Welcome to Curbed's first gift guide, wherein our editors sort through a retail landscape rife with tech, toys, textiles, trinkets, and tchotchkes. This year we're shopping for some rather specific recipients—though we think you'll find the gift selection broadly appealing. Shop on!
Everyone's from somewhere, and all of us have that one friend who's chock-full of hometown pride. State or city flags adorn the walls, there's possibly a city skyline or a state outline tattoo prominently placed on their body, they're always chatting up "back home" to anyone who will listen. (They read Curbed's various city sites every day.) This list is for them. Or rather, for you to pull from so you can impress them. From cast iron skillets in the shape of America's states to a toile wallpaper that only a Bay Area native will understand, these are the gifts that will impress the diehard local in your life.
Hand-guided machine pillows • The Fifty United Plates • Coastal Quilts • Bay Area Toile wallpaper • State skillets • Support Animals at the National Zoo • Los Angeles Landmark Pillow • State necklaces • LEGO Buildings
Hand-guided machine pillows
by Catstudio
$178 at Catstudio
If you really, really miss your home state, why not gaze upon a throw pillow that features nearly everything it's known for?
The Fifty United Plates
by Kaitlyn and Ryan Lawless
$86 for Alaska, $80 for other states at Corbé
These handcrafted porcelain dishes are the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign in the summer of 2013. Handmade in Detroit by husband and wife team Kaitlyn and Ryan Lawless.
Coastal Quilts
by Haptic Lab
$219-$289 at Haptic Lab
This Gulf Coast quilt is just one of 15 coastal quilts created by Haptic Lab in Brooklyn. Each quilt can be personalized for an additional $25.
Bay Area Toile wallpaper
by Matt Ritchie and Jorma Taccone
$125 at Flavor Paper
If you have any love for the Bay, ahem, Yay Area, then you'll no doubt recognize some familiar 510 and 415 faces and places, from E-40 and Alice Waters to Alcatraz Island and a BART train.
State skillets
by Alisa Toninato
$125 at American Skillet Company
Currently only producing Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and New York, these state pans are manufactured in Madison, Wisconsin. You can add a hanger for an additional cost.
Support Animals at the National Zoo
by the Smithsonian's National Zoo
$100 at Smithsonian's National Zoo
Love the animals at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, DC? For $100, you can "adopt" a species, which comes with perks like a replica animal print.
Los Angeles Landmark Pillow
by 3rd Season Textiles
$70 at 3rd Season Textiles
Designed and made in Los Angeles, this landmark pillow grants you the opportunity to cuddle up with all your favorite LA landmarks.
State necklaces
by Ottava Designs
$17 at Ottava Designs
These laser cut state necklaces are handmade in northeastern Connecticut by a husband and wife team of materials engineers.
LEGO Buildings
by LEGO
$39 and up at LEGO
The Lego Architecture sub-brand aims to "celebrate the past, present and future of architecture through the Lego Brick." There are over 30 sets, including the Seattle Space Needle and the United Nations Headquarters.
· Holiday Gift Guide [Curbed]