winter.

Two bone china cups and saucers, painted with small flowers and a thin gold rim, and boxed as a gift. Each holds about 200 ml, the right size for proper tea or a long coffee. They look at home on a modern table as well as a traditional one. For a mother, a grandmother, a friend who still writes letters, or anyone who would enjoy their tea more in a real cup.

The fish-shaped jug that makes a glugging sound as it pours, made in Britain. This is the XL size, 28 cm tall and holding 1.4 litres, in bright orange glaze. It works for water, wine or flowers, and it starts conversations at the table. For the host with a sense of humour, a family that eats together often, or anyone who needs a gift that will be noticed when it is opened.

The same fish shape in wax, from the makers of the Gluggle jug. It is small enough to add to another present or bring to a dinner, and pretty enough to keep unlit on a shelf. For a host gift, a stocking, or a friend who already owns the jug and would like its companion.

Kassia St Clair tells the history of individual shades, from lead white to kohl, in short chapters that can be read in any order. Each is a story about where a colour came from, what it cost and who wore it. A good bedside book. For anyone who paints, decorates or dresses with colour in mind, and for the curious reader who likes facts that can be brought up at dinner.

First published in 1814, Werner's Nomenclature names each colour by where it appears in nature: the breast of a bird, the underside of a leaf, a particular mineral. Darwin took a copy on the voyage of the Beagle. This edition is small, beautiful and inexpensive. For word lovers, naturalists, painters, and anyone who enjoys the Lexicon and the Art Glossary.

David Coles founded Langridge Artist Colours and makes paint by hand, and here he tells the story of more than fifty pigments, from ancient earths to modern synthetics. It explains why some colours were once worth more than gold, and why others were poisonous. Well illustrated and easy to dip into. For painters, art students, and anyone who has wondered what their paints are made of.

The paint historian Patrick Baty took Werner's 1814 system and expanded it into a full reference, matching each colour name to examples from minerals, plants and animals. It is a large, careful book that rewards slow reading. For illustrators, designers, nature writers and serious colour enthusiasts, or as a companion gift alongside Werner's original.

Winsor & Newton has made artist colours in London since 1832, and its Professional range is the standard many painters learn on. This set holds 24 half pans in a light metal box with mixing wells in the lid, small enough to take on a walk or a holiday. For a painter who wants to upgrade, a student starting properly, or anyone who has said they would like to paint again.

Taschen's 846-page book reproduces more than sixty rare colour systems, charts and manuscripts from four centuries, edited by the colour historians Alexandra Loske and Sarah Lowengard. It is large and heavy, the kind of book that lives on a table rather than a shelf. A significant gift for a designer, an artist, a librarian, or anyone whose house already has more books than shelves.

Caran d'Ache makes Luminance in Geneva, and it is known among illustrators for its lightfastness: every colour carries one of the two highest ASTM ratings, so drawings hold their colour. This box holds 76 colours in a wooden case with three trays. It is an investment, the set a serious artist might not buy for themselves. For an illustrator, an art teacher, or a student who has outgrown their first pencils. Jackson's ships worldwide.

Completedworks is a London jewellery studio known for sculptural pieces. The Scrunch studs are recycled gold vermeil, shaped like crumpled metal, and light enough to wear all day. They work with knitwear as well as an evening dress. For someone whose style is quiet but not plain, a friend who prefers one good piece to several, or a milestone birthday that falls near Christmas.

A 90 cm square of pure silk in sand and black concentric stripes, graphic rather than floral, sold at Liberty. Folded small it sits at the neck of a coat; open, it can be tied to a bag handle or worn as a headscarf. For someone who dresses in neutrals and wants one strong detail, or anyone who travels and needs one thing that changes an outfit.

Dents has made gloves in England since 1777. The Isabelle is soft leather lined in cashmere, slim enough to keep the line of a coat sleeve and warm enough for real winter. It comes in mocca, black, navy and berry. For a mother, a partner, a commuter, or anyone still wearing the gloves they were given ten years ago.

Plain 100 percent cashmere, made in Scotland, with no logo. One size fits most, which makes it one of the easiest clothing gifts to get right. It is warm without bulk and packs flat in a pocket. For someone who walks everywhere, a friend moving somewhere colder, or a teenager who is hard to buy for but always cold.

A structured shoulder bag in full-grain leather, made in Italy, with a flap and a short strap, sized for everyday essentials. Bottle green works as a neutral and pairs with camel, navy, rust and cream. For someone ready to replace a tired everyday bag, or a gift that marks a new job, a graduation or a move.

Polène is a Parisian leather house known for draped, sculptural shapes. The Numéro Neuf Mini is soft and rounded, in a textured red clay leather that softens with wear. It holds the essentials for an evening or a weekend. A considered gift for a partner, a close friend, or a moment that deserves something lasting.

From the Maison Margiela Replica range, which recreates particular moments: this one is an evening by a wood fire, with chestnut, vanilla and smoke. It is warm without being heavy, and many people wear it all winter. The 30 ml size is good for trying a scent or carrying in a bag. For someone who loves winter, or anyone who prefers fragrance that smells of a place rather than a flower.

A small Seiko automatic in gold tone, with a plain gold dial and a bracelet strap. It is mechanical, powered by the movement of the wrist, so it never needs a battery. Its proportion is close to a vintage dress watch, which means it works with knitwear and with evening clothes. For someone marking a milestone, or a person who has never owned a proper watch.