Having been a design journalist and editor for 20 years now, I've literally created two decades of gift guides — at least one for every year I've been working in the industry. (And often several in the same year.) What that means is that I've seen gift fads come and go — there was that year everyone wanted a projector, and the other when everyone wanted champagne truffles — and I've also come to understand the often underestimated meaning of a good ol' stocking stuffer.
Stocking stuffers, particularly stylish ones that Livingetc readers would love, don't have to be throwaway ideas, nor do they have to be particularly expensive. Because I interview designers every day, I have a good idea of what next year's decor trends are shaping up to be, so for my gift guide this year, I've found 50 small stocking stuffers under $50 that fit those anticipated aesthetics.
Some are fun, some are more functional, many are both, and all of them are beautiful — after all, that's the essence of the perfect gift. Perhaps the best news: most of them are included in the current home deals for Black Friday.
Price: $17, Was: $34
I'm seeing terracotta come through in the best designer schemes yet again for 2025 — we all still love its warmth and evocation of summer vacations. This candle holder pairs the heartiness of the material with the slenderness of an organic shape for a match made in design heaven.
Price: $35
Yes, it's ridiculous to spend $35 on laundry detergent....if you're shopping for yourself. But as a gift? It's heaven! It'll leave clothes smelling like lemon myrtle and cardamom and your gift recipient a changed person — they'll never want to go back to grocery store brands.
Price: $23, Was: $29.95
'But what is it?' I hear you ask. This dish is the key to a very on-trend dinner party, an orb-like jar that will provide a moment of theater that feels very right for now. Fill it with candies and place it on the table with coffee after dessert for a moment of kid-in-a-sweet-shop type wonder that is slightly over the top and therefore absolutely how designers love to host.
Price: $18.20, Was: $26
The bobbin detail continues to trend — designers are using it on bed frames, table legs, and even shelf mantles. It works because it adds decorative detail to pieces that are typically more thought of as functional... just like this pretty picture frame.
Price: $38
With the handmade appeal of its irregularly speckled glaze, I can see this on display in the sun-drenched kitchen of, say, Gwyneth Paltrow or Athena Calderone, paired with rough linens and the smell of smoothly roasted espresso.
Price: $9.60, Was: $16
Is it weird to give the gift of a light switch plate? It depends on who you're giving them to — I, for one, would be delighted. In fact, anyone who likes modern style ought to be pleased with this unexpectedly organic offering for something most of us rarely ever think about. Also available in four other colors, this is proof that successful room design is all in the detail.
Price: $19.20/set of 4, Was: $24
The rise of the cocktail napkin was an inevitable part of the 1970s dinner party trend, that little extra flourish to show guests you made an effort. This checked version would work well with a lowball glass garnished with a maraschino cherry — it's just that sort of vibe.
Price: $15, Was: $19.95
Revered tastemakers like Athena Calderone and Colin King have both separately told me in the past they turn to CB2 for vases and planters, and this ceramic vase with its mind-bogglingly paper-thin fins is a good example as to why. Expensive style with an inexpensive price tag.
Price: $28.40, Was: $32.43
Staub Dutch ovens are for the design lover who thinks Le Creuset is a bit everywhere. Gwyneth Paltrow has rows of them stacked up in her kitchen, and hardware brand Buster + Punch just did a stellar collab on a capsule collection, but did you know it did serveware too? Elegantly chunky.
Price: $41.25, Was: $55
I've seen this exact vase by 101 Copenhagen used in Italian furniture showrooms by brands who set the design direction for the rest of the world. It's always left empty, and placed on a sideboard or table with space around it so its simple form can be truly appreciated.
Price: $4
This bookmark was really made to keep on show, the coffee table book of the bookmark world. Inspired by the architecture of Miami it clips onto your page with artful style.
Price: $30, Was: $45
Ok, so this egg poacher requires that your gift recipient already have an Always Pan, but at this stage in the game, who doesn't? The nifty poacher fits right into the top of the pan and allows you to steam perfectly rounded eggs every time — adding to the assertion that, yes, the Always Pan really can do everything.
Price: $26.25, Was: $35
For years I've had a little Dutch house version of this sort of ceramic tealight holder, and I still love it as much as when I first bought it. You place a tealight inside and the windows glow, as warm as hearth at Christmas. Now Rosendahl has released a set based on more contemporary architecture like this modern lighthouse. So cheering on a window ledge or shelf.
Price: $8
And these are what the essence of the stocking stuffer is all about — silly and fun and delightful and likely to raise a smile on the face of whoever opens them. Sticky tabs — rectangular Post-Its, if you will — are so much more handy to keep around on your desk than you realize until you have them.
Price: $12.25 each
It's the amber glasses that caught my eye — they are so rich and seem to glow. I'd use them for water by my bed and feel like they'd help create a grown-up ambiance to fall asleep next to. But actually, a multi-colored set would be fun on a dinner table and to play around with the current 1970s vibe.
