The 2019 Christmas gift guide for artists, designers and makers

At Creative Boom, we've done all the hard work for you, picking out a selection of presents ideal for those who love and appreciate art and design.

Wherever possible, we've supported independent shops and makers, so you can give something back to the creative community while picking out something thoughtful for your loved ones. We've also considered sustainability and more charitable causes, so your conscience is well and truly clear.

This year, we've got something to suit everyone – from clothing, accessories and quirky homeware to books, prints, candles and stationery.

Mus Plant Pot by Ferm Living

This cute pot by Ferm Living isn't just for plants; it can easily be the home for pencils and crayons on a desk or shelf. It's called 'Mus', which is Danish for 'mouse', so that's why the pot has a pointy nose and the two handles are its ears. Unglazed on the outside and glazed inside, it's available in two sizes and two colours.

Priced at £25 – Buy the Gift

Unisex Boyfriend Shirt by Teresa Rego

Made from 100% organic cotton poplin, this unisex boyfriend shirt is designed by Teresa Rego. The yarn was sourced in Greece and woven in Belgium. It's also digitally printed for minimal environmental impact and improved colour fastness. Handmade especially for you in Peckham. We'll take two.

Priced at £89 – Buy the Gift

Polaroid Lab

"Pluck your memories from the Cloud and bring them into the real world," say the people behind Polaroid Lab. This three-lens system acts as a desktop darkroom to turn your digital photos into instant Polaroid pictures. No printing, no scanning, it's easy. Plus you can create and communicate in more ways than one with collage and augmented reality functions.

Priced at £119.99 – Buy the Gift

Urbania Lighthouse by Kähler

Inspired by traditional Christmas decorations, these Urbania Lighthouse tealights are perfect for the darker months, bringing some cosy light and warmth to any room. Designed by Bache and Bendix Becker and crafted in white glazed porcelain, you can buy one or expand your collection and create a little village to light up your mantlepiece or shelf.

Priced at £20 – Buy the Gift

ABC's Geometric Shadow prints by Hey

Choose a letter and have one of these gorgeous geometric prints by Hey. Signature embossed and Giclée printed, this will add style to any room. Or if you'd love something a little more winter-themed, check out Hey's 'January' poster available here.

Priced at €40 – Buy the Gift

Vegan slippers

Handmade in London from reclaimed vegan faux fur, these winter slippers are cosy and comfortable, with an eco-friendly jute sole. Even better? Juta Shoes is a social enterprise based in Bethnal Green, whose profits go to running a training programme for women who face barriers to work.

Priced at £50 – Buy the Gift

Slow Coffee Brewer Set by Kinto

This is the perfect gift for the serious coffee lover in your life. Made from the finest materials by Kinto, it's a brewing tool inspired by craftsmanship. The stand is made from rich walnut wood. It has a solid brass arm and a gold stainless steel filter. A heat-resistant glass pouring jug sits underneath and lets you closely observe the dripping process. Beautifully made, built to last and gorgeous to look at – ideal for Christmas.

Priced at £180 – Buy the Gift

Barbican Architecture Collection enamel pin

If you or a friend can't get enough of Brutalist architecture at the Barbican, then this elegant pin badge will make the perfect gift. Wear it with pride. A nice little stocking filler, too.

Priced at £5 – Buy the Gift

Brighton Doodle Map cushion by Dave Draws

We love this 'Doodle Map' cushion of Brighton by Dave Draws, a freelance illustrator based in Manchester. Focusing on the city's famous streets and landmarks, all cushions are high-quality printed onto white 100% cotton twill and are handmade in Manchester. If Brighton isn't your home, there are other cities available.

Priced at £30 – Buy the Gift

A to Z of The Designers Republic™ by Unit Editions

For the keen graphic designer in your life, the A to Z of The Designers Republic™ is a new book that covers over three decades of the iconic studio's work – featuring an A to Z of everything from campaigns for Evolution Print, Coca-Cola and Nike, through to the studio’s celebrated designs for video games such as Wipeout and Formula Fusion.

