Matt Carr and Alan Wisniewski share their top gifts this season.
Sombrero juicer
Matt: The inspiration came from how everyone puts lemon and lime in their water pitchers. What this does is make it portable, it fits perfectly in a water bottle so you can take it to go and squeeze lemon or lime in your personal water bottle, or in your Corona (laughs).
Alan: People put a lot of powdered flavors in their water and this is our natural spin on that.
Zoola/Muse ring holders
Matt: Alan’s really great on how he gave these characters a personality. People buys these as gifts, it’s really friendly and whimsical. They hold rings as well, so you can put them on your night table or in the kitchen next to your sink. It’s functional.
Fish Hotel
Matt: The Fish Hotel is a classic. We really encourage design education. I was hired from an internship program, Alan came from the local school in Toronto. The Fish Hotel was actually the first-place winner in our 2010 Canadian Design Competition. Teddy Luong, our winner, not only got to see his product come to life, but he also came to the studio to learn about production, and he also gets royalties from the product.
Jewelry storage boxes
Matt: These gift ideas can encourage your friend to organize in a friendly and decorative way (laughs). These kinds of things add personality to your room.
Snap Frames
Matt: Alan did these Snap Frames, a nostalgic reference to the Polaroid. I think it’s a super friendly gift, price point is amazing as well and you get two with a set. It comes with a stand so you can either put them on your wall or use it on the desk.
Little Black Dress closet organizer
Matt: The Little Black Dress has been on fire, no matter which country you go to. It’s basically a simple solution that fits perfectly as an icon, goes in your closet nice and flat, it’s compact and you can see all your jewelry-accessories there.
Umbra products are available at Dimensione and Rustan’s.