Price: $6.76/set of 2
Taper candles are — without a doubt — the table accessory of the year. The feature on every designer's dinnerscape and the colors they come in continue to expand. These pretty, and pretty affordable, pink ones are also available in eight other shades.
Price: $19, Was: $24.95
I used to think life was too short to decant soap, but then I grew up and did a bathroom remodel that was full of brass accents. Now I want a brass soap pump to complement the look. This one would be perfect.
Price: $39.95, Was: $50
I've never seen a cocktail shaker quite like this, which makes this all the more chic. Lozenge in shape and with a 90s-style chrome handle it's so much more interesting than the classic approach to this bit of bar kit. I'm impressed.
Price: $38.50, Was: $55
Clocks have been going out of style in modern interiors — we don't tend to see them anymore as everyone just uses their phones. But perhaps that's also the fault of clock designers for not keeping up with modern aesthetics...and this alabaster one aims to redress that. Perfectly fitting into the minimaluxe look with its pared-back vibe, this could easily sit on an otherwise minimal shelf.
Price: $20, Was: $25
Oven mitts hanging over the bar on a cooker do not a chic minimalist kitchen make. So step forward the oven grip, the ingenious solution from Our Place that hides neatly in the corner of a drawer and allows you to easily grab hot dishes when they're done. Like all Our Place products, they're available in a calming gray-tinged rainbow of colors.
Price: $28.09
More brands are finding ways to make irregular pottery that looks handmade for affordable prices, and this slightly asymmetric vase has to be commended. It has the air of something you — or your very arty friend — could have made, and brings a charmingly distressed vibe to a shelfscape.
Price: $21, Was: $29.99
The super-stylist and incredible shopper Lucinda Chambers once told me H&M is the very best place for bathmats, and she's not wrong. The materials are soft and durable and last a long time. Its new collection with this deckchair-style stripe strikes just the right note of joy in this functional space.
Price: $28, Was: $38
This scallop-edged set of guest towels is just eye-catching enough to be noticeable, while still classic enough not to jar with any decor choices. Almost — but thankfully not quite — too nice to actually be put to use.
Price: $9.80, Was: $13.99
Just over 3 inches wide, this unobtrusive and super-luxe wall hook would work well to hang a robe in a bathroom, coats in an entryway, or favored outfits in a closet. Because it's so shallow, unlike a traditionally hook-shaped hook, it's ideal for small spaces, and so smart!
Price: $7.20, Was: $12
Even I'm not immune to the holiday bow decor that's been doing the rounds on TikTok, part of a wider move away from minimalism and towards a decoratively joyful style of decor. Where better to nod to the look than in the bathroom, a typically non-decorative space, with this cute little toothbrush tumbler?
Price: $32.99, Was: $39.99
So much more slender than a typically handled pitcher this water carafe strikes a slim and elegant silhouette on the dining table. But even better than that, the etched glass refracts the candlelight that is sure to surround it, making the tablescape even prettier.
Price: $24.99
Coffee table decor continues to err luxe in 2025 and this marbled tray looks so much more expensive than the price tag suggests, lending that same opulence to whatever is styled upon it. A real steal of a find.
Price: $8.40/set of 4, Was: $12
Not just for the serious cocktail drinker, these marble whiskey rocks are also for anyone who likes ice-cold soda but hates when it gets watered down. Keep in the freezer and add to your glass for a chilled drink that never dilutes.
Price: $24.50, Was: $34.99
It's a little-known fact that H&M Home is the very best place for affordable bath mats that feel good underfoot and last a long time, and its bathrobes are similarly gate-keeped by those in the know. The muslin is slubby and the colors — there are six more — are just the right level of gray-tinged. So much more luxe than the price tag suggests.
Price: $36, Was: $52
So chic on the shelf next to your favorite scented candle, so not what anyone would ever buy themselves. And in that on-trend amber glass that gives off the perfect dash of warmth when displayed on a mantle.
Price: $39, Was: $49.95
Standing at a height of 16 inches, this piece of art for art's sake is the gift of beauty, blending classical Greek charm with the modern love for an antiqued aesthetic and eclecticism.
Price: $50 ($43 for members)
You can rely on Soho Home to have just the right serveware to elevate even the most thrown-together of salads, and these elegantly slim spoons are so lavish. The decor equivalent of a scattering of pomegranate seeds, that extra final flourish that lifts the whole look.
Price: $21, Was: $28
I'm not going to focus on how fresh and grassy this oil tastes (though it does), but I do think a major selling point is how cool the reusable vessel it comes in is. Characterful and artsy, the hand-painted ceramic bottle is also available in three other shades.