Priced from £85 – Buy the Gift

Handmade porcelain vases by Clara Castner

We love these gorgeous porcelain vases hand-carved by Clara Castner. Each vase is made with liquid slip in a mould, and then Clara carves each one by hand. "I make my glazes, rather than using shop-bought ones," she tells Creative Boom.

From at £30 – Buy the Gift

Arctic Initial Ring by Emily Grace Jewellery

Designer and maker Emily Freeman is behind the brand, Emily Grace Jewellery, where she creates and sells playful rings and necklaces made from precious metals and gemstones with hand-tinted resin. We love this Arctic Initial Ring from her Name Me range. Choose your initial and whether it's made from silver or gold, and you've got the perfect gift.

Priced from £200 – Buy the Gift

My Modern House by Charlotte Trounce

This activity book by Charlotte Trounce is bursting with drawing, colouring and sticker activities, alongside illuminating profiles of famous architects and the homes they created, making it a perfect gift for a budding designer. Architectural profiles include Alvar Aalto’s 'Experimental House', the Barbican Estate, ’Face House’ by Kazumasa Yamashita and many more.

Priced at £9.99 – Buy the Gift

Handmade Work Apron by Lisa Bennett

Want to protect your clothes in style when you're being creative? Lisa Bennett makes these gorgeous work aprons for artists and makers, available in different materials and styles. We love this golden denim creation with a cross back and split skirt, perfect for potters.

Priced at £82 – Buy the Gift

The Workbench Box

Jewellery makers Katie and Kirstie run ring making workshops, but they also sell ring making kits that you can gift and make in the comfort of your own home. The Workbench Box uses the ancient skill of lost wax casting. You carve your ring design from jewellers wax using Katie and Kirstie's online tutorials and inspiration from their Instagram. You then post it back to them in a pre-paid jiffy bag and they cast your ring into solid silver, gold or platinum. There's also plating, engraving and stone setting upgrades that can be added. How cool is that?

Priced at £115 – Buy the Gift

Brutal T-shirt by Barbican

Made from 100% cotton, this t-shirt design is inspired by the Barbican's Brutalist architecture and was created in-house by the Barbican studio. Available in small, medium or large and made in the UK.

Priced at £16 – Buy the Gift

Malika Favre by Counter-Print

One of the world's most celebrated illustrators, Malika Favre is renowned for her stunningly simple work, imbued with an iconic sense of style and underlying meaning. Now you can enjoy some of her greatest illustrations in a revealing new monograph, published by Counter-Print.

Priced at £30 – Buy the Gift

Coo Bird by May Wild Studio

We adore these Coo Birds (with golden droppings) by Rebecca May and Michael Wild of May Wild Studio. Inspired by the urban pigeon, these ornaments are a "celebration of our cities, representing two sides of them, sometimes run down but sometimes glorious, a pest but also a creature of value. They are a story of finding beauty and humour in the everyday, in the forgotten, in our common urban pigeon and its good-luck golden droppings".

Priced at £250 – Buy the Gift

Engine 55 sculpture by Chisel & Mouse

Chisel & Mouse (founded by brothers Robert and Gavin Paisley) cast and handcraft exact physical representations of architectural landmarks and cityscapes, creating miniature sculptures for your home. We like Engine 55, one of the most recognisable buildings in New York. It was designed by architect RH Robertson and completed in 1899 in the Little Italy district of the city.

Priced at £195 – Buy the Gift

Envelope Pencil Case by Present & Correct

Present & Correct's leather envelopes come in five gorgeous colours. Handmade in London, they're perfect for your pens, pencils and other office stationery but we'd equally use one as a purse. We'll take one in Blush and Coffee, please.

Priced at £23.50 – Buy the Gift

Petite Copper and Natural Leather by Void Watches

In a subtle, timeless design with a touch of playfulness, this watch by Void and designed by David Ericsson will appeal to anyone who appreciates great design. It somehow manages to be both classic and contemporary and is available in various styles. We like this petite copper and natural leather version, but there are more for you to choose from.

