Thoughtful Gifting For Christmas

Oct 25

9 min read

Updated: Oct 26

We've curated a Christmas gift list including gifts for foodies, homebodies, and those who like to explore and anyone in between; they all contribute to being more friendly on the planet as well as being gifts we're confident they'd love to receive. Pop the kettle on, put your feet up and browse our recommendations below...

Conscious & Planet-Friendly Presents They’ll Actually Love

The feeling of joy when you choose a gift for someone special and you know that it is just right for them is one of our favourite things about the festive season at Design@Studio17 (along with mince pies and mulled wine!). We believe that great gifts shouldn't 'cost' the earth; and so wanted to share some of our personal trusted favourites who share our values.

All of our recommendations are made on personal experience, there are no affiliation links, we hope this Christmas gift guide helps to focus on the joy of intentional giving of something that feels special, is well-made, and supports good people and sustainable living.

Image source Nkuku / Design@Studio17 / Nkuku

Gifts for a Homebody (The One Who Loves a Cosy Sanctuary)

Luxurious Home Fragrances: Not only does a beautiful candle create a beautiful aroma, but dotted around on side tables and mantelpieces they will provide a warm, flickering light, perfect for hunkering down over the winter season. Our favourites come from Känsla who craft luxurious, refillable, and sustainable home fragrances that are natural, vegan, and cruelty-free. They believe in quality products that can be refilled, reused, or recycled, ensuring beauty never comes at the cost of sustainability. We also love St Palo's Wood Burner, which has been specifically designed to heat wood just enough for it to release it’s aromatic oils, to fill your space with the delightful aroma of Palo Santo. Palo Santo is a naturally scented wood that has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries, and the scent is frequently described as warm, sweet and woody, with possible subtle notes of ginger, vanilla, citrus, and mint. Sorcha has hers lit most days while working in the office, particularly when deep in the detail of big projects, as it's known for it's ability to bring a little calm to stressful days. We also love the NEOM Wellbeing Pod this works at the touch of a button and can support sleep, help reduce stress, or help with a little mood boost through their 100% natural Essential Oil Blends. The latest model is crafted with sustainability in mind, the new Hevea wooden base is an upcycled material from sustainable forests. The scents are gorgeous, made from 100% natural fragrances from the purest of essential oils.

Lush Bedding: In our humble (hurkle-durkle) opinion, nothing says cosy sanctuary quite like snuggling down into Secret Linen Store bedding. Made from top quality cotton and linen, their luxury bedding sets are a great gift idea for a homebody. After all, we spend around a third of our lives asleep, so why not pretend like you’re staying at a fancy hotel every night of the week! Secret Linen Store have a great ethos of supporting those less fortunate too, and donate their items that aren't perfect for retail, to charitable causes.

Image Source Design@Studio17 / Secret Linen Store

Beautiful Homeware Pieces: One of our favourite places to look for gorgeous and responsibly-crafted home accessories is Nkuku. They have an array of beautiful items to choose from that would look perfect in any room of a home - all the items Nkuku source to sell are underpinned by their principles of supporting and working with artisans throughout the world, with a particular focus on handmade techniques and traditional skills. You can be assured that whatever you choose will look good and also do good.

For the New Home Owners: A Design@Studio17 gift card is a unique gift for any new home owners in your life who might like some help to make their new home truly theirs. Our gift cards can be used against any of our interior design services, and are available in any value you choose so you can balance your gifting budget with the scope of services that your recipient may need. An interior design gift card is a truly unique and thoughtful gift that will be appreciated for years to come, find out more here.

Gifts for the Nature Lover

Homes of Heritage: If there's someone you want to buy for who loves the history of homes and being in the great outdoors, a National Trust membership could be a super thoughtful choice. Not only will your gift give them access to over 500 places, from houses and gardens to coastlines and countryside; but it also supports the work of the National Trust, who look after the nature, beauty and history of these special places. Heading out in nature is also great for your wellbeing, which is very important to us at Design@Studio17.

