Can I be honest with you? Most holiday gift guides exhaust me. You scroll through dozens of items organized by price point, each with a generic sentence of praise, and by the end you're no closer to finding something meaningful than when you started. It's all volume, maximum links, maximum overwhelm.
This isn't that kind of gift guide.
What Sarah and I have put together here is curated, not comprehensive. These aren't products we're pushing, they're objects we genuinely love, pieces made by artists and artisans whose work we've followed for years. Everything in this guide is available in our Larchmont gallery or online, and every single purchase comes with complimentary gift wrapping that makes the unboxing almost as memorable as the gift itself.
These are objects of affection, pieces chosen not because they're trending but because they have story, craft, presence. Things that become treasured possessions rather than forgotten clutter.
Whether you're shopping for someone you know intimately or treating yourself to something you've been circling for months, consider this less a shopping list and more an introduction to beauty worth owning.
Gifts Under $25: Small Luxuries That Surprise
The best stocking stuffers aren't afterthoughts, they're small luxuries that show you paid attention. Things that elevate daily rituals or spark genuine delight when unwrapped.
Bath Balms That Transform an Ordinary Tuesday
Musée Bath Balms ($12) might be our most-gifted item, and for good reason. They're beautiful enough to display, luxurious enough to make a regular bath feel like self-care, and priced to buy multiples. We stock the everyday collection, children's collection and special Christmas and Hanukkah editions, perfect for teachers, neighbors, coworkers, or anyone who deserves a moment of quiet indulgence.
The genius of a really good bath balm: it's permission. Permission to slow down, to take 20 minutes for yourself, to treat an ordinary weeknight like it matters. That's a meaningful gift at any price point.
Cocktail Napkins That Make Every Gathering Special
Never underestimate the power of beautiful cocktail napkins. Caspari's Hanukkah and Christmas cocktail napkins ($12) turn even casual gatherings into occasions. They're the details that make guests feel like you made an effort, because you did, even if it only took 30 seconds to set them out.
For the person who lights candles even on Tuesday. Who makes every meal feel intentional. Who understands that hospitality is in the details. These napkins say: I see you, I know you, I appreciate how you make space for others.
Peppermint & Rosemary Salt Soak
Musée's Peppermint & Rosemary Mini Salt Soak ($8) is that perfect under-$10 gift that doesn't feel like you grabbed it at checkout. It's thoughtful. Sensory. Beautiful packaging that doesn't need wrapping (though we'll wrap it anyway if you want). Stack a few together for a self-care bundle or tuck one into a larger gift.
Gifts Under $50: Elevated Essentials
This price range is where intention really shows. These aren't throwaway purchases, they're pieces that get used, noticed, treasured.
Woodland Animal Ornaments Worth Unwrapping Year After Year
Nathalie Lété's Dressed Woodland Animal Ornaments by Glitterville ($22) are the kind of ornaments that become part of your family's story. Each one is a tiny work of art, whimsical, beautifully detailed, with enough personality to spark conversations every time you decorate.
These aren't generic glass balls. They're characters. The fox in the velvet jacket. The rabbit with the crown. The kind of ornaments your kids will fight over when they eventually have their own trees. Start their collection now.
Dreidels Celebration Crackers
Dreidels Celebration Crackers ($33.50) bring a British Christmas tradition to Hanukkah celebrations. Pull them open for small surprises, paper crowns, and the kind of playful ritual that makes holidays memorable. Perfect for families, for dinner parties, for anyone who believes celebrations should involve a little magic and a lot of laughter.
Gifts Under $100: When Quality Announces Itself
At this price point, you're giving pieces that last. Objects with weight, with presence, with the kind of quality that's obvious the moment someone holds them.
LAFCO Candles: Fragrance as Design Object
LAFCO's Eight Night's Light Signature Candle ($75) and Balsam Black Pepper Absolute Signature Candle ($115) aren't just candles, they're sculptural objects that happen to smell extraordinary. The glass vessels are worth keeping long after the candle burns down. The scents are sophisticated without being overwhelming. The burn time justifies the investment.
These are candles for people who understand that scent is part of how a home feels. Who light candles not just for ambiance but as ritual. Who know the difference between a candle from a chain store and one that becomes part of your home's signature.