Price: $12.60/set of 2, Was: $17.99
Playing into so many design moments all at once: stripy like a joy-making deck chair, red and white like the patterns in the Playfulism decor trend, smart and more likely to create a ritual out of your coffee than just, say, that old mug your recipient has had for years that doesn't match anything. Could this affordable little set be the gift of the year?
Price: $14.97, Was: $24.95
You have to be fairly brave to give someone art as a gift — to really feel like you know their taste. But at less than $15 you only need to find a little courage within. I have this print myself, ordered from Desenio (I paid extra for a frame) and love the movement in it, and how it reminds me of winter skies and birds migrating for warmth. It's graphic and evocative...and if it's not for you then the brand is a trove of other Scandi-esque art.
Price: $17.50/set of 4, Was: $24.99
I toyed with including these as they're not very...on-trend. They're not 70s, nor 90s, nor sleek, nor Playfulist. But I really love them, and I decided the reason I am drawn to them is because they're fun, and part of the reason 70s dinner parties feel so right for now is because they're all about fun. So they get my editor's nod of approval primarily because they're sure to cause delight.
Price: $29.40, Was: $49
There aren't many lamps that fit the bill for this gift guide — being both under $50 and, well, nice — but I should have guessed Urban Outfitters would sort me out. Also available in five other colors, the chrome gleam of this one nods to so many key looks in decor right now: vaguely Art Deco in shape, fairly 90s in chrome finish, and very warm in terms of illumination.
Price: $20/set of 6, Was: $32.99
I'm a big believer that if you have the space to store them, you should own specific glassware for specific drinks. It just makes cocktail hour more elegant if you've considered the shape of the stem for your chosen drink. Look at the rim of spiced salt on this glass, imagine how good that wide base would feel. Don't forget you can also buy a set for yourself.
Price: $30.09, Was: $54
The trend for kitchen pedestals continues, and the trick is to not make them too twee. This isn't a moment for Victoriana three-tiered stands and little cakes but for minimalist raised discs like this one, ready to be topped with a tower of fruit, cheese, or dessert.
Price: $43.50, Was: $58
I find pillows harder to give than gifts as wall art. Or at least, as hard. They feel oddly personal and are art for the sofa in the way a painting is for the wall. But I do think that bolster pillows are pretty universal — they're just so chic to tuck down the side of the arm — and this comes in ten other colors to choose between.
Price: $24.50, Was: $34.99
There is a whole world of horrible tablecloths waiting for you out there in this price bracket but I'm declaring this simple gray linen/cotton mix one from H&M to be faultless — especially considering it's under $30. H&M's table linens wash and wear well, and this is simple and chic enough to layer whatever more fun pieces you want on top of.
Price: $33.93, Was: $50
A regular on our pages, designer, and TV personality Leanne Ford has mastered the modern rustic look, blending farmhouse with contemporary for relaxed and inviting schemes. Just published in October, her latest book is an inspiring look at the secrets she uses to make good design.
Price: $12.96
I truly think it's so chic to have a colored glass carafe with its own drinking glass stopper next to the bed. I used to own one before my dog knocked it off the nightstand and it smashed — it was so much smarter than the bottle I now use. Finding this treasure for less than $13 tells me it's time to upgrade, the most immediate out of everything on this list I'll be buying for myself.
Price: $45
"$45 for laundry detergent?!" I can almost hear my mother shriek. And she'd be right...except this is no ordinary detergent. Luxe candle atelier Diptyque's La Droguerie collection won a Livingetc Style Award for the best elevation of the every day, and this range of cleaning supplies really is luxuriant and indulgent.
Price: $11.20, Was: $16
A lot of designers I speak to use Rifle Paper Company wallpaper in their projects, but I'm not going to suggest a roll of it in someone's stocking. Instead, the brand's marbled pens are just as stylish and would make a Stationery Person (we all know them) very happy.
Price: $29.95
This crumpled-effect bowl is designed to catch your keys and loose change, to be kept in the entryway, and mean the owner never loses their things again. Of course, it could also hold candies, or nuts or be left empty as an item of decorative beauty.
Price: $18, Was: $24
Made to hold little indoor plants or succulents, I'd be tempted to leave this ceramic planter empty, all the better to admire its shape. Slightly irregular and with a hand-worn glaze it looks artisanal.
Price: $4.50, Was: $9
The best advice I ever got from a designer about how to use auction sites was to pick a material and search for that — you're more likely to find a gem that suits your decor that way. Anyway, I tend to search 'travertine' because, as a stone, it's less copied than marble, more refined, and less likely to produce garish knock-offs. This travertine soap dish is an example of why I love it so much — earthy and beautiful and rich in colored veining.
Price: $45
A personal favorite of mine, Gray Malin's photography captures ridiculously groomed dogs in ridiculously lavish setups around Beverley Hills, Paris, London, and New York. For the coffee table which doesn't take itself too seriously.