A Flower Subscription: Unleash their inner florist with fresh, seasonal stems delivered straight to their door, as often as you like. Freddie's Flowers operate on a 'grow-to-order' basis, helping to minimise floral waste.

Budding Growers: This year Sorcha has started growing some fruit and veg, as someone that is not known to be super green fingered, she has some shoots (not bad for someone that planted the seeds late... she is a member of Pot Gang, a subscription service that helps you learn how to grow your own vegetables with the full support of a growing community online too.

Insulated Reusable Bottle or Flask: High-quality, durable stainless steel drinkware that is perfect for adventurers - keeping drinks hot or cold for hours, and reducing reliance on single-use plastics when out exploring.

Gifts for Fashion & Beauty Enthusiasts

For the Fashion Fanatics: Sustainably made clothing isn't just good for the planet, with more and more research coming to light following investigations into high street brands, there is more and more evidence of toxins in clothes or poor conditions for workers, so moving to more sustainable and transparent companies is also good for your health. Here are a few of our favourites.

BAM Clothing for comfy and planet-conscious clothing; whether it be for leisure or lounging, BAM have an array of options to choose from for your loved ones. As their name might suggest, they use bamboo to produce the material to craft their clothing which is soft, luxurious and amazing next to even the most sensitive skin. Nothing says 'Christmas' quite like a new pair of socks and BAM have a gorgeous, cosy gift set that is perfect for the season, containing a Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) Beanie with a lovely deep fold over brim, and two pairs of slouchy socks made with their supersoft, breathable and absorbent in bamboo viscose.

For those looking for something more fancy than loungewear, Daughters of India, not only have gorgeous dresses they pledge $5,000 per month to women's charities as well as provide work with fair wages to women in India. As a fan of block printing in both clothes and homeware (gorgeous & sustainable), Sorcha has many items from here; 100% cotton the dresses also help those with peri menopause symptoms under control too, but there are many styles that look just as good with trainers and a knit to ensure you get use out of them all year.

Jewellery for kind-hearted humans:🧡 Katie our Operational Delivery Director is a huge part of Design@Studio17, but in her spare time she also does something we think is pretty amazing, she crafts beautiful gemstone jewellery. Suubi Jewellery holds a belief that jewellery shouldn't just look good, it should carry a beautiful purpose. Each piece is thoughtfully designed to celebrate natural beauty, resilience, and meaning with profits from every purchase sent to support the work of The Sorcha Children Foundation un Uganda. They are beautiful.

Conscious Beauty: For those that are on the path to a more sustainable living, make up is still very tricky to buy to balance products that work and are good to the planet. Clarins now has a Clarins B Corp™ certification, a reflection of their ongoing commitment to improving the well-being of both the planet and its people. Sorcha our founder is a HUGE fan on their Beauty Flash Balm, and recently discovered that they now do a subscription service so this miracle in a tube, is no longer for special occasions.

Natural Products: Bower Collective's vision is to support the elimination of plastic waste and to help you enjoy a more sustainable home with their range of delightful natural products. They source the finest natural ingredients from a sustainable supply chain, ensuring their products are good for you and the planet, and enable you to refill and reuse dispensers and send packaging back to them, to help reduce plastic waste. Their Hand & Body Ritual Starter Kit would make a great gift, although our favourite scents are their Coconut & Orchid body wash, and the Lime & Aloe Vera hand wash. When we work with any clients on kitchen and bathroom projects, we set you up with our recommendations.

Gifts for Foodies

A Treat to Eat: From sweet treats, and artisan cheese, to the drinkable type of treat; whatever is their favourite, there's bound to be a foodie gift for them! Seek out local food markets and source something special from a nearby producer; this is an easy way to support smaller businesses and also, it usually minimises the carbon footprint of a product by reducing the need to transport goods too far. Some of our personal favourites also do nationwide delivery and lovely gift packages.

