Postcards from Home—#3
Gifts for the one who cooks all the time and has a growing collection of eclectic dishware
Hello from my home to yours!
This is Marie, behind Marie Home.
Postcards from Home is a series of seasonal wishlists and gift ideas that I have curated from my long-established wishlists.
I was writing about gifts to make bundles under $50, but then I quickly realized the most gifts I picked were dishware and home goods. So, I decided to change the topic and wholly focus on gifts to give to the ones who have a growing collection of eclectic dishware.
I think this aligns better because I want more home goods enthusiasts to gather in my Substack. Anything on this list will instantly win my heart, and I hope that's the case for you and your loved ones.
So, let's dive right in!
Have you ever heard about a Wine Coaster? I personally never thought about it until my husband put a regular coaster under a wine bottle the other day at home. It will protect your surface from having wine rings and also look cute for the tablescape. I bought this one from Crate & Barrel recently, and this one is a cute alternative as well.
Pair it with your favorite wine from your local wine store.
If the receiver is an expert on wine and you feel a bit wary about pairing it with a bottle, then these cute little wine glasses from Muji are a great choice as well. They're pretty petite(see the measurement to make sure!), but they're modern, sleek, and stackable. We have a couple of them, and I love them.
Or a fancy cheese that will go well with the wine. My never-fail, crowd-pleasing choice is Brillat-Savarin, but brie is always a no-brainer. If you live in NYC, you should definitely stop by Murray's Cheese in West Village or Grand Central locations. They are very knowledgeable and have a wide selection of cheeses. We always get some hors d'oeuvres from there before we hop on Metro-North.
Another thing that I recently bought... Brass Coasters by Fog Linen Work. I bought them from Tenzo, then you can buy Hinoki bath flakes with them, which I mentioned before in the 2024 Christmas Gift Guide.
These hand-hammered coasters from a single sheet of brass are the fanciest little coasters you can imagine. It could also be used as a small plate to put a small pastry, some sweets, or a jam bottle. I also saw a picture with a candle on it, which I might try on my own.
Their octagonal-shaped ones are cute, too, and they come in various sizes. I think getting multiple smaller-end sizes and putting an individual portion of desserts on them are the cutest ways to serve.
I'm sure everyone who cooks regularly at home will have pot holders, but are they in the shape of farfalloni? I've been eyeing these for so long, but I wish someone would get them for me instead of buying them myself.
Pair them with these cutest Smile Glasses. They can look cute on your desk, too, but I personally want to drink some fizzy drinks out of them.
Or these funky martini glasses for those who appreciate a pop of color. My husband gifted me them in icy baby blue(my favorite kind of blue) a few years ago, and I love them even though I don't drink martinis. They'll add nice color to their vibrant dish collection.
What about this Italian Ice Cup dessert bowl by HAY? My radar has been on these metal, pewter coupes for a while. I think it looks classy and timeless to put anything on it. The member price is cheaper, so don't forget to sign up— $29 each, members $24.60 each at Finnish Design Shop.
On the topic of Finnish Design Shop's member price— which you should join because it's free— these Sferico series glasses by Karakter are the most modern glasses you can ever add to your shelf. 6 different shapes are available, and I would love to get No. 1 glass to drink some red wine out of it.
I think these coupes look way fancier than their price tag. Maybe my mind is currently focused on all the holiday parties, but I think it would look so cute on the table. They also have matching drink glasses at very affordable prices.
Or a single plate, but make a statement. The Seletti plates will capture anyone's heart, or at least mine.
These cutest cups and mugs with Moomin! Mugs have initials on them, so get their initials or make a cute word out of them.
If you like a personalized mug with your initials on it, these hand-painted ceramic mugs from Sézane are very poetically beautiful. I like both black and red, but I find red to be a bit more romantic.
As much as I love cooking with our classic cast-iron pans at home, they are too heavy for me. I even hurt my finger joint once while trying to hold one that was loaded with food. So, when I came across this Vermicular lightweight cast-iron frying pan, I just couldn't help but gasp with excitement! The design is also very eye-pleasing, with the wooden handle and its angle. They have an oven-safe version as well.
And this smokeless grill will make your apartment into a perfect barbecue restaurant... Put it on top of a portable gas stove top and gather around the table to enjoy a freshly grilled meal with your loved ones. This earthenware grill made out of clay from Iga, Japan, will bring your grilling to the next level. It's a bit on the pricy end, but it's on my dream list.
These are not dishware but kitchen adjacent:
Cuisine on Screen book, $30, so that they can try out the recipes they saw in Japanese movies at their cozy home throughout the cold winter.
All the Stuff We Cooked by Chef Frederik Bille Brahe of Atelier September in Copenhagen, $35. This has been on my wishlist for so long since the first edition sold out, and now it has come back with an updated version.
Outside In by Sean A. Pritchard, $40, for those who are aspiring gardeners and interior decor enthusiasts— like me.
Tekla Terry towel, Guest towel, $27. I think this size of towel can be a useful hand-wiping towel to put by the kitchen sink. My personal favorite colorway is Clear Blue Stripes, but Teal Green Stripes feels seasonal-appropriate.
Venchi Chocolate Pistachio Cremino 10 pcs, $14.50. I've been loving to give Venchi's delicious Italian chocolates, especially their book-shaped tin case ones. This year, I'm going to get this Cremino series for my holiday party guests, inspired by Ali LaBelle's À LA CARTE print issue. The wrapping is classic, and the flavor sounds mouth-watering. If your neighborhood has its boutique location, you can mix and match chocolates and buy them by the pound, which I'll do.
And if you live in NYC—
The real brick-and-mortar stores will always have something unexpected that you can't find online. For this season, I'm going to visit Gem Home, Fish Eddy, Jane Cookshop, and the Six Bells.
The Six Bells just dropped their second Holiday Antique collection, so it'll be worth coming out to the Carroll Gardens.
That's a wrap!
I'll continuously write about dishes and home goods that I admire, but I hope this list is helpful for the coming Christmas shopping. Also, I didn't forget about my hand cream lists— please stay tuned. And there are so many great, affordable gift ideas in this post as well, so please take another look.
(From the post above:) I still think the Sabre's Tart slicer($40.50) or a Tart server($36) is a great gift for someone who loves to host. We recently hosted our first end-of-year gathering of this year, and while the regular chopping knife was fine to cut the whole cake, I truly wished we had the tart slicer for the occasion.
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I hope you found something unexpected to spark your joy!
Thank you so much for reading this, and I'll write you another postcard soon.
xxx
Marie