Anna New York: Where Judaica Meets High Design
Anna New York's Coluna Mezuzah Small ($75) reimagines traditional Judaica with modern materials, marble and silver, sculptural form, museum-quality craftsmanship. It's the kind of piece that makes you look at your doorframe differently. Ritual objects don't have to look like they're from your grandmother's house (though we loved grandmother's house). They can be contemporary, sophisticated, and still deeply meaningful.
Gifts Under $250: Investment Pieces That Anchor a Home
This is where gifts become statements. Where you're giving something that transforms a space, that becomes part of someone's visual vocabulary, that they'll treasure for decades.
Menorahs That Start Conversations
The menorah is the focal point of eight nights of celebration. It should be spectacular.
Jonathan Adler's Dachshund and Elephant Menorahs ($132 each) bring wit and whimsy to the holiday. They're sophisticated enough for design-minded adults but playful enough to make kids smile. These are pieces that work year-round as sculptural objects, not just pulled out once a year.
Anna New York's Brilliante Menorah in Marble & Gold ($195) is pure elegance, timeless, substantial, the kind of piece that becomes a family heirloom. Available in two colorways, it's for the person whose home is already carefully curated and who wants their Judaica to match that intentionality.
Challah Boards by Nikita Fine Art
Nikita Fine Art's Challah Serving Boards ($115) transform Friday night dinner into ceremony. Available in two colors, each one is handcrafted, not mass-produced, not generic. When you break challah on a board this beautiful, Shabbat feels different. More intentional. More sacred, even if you're not particularly religious.
These are the kinds of pieces that make traditions feel new again. That remind you why rituals matter.
Splurge-Worthy: When the Gift Is the Moment
Some gifts transcend price. They're about marking a moment, honoring a milestone, giving someone permission to own something extraordinary.
Art That Becomes Part of Someone's Story
This is where our gift guide gets serious, and where the most meaningful gifts live. Because art isn't just decoration. It's a visual autobiography. It's daily beauty. It's the piece that makes someone stop and breathe every time they walk past it.
For the collector starting their journey:
Lily Perry's "Doors" ($495) is an accessible entry point to original work from an artist whose career we're watching closely. Her exploration of memory and light creates pieces that shift with the day, with your mood, with the season. This is art for someone's first real piece, or their fiftieth.
Antoinette Wysocki's "Queen" ($500) brings bold color and confident composition at a price point that makes original art feel possible. This is the piece for someone who's been circling collecting but hasn't pulled the trigger yet. Give them permission to start.
Armin Eltze's "Color Reflection's" ($1,100) and Jill Krutick's "Reef Ball 2" ($700) represent contemporary voices working at the intersection of abstraction and emotion. These are pieces that anchor a room, that become conversation starters, that grow with you.
For the person building something significant:
Lily Perry's "Blue Dots" ($3,600) and "Blue Sky" ($4,500) represent more substantial investments in an artist whose work has depth and staying power. These aren't impulse purchases, they're considered acquisitions for someone who understands that living with great art changes how you move through your days.
Jenny Flexner Reinhardt's "This is Why" ($6,500) is a statement piece. The kind of work that transforms a space, that visitors notice immediately, that becomes part of how you describe your home.
For the serious collector (or the once-in-a-lifetime gift):
Andy Warhol's "After The Party" (Inquire for Price) isn't just art, it's art history. Warhol changed how we see. Owning his work means living with cultural significance, with work that will outlast all of us.
Pablo Picasso's "Tete de Femme" (Inquire for Price) connects directly to one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. When you gift Picasso, you're not giving decoration, you're giving legacy.
Jeff Koons's "Balloon Monkey (Blue)" (Inquire for Price) brings contemporary conversation and museum-quality provenance. Koons divides people, which is exactly why his work matters. These pieces don't just hang, they command attention, spark dialogue, challenge assumptions.
Adina Andrus Ceramics: Where Function Meets Fine Art
Adina Andrus's "Glazed Stoneware" ($550) and "Game (Red #2)" ($300) blur the line between ceramic art and sculptural object. These pieces are functional, technically, but that's not why you buy them. You buy them because they're beautiful. Because they show the artist's hand. Because they transform a shelf or table into a carefully curated moment.
Eight Nights of Light: The Hanukkah Edit
Hanukkah asks us to gather with intention. To mark eight nights with ritual and beauty. To choose pieces that honor tradition while feeling entirely contemporary.