Specialist Ingredients: You could also look out for unique ingredients for the foodie in your life. Oxfam sell a selection of food and drink online, that support good causes and suppliers from countries outside the UK; we love the look of their Za'atar or high-quality extra virgin Palestinian olive oil.

Cookery Classes: For a truly unique foodie gift for a loved one, why not get them a gift card for a cookery class? They make a great present for the aspiring chef or foodie in your life who wants to learn the art of authentic cuisine. We especially like the ethos behind buying a gift voucher for a class ran by Migrateful, who support migrants and refugees on their journey to integration by enabling them to teach cookery classes to the general public. Find out more about Migrateful and explore their classes here.

Image Source: Left to right; 1 The English Rose Bakery, 2 Cheesegeek, 3 Roebuck Estate

Gifts for Kids

Enjoy the Great Outdoors: Den Building kits from Den Kit Co are designed to encourage children to get outside - whether a tiny back garden, on top of a hill, in a meadow, field, forest, beach or balcony. The promise of a hand-crafted space in which to set up a temporary retreat is tempting to children (and adults) of all ages, and with no single-use-plastic, no batteries, no complicated instructions - this is inclusive, simple, unadulterated fun.

Get Crafty: If you’re looking for a gorgeous Christmas gift for someone crafty (or maybe a creative treat for yourself), a Paint Your Own Textured Canvas Art Craft Kit from @paintings_by_nelb on Instagram could be just the thing! Each kit comes with a textured canvas personalised with a name, word or date of birth, acrylic paints + paint brushes, and a cute artist’s apron or beret; all beautifully presented in a box ready for gifting.

Cute Clothing: Little Green Radicals has some adorable clothes from little bambinos to eight years old. All their cotton products are GOTS certified organic & Fairtrade certified. They have some super cute knits.

Gifts for those that are hard to buy for

(Who already have "everything they need"!)

Experiences Over Things: Offer gifts of shared experiences like a cooking class, theatre tickets, or a weekend getaway. These create lasting memories and can be lovely to look forward to well after the festive season has passed. ClassBento offer a wide range of unique experiences that you can book or buy a gift card for, have a look and see what is available in your region.

Gift With Intention, Not Obligation: Release the pressure to exchange gifts simply out of social expectation. Consider organising a group Secret Santa to focus on one thoughtful present or embrace the "gift of nothing" – the freedom to opt out of an exchange if it feels right, allowing for more meaningful gestures for those you truly wish to celebrate.

The Gift of Charity: For those loved ones who seem to have 'everything' they could ever need, or for the minimalist who values experience over possessions, the gift of charity offers a truly meaningful alternative. Instead of contributing to clutter or consumption, you can make a donation in their name to a cause that aligns with their values - whether it's planting trees, supporting a food bank, or funding clean water initiatives. This kind of is a powerful force for good, honouring your loved one's values while providing vital help to others. It’s a gift that speaks volumes, and leaves a lasting, positive impact on the world. You can find out more about the charities we support at Design@Studio17 and how to help them, here.

A Gift That's Home Sweet Home: Choosing the perfect gift can be a daunting task, especially when you want to give something truly meaningful. An interior design gift card from us at Design@Studio17 offers a unique and thoughtful solution by providing practical assistance to help create someone's perfect space. Whatever their choosing, our gift cards are the perfect choice and can be redeemed against any of our interior design services or our Design Retreats. this combines wellbeing & interiors, with travel & connection.

This Christmas, Design@Studio17 invites you to step into the joy of intentional giving, we hope we have inspired you to choose gifts that are special, well-made, and support small businesses and the planet. Whether you're shopping for a homebody, a nature enthusiast, a foodie, or even the person who "has it all," the true essence of the festive season lies in thoughtful choices that create lasting positive impact, not just temporary clutter.

We hope we've helped you make a new discovery for either yourself, or for a loved one.

Warm wishes,

The Design@Studio17 team xx