Priced at £160 – Buy the Gift

Bag by RIGA

Counter-Print has teamed up with RIGA to create two unique colour combinations of their icon handmade bag.
 The design of these Italian bags is as clean and straightforward as the idea behind it – they can be a tote bag or a backpack in just a few steps.

Priced at £30 – Buy the Gift

Girls Unite Calendar by Alia Wilhelm

Curated by multimedia artist Alia Wilhelm, each section of the Girls Unite calendar is designed by a different female artist and is a work of art in its own right, ready to be framed once the month is over. Talented contributors include Areeba Siddique, Sendra Uebele, Caitlin Hazell, Anna Claire White, Holly Leonardson, Andrea Lux, Maison Stella, Alex Westfall, Savana Ogburn, Elly Malone and Nina Sepahpour. Available in both A3 and A4 sizes and printed on high-quality recycled paper.

Priced from £16 – Buy the Gift

Spring Alphabet Brush Pot by Bridie Hall

A statement addition to any desktop or workspace, this Spring Alphabet Brush Pot has been designed by Bridie Hall as part of her new season collection and is available in all letters of the alphabet.

Priced from £40 – Buy the Gift

First in the Fight by Helen Antrobus and Andrew Simcock

Written by Helen Antrobus and Andrew Simcock, and with 20 individual Women in Print illustrations, First in the Fight tells of a city where women have stood shoulder to shoulder in the fight for equality and change. Creatively inspiring, with the book's front cover by Jane Bowyer, it's part of the People’s History Museum’s collection.

Priced at £14.99 – Buy the Gift

Bananatex Roll Pack by QWSTION

Crafted using a specially developed fabric made from the banana plant, this sustainable roll pack bag by QWSTION is influenced by Swiss modernist design and will appeal to the serious design lover in your life. Also available in black, it has a natural waterproof coating plus an expandable main compartment with a 15" laptop slot.

Priced from £295 – Buy the Gift

Customised Travel Journal by FO! Design

These gorgeous travel journals by FO! Design have beautiful covers, handmade and laser-cut, with a carved out city or country of your choice. Choose from Boston, New York, Rome or places like Europe, Japan and Portugal.

Priced around £28 – Buy the Gift

David Sock Knee family set by Chatty Feet

How about some soft and comfy socks for creative children? Kids can get surreal with Sole-Adore Dali Jr, go dotty with Yayoi Toesama Jr, practice opera singing with La Diva Jr, and leap into action with Commander Awesome Jr. In this case, we're recommending a 'David Sock Knee' family set where parents and their sidekicks can step out together in matching characters.

Priced at £12 – Buy the Gift

Hey You personalised book by Storigraphic

How about a book you can personalise? Storigraphic has released a new title called Hey You, which is gorgeously illustrated and allows you, or someone you love, to become part of the story. For every book sold, 5% will be donated to the homeless charity Crisis, UK. The company has also committed to being plastic-free, so it's a great gift for 2019.

Priced from £19.50 – Buy the Gift

Botanical prints by Sophie Potter

Sophie Potter creates artworks inspired by the natural world, greenhouses and botanical illustration. She works digitally and in gouache. For Christmas, why not support her by treating someone you love to one of her bold fine art giclee prints inspired by nature.

Priced at £30 – Buy the Gift

Essential Oil Scented Rapeseed Wax Candle by Aerende

Finally, a gently fragranced candle made with natural rapeseed wax, a sustainable and non-toxic alternative to standard paraffin or soya wax candles, and scented with essential oils. Brought to you by an independent brand called Aerende, who also consider the environment by switching from standard wicks to non-toxic cotton and linen ones.

Priced at £37.50 – Buy the Gift

Temporary floral tattoos by Helen Dealtry

From her Hudson, New York design studio, Helen Dealtry creates printed textile designs and original artwork and teaches classes in watercolour and ink. She's also created some temporary watercolour blooms for Tattly. Safe and non-toxic, they last on average for two to four days.

Priced at $15 – Buy the Gift