We've curated everything you need to celebrate with style, from playful Jonathan Adler menorahs to elegant Anna New York marble pieces. From Caspari's Hanukkah cocktail napkins to LAFCO's Eight Night's Light candle. From Nikita Fine Art's challah boards to celebration crackers that make every night feel festive.
This is how you honor tradition without feeling traditional. How you make ancient rituals feel immediate and alive.
The Christmas Collection: Sculptural Ornaments and Heirloom Pieces
Christmas at Atelier Modern isn't about overwhelming abundance, it's about edited beauty. Ornaments worth unwrapping every year. Candles that make the home glow. Pieces that become part of your family's visual history.
Nathalie Lété's Woodland Animal Ornaments start collections that last generations. Musée's Christmas Bath Balms turn stocking stuffers into small luxuries. LAFCO's Woodland Spruce candle makes every room smell like the holidays should (sophisticated, not cloying). Caspari's Christmas cocktail napkins make every gathering feel intentional.
And art. Always art. Because the holidays are when people notice your walls. Give them something worth noticing.
The Gift Concierge: When You Need More Than a Guide
Sometimes the perfect gift requires more than browsing. It requires conversation. Context. Expertise.
Our Gift Concierge service is complimentary and exists for exactly these moments:
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When you're buying art for someone and need guidance on what they'd actually love
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When you're shopping for the person who has everything and needs nothing
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When you want to send something meaningful to a client or business partner
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When you're celebrating a milestone and the gift has to be perfect
We'll ask about your recipient, your budget, your timeline. Then we'll curate options specifically for your situation, not generic recommendations, but thoughtful selections based on what you've told us.
Text us, call us, or stop by the gallery. Let's find something that says exactly what you mean it to say.
Shop by Price Point: Beauty at Every Budget
One of our favorite things about curating for Atelier Modern: proving that good taste isn't about budget. It's about intention.
Under $25: Musée bath balms, Caspari cocktail napkins, mini salt soaks Under $50: Nathalie Lété ornaments, celebration crackers, small luxuries
Under $100: LAFCO candles, Anna New York mezuzah, sculptural objects
Under $250: Jonathan Adler menorahs, Anna New York Brilliante menorah, challah boards Splurge-Worthy: Original art from emerging and established artists, museum-quality works
Every price point represents careful curation. Every gift comes with complimentary wrapping. Every purchase supports artists, makers, and small businesses who put craft over efficiency.
For Yourself: Permission to Splurge
The best gift guide includes this category: things you should buy yourself because you've been thinking about them for months and life is short.
The Piece You've Been Circling
You know the one. You've visited it multiple times, online or in person at our gallery. You've measured the wall space. You've done the mental budgeting gymnastics. You keep coming back to it.
Maybe it's that Lily Perry painting you can't stop thinking about. Maybe it's the LAFCO candle in that scent that makes you happy every time you smell it. Maybe it's the Jonathan Adler menorah that would make you smile every Hanukkah for the rest of your life.
Stop waiting for permission. This is it.
If you've been thinking about something for more than three months, it's not an impulse, it's an investment piece calling to you. Listen to it.
Starting Your Collection Intentionally
Self-gifting can be the beginning of something bigger. That first real piece of art. The first ritual object that's as beautiful as it is meaningful. The first thing you bought because you loved it, not because you needed it.
This season, give yourself:
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Your first piece of original art
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The menorah you'll use for forty years
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The candle that makes your entire home smell like you curated it
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The ornament that will become part of your family's story
Slow accumulation of quality over a lifetime beats fast acquisition of quantity every time.
Conclusion
The difference between objects and stuff is story. It's knowing where something came from, who made it, why it matters. It's choosing things that age beautifully rather than disposably. It's building collections, of art, of ritual objects, of ornaments, that reflect your values and your vision of a life well-lived.
This gift guide isn't comprehensive because the best gifts never come from comprehensive lists. They come from paying attention: to the person you're shopping for, to the makers whose work moves you, to the objects that make you stop and look closer.
The holidays ask us to gather with intention. To honor tradition. To choose beauty over busy. These pieces do exactly that.
Whether you're gifting or self-gifting, let meaning lead. Choose objects that will become affections, things cherished, used, treasured for years to come.
Because this season isn't about having everything. It's about choosing the right thing.