Presents for Architects and Building Lovers
What on earth can an innocent bystander find as the perfect present for an architect or architecture lover?
As the friend or relative of an architect you know the sad truth: architects are picky and hard to shop for.
But here's help! A few ideas for graduation, birthday, and holiday presents that your building-ophile may love.
As the friend or relative of an architect you know the sad truth: architects are picky and hard to shop for.
But here's help! A few ideas for graduation, birthday, and holiday presents that your building-ophile may love.
Let's Start - - -
With the overtly Architectural
Whenever you're searching through bookstores or catalogs, here are a few magic names,subjects, periods, or phrases to look for, which have a high rate of return in leading to architecturally interesting things:
Art Deco
Art Nouveau
Bauhaus
Alexander Calder
Cities (as in the Architecture of Paris/Rome/etc.)
Classical (as in Architecture)
Countries (as in the Architecture of France/Italy/etc.)
Craftsman Style
DeStijl
Charles and Ray Eames
Antonio Gaudi
Frank Gehry
Gothic cathedrals
Michael Graves
Greene and Greene
Inigo Jones
Le Corbusier
Riccardo Legoretta
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Mid-century Modern
Mies van der Rohe
Modernism
William Morris
Neo-Classical
Isamu Noguchi
Andrea Palladio
John Ruskin
Robert Stern
Louis Sullivan
Robert Venturi
Frank Lloyd Wright
Architecture Toys
Why be so solemn? So serious? Why not an architecture toy to play with on the desk top - or the nursery floor?
More Architectural Toys
Building and architecture toys - some for kids, some for both adults and children.
A sketch by architect le Corbusier
Gift Books
Architecture may have been invented just to fill beautiful coffee-table books. But some of these are more than pretty pictures.
Architectural (and Art) Book Stores
Look through some of these specialty bookstores for those hard-to find architectural tomes.
- Rizzoli New York
- A fabulous art and architecture bookstore. Here's the architecure website, but browse around!
- William Stout Books
- San Francisco's great architectural bookstore.
- Chicago Architecture Foundation bookshop
- And Chicago's Architecture Foundation has a good book department (picking up a theme here? Cities with great architecture have great architecture bookstores. Weird.)
- Hennessey Ingalls
- I haven't tried this bookstore, but it looks promising.
- TASCHEN
- Like Rizzoli, TASCHEN is a publisher of art and architecture books.
Frank Lloyd Wright sketch of the Guggenheim museum.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Our most famous American architect. And one of the most influential too.
Modern Times
A watch an architect would love.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has many architectural gifts - this is one of the most beautiful (click on the pic to jump to their webpage). Architecture as Music
That classic architectural song "So long, Frank Lloyd Wright."
Manufacturers and Merchants of - - -
Architectural Products and Gifts
- Arts and Crafts Tile
- And lots of other cool Craftsman Style goods. Includes Motawi Tile - which makes gorgeous art tiles - and makers of china, jewelry, and textiles..
- The Architecture Room
- A listing of on-line sources for architectural prints and posters.
This print of a Corinthian column capital is available at barewalls.com
Bauhaus Design
The Bauhaus school (1919-1933) was one of the springboards of the new Modernist style that profoundly changed architecture and continues to inflence designers today.
Classic Modern
There's a clean, undecorated, sculptural shape to Modernist designs.
Charles Eames - patent drawing for a chair, 1951. Library of Congress
Eames
Charles and Ray Eames were the amazing design-duo of mid-century Modern - designing everything from buildings to furniture to film.
Architectural Furniture
Now this would be a BIG present... but maybe that's what's needed.Mid-century modern furniture - the real thing, the collectible, original,genuine stuff - from a company in Houston that started on Ebay, then added a brick-and-mortar showroom and warehouse. (Backwards, huh?) MetroRetro. Nowadays they sell furniture from the website and in person.
I haven't bought from them myself, but I HAVE pressed my nose to their showroom window in pure wanting... (See that nose-print? Mine.) They have a constantly changing inventory of cool architectural Modern furniture. Click on the pic to reach their home page.
Sketch of the Kimball Art Museum, Fort Worth by Andrew Lewis
Museums with Architecture/Art/Book Shops
Great museums often have good architectural book sections - and may have other interesting goods too.
- Chicago Architecture Foundation shop
- Books sure, but lots of other goodies.
- Museum of Modern Art
- MOMA has pretty cool (Modernist obviously) stuff.
- National Building Museum
- All about buildings.
- Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation store
- All things FLW.
Perfectly Architectural Mouse Pad
From Louis Kahn's Kimbell Museum of Art
A close up photo of some of the most beautiful concrete in the world. Angular Geometries
Circular Geometries
Calder and Mobiles
Modern art and modern architecture compliment each other. Alexander Calder's playful mobiles enliven many modern spaces - from Washington D.C.'s National Gallery to your living room.
Posters
Brighten your architecture student's dorm!
Calendars
There seem to be hundreds of good architecture calendars.
Mackintosh Designs
These products are based on or inspired by the Scottish Art Nouveau designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Designer Business Card Cases
Here's a place for a truly well designed accessory - an elegant business card case!
Art Cards
for when even architects need words...
"V" Architecture Monogram Note Cards (Pk of 10)
Price: $12.99 
Black and White Classic Photo Note Cards (Pk of 20
Price: $27.99
Roman Door with Cherubs Note Cards (Pk of 20)
Price: $25.19
Architectural Scarves
Soft, feminine, yet architectural.
Stained Glass
A very architectural gift - one that becomes part of the house.
Bits of Architecture
What says "Architecture" better than fragments of - - - architecture?
Architectural Tile
Ceramic tiles can be a beautiful piece of art.These hand-crafted tiles, by Motawi, evoke the wonderful Craftsman Style tiles and structural terracotta of the turn of the last century.
Lighting
Alessi
The designer's housewares
This company, perhaps more than any other except Herman Miller in furniture, has been a major producer of beautifully designed Modern objects.
More Modernism
Mid-Century Modern, that is. Look here for more likely-to-please-an-architect gift ideas.
More Architectural Gifts
- Architect Gifts Plus
- A website offering - architecture gifts.
- Zazzle
- Architecture gifts.
- La Femme Architecte
- Advice on gifts for architecture students.
- Architect Gift Ideas
- Another Squidoo Lens with different suggestions.
Wooden Boxes are Architectural
And the Japanese puzzle boxes featured in this Lens would be guaranteed to fascinate any architecturally-minded person as a gift. Beautiful!
There are some terrific blogs on contemporary design. One of my favorites is that of Soodie Beasley. (Click on the pic!)
Architectural Bells
Visionary architect Paolo Solari may be almost as famous for his bells as for Arcosanti, his amazing megastructure-building-city in Arizona. Feeling Romantic?
You can even find sentimental presents for your designer!
Posters and Calendars
Architecture for on the wall.
New York - Flatiron Building Poster
Price: $5.00
Black and White Classic Photo Framed Panel Print
Price: $44.99
Lg. Framed Rome Pantheon Print
Price: $38.00
Corinthian column, USA, New York, New York City
Price: $95.00
Black and White Photo Large Framed Print
Price: $79.99
Vintage Roman Ruins III Poster
Price: $60.00
Ordonnance d'un Portique, (The Vatican Collection)
Price: $20.00
Facade avec Elephants, (The Vatican Collection) Po
Price: $20.00
Black and White Classic Photo Large Poster
Price: $27.99
Barcelona Spain
Price: $67.99
Empire State Poster
Price: $10.00
Architecture Pop Art Framed Tile
Price: $15.99
Firenze Florence Duomo Calendar Print
Price: $5.99
Refraction Calendar Print
Price: $5.99
Architectural Ts from CafePress
(The cotton kind of T, not the concrete kind)
Le Corbusier Mask of Medusa Light T-Shirt
I love this one - for the real le Corbusier fan.
Price: $22.99
Is This a Graduation Gift?
Here's another Lens with specifically new-grad suggestions.
Need More Suggestions? Or Have a Few?
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Atreyusmommy May 4, 2012 @ 7:46 pm | delete
- Very good lens! Thanks for sharing
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Aprilkielb
Apr 18, 2012 @ 12:57 am | delete
- new design and well as planning are the main virtue of an architect.
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elynmac
Apr 11, 2012 @ 8:02 pm | delete
- I am so happy to know about your page - my sister in law is an architect, and I have never dared to buy anything architectural for her. (She is easy to get presents for, so that isn't a problem, but I have never felt brave enough to give her a present that would really delight her in this front.) Already found one - thanks!
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cdevries
Apr 12, 2012 @ 9:39 am | delete
- So glad it's useful. Architects CAN be hard to shop for... especially since they tend to have "champagne tastes and beer budgets."
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Tipi
Mar 19, 2012 @ 7:04 pm | delete
- Architectural designs are exciting to see all in one place like this. :)
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cdevries
Mar 19, 2012 @ 7:35 pm | delete
- Thanks!
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fotolady49 Feb 1, 2012 @ 9:20 pm | delete
- Superb! Love this lens!!
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waldenthree.net
Dec 20, 2011 @ 1:03 pm | delete
- Congrad on reaching Squidoo level 53. I just got there myself. Love old greek architechture of the temples. Appreciating your topic.
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cdevries
Dec 20, 2011 @ 2:47 pm | delete
- Thanks- and congrats to you too.
Greek Temples! I have a thing for Roman ruins, but haven't seen Greece yet. Sigh.
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Michey Nov 19, 2011 @ 7:20 pm | delete
- You have an inspirational collection of gifts for architecture lovers, or architects. It is a little hard to chose a gift for them but your lens is a great resource.
Thanks
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Architecture Loot from CafePress
Eichler Floor Plan Mousepad
Price: $19.99
Architecture Modern Wall Clock
Work (lots) Nap (little). These seems like an accurate timepiece.
Price: $41.99
Like This Lens?
If you enjoyed your visit to the strange world-view of architects and feel like tipping your hat (or tossing a bouquet), please click a "Like" button below. One is for Squids, but the Facebook "Like" works for everyone. Or, you know, tell your friends. Email your Mom. Or leave a message.All much appreciated!
This Happy Snowman page written by
cdevries
I am an architect, a theater set designer, a collage artist, and, just lately, a writer on all that. What's next week?
Well, becoming a Squid Angel...
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