The Mirror
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Mirrors can be dreadfully boring, especially if you intend to give one as a gift. After all, some of your friends haven't had a makeover for years and - to be honest - need something more to do when looking in the mirror than, well, looking in the mirror. A little attention to design can go a long way. Think of their hobbies and interests and do a little research based on that. So, for example, if you feel that your friend needs some sort of distraction when they are doing the morning inspection, then why not allow them to compare themselves to any number of celebrities, whose height is embossed on this neat and natty mirror. Reflect-tastic!
The Pet Gift
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Pet gifts are notoriously bland - so get your thinking cap on! If your friend just happens to have (or even be) a cat of a quirky disposition then you might want to consider buying your feline friend a playhouse. Cats are like people and they also adhere strongly to the opinion that there is no point being grown up if you can't be childish now and again. So, go on, make his day! Beautifully designed and purrfect for that moggy close to your heart, this will make their and your day - as well as affording countless photo opportunities that you can then upload to Flickr and bore your friends with too. Design as pet leisure center and friend annoyer. Brilliant and so much better than a packet of chewy treats!
The Electrical Appliance
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You need to buy that slightly off the wall a present but you are not sure what to get. Maybe they have just moved to a new house. You would like something useful but you know that it has to be something just a little bit different at the same time. This ever so slightly tongue in cheek lamp might just be the present you are looking for. It's individual and made of wood - not quite what you would expect at all! A design that makes you look and think twice - perfect if they are shy at dinner parties and need to focus attention away from themselves!
The Tea Pot
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Not one for the faint hearted or fair weather friend - you will have to have a very good knowledge of someone's sense of humor to buy them one of these! However, most of us have at least one friend whose choice of household object leaves a little to be desired in terms of good taste. Why not add to their burgeoning collection with this addition - a Terrorist Tea Pot to tickle their fancy. Design as post millennial irony and potential elderly relative upsetter - what a combo!
For the Smoker in Your Life
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It is sometimes too easy just to buy the smoker in your life a carton of two hundred and be done with it. Don't be a part of their unnecessary decline and fall - think smoke, think design! It's getting mighty cold outside and your friend's fascist partner has decided to make the home a smoke free zone. Concerned that they might get frostbite while partaking of their cancer stick? A pair of smoker's mittens may be just the answer. Now they can acquire carcinogenic conditions in comfort!
The Book Frame
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Many people have rather bleak living areas that have little to do with their own personality. There is always the danger that, in your friendly attempts to brighten up their lives you might buy them a framed picture that they will immediately loathe and despite. They will wonder how on earth you maintain your friendship when you obvioulsy know nothing about their taste! One cool design idea is to create wall displays that reflect their literary taste. Unfortunately, that usually means ripping off the front cover of a much beloved book. This extremely cool idea means that you don't have to wave goodbye to that cherished tome - you simply slip it in the space provided. When you get fed up, you can change it and have a continually changing wall display. Bookerama!
The Ash Tray
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For a dying species - literally - smokers do take up (or so it seems) a great part of some designer's waking moments. With the poor unfortunate previously mentioned banished to the outside of the house, why not give them a gift that will remind them of their social status (pariah) as well as give them a lift in the icy wasteland that the garden becomes to the socially excluded smoker? A great but simple design idea which might add to their smoking experience!
The Ice Cube Tray
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Everyone hates those boring household objects that are given as well-meaning but possibly unwanted gifts. When thinking of giving something to a friend or relative try and concentrate as much on the design as on the item itself. So, a simple ice cube maker can transform itself in to something with lots of possibilities when it's a tray made out of molded silicone rubber. When a friend comes round with that girl friend you simply can't stand, simply pop in the letters B, I, T, C and another one that doesn't quite come to mind at the moment. Subliminal messages have never been so icy!
The Candlestick
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If your friend is romantically inclined and happens to entertain a great deal but is also well known for being something of a klutz when trying to find the light switch then this may be a good idea. The design of this piece of lighting equipment gives the choice of candle or electricity - which is perfect for mood, time saving and avoiding bruises on the legs!
The Vase
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So many people go out and buy someone a vase without giving any thought to the design of the vase but it is just as important as the contents that will go in to it. Men, for example, are difficult to buy vases for - this particular design will appeal to a great many of them and allow them an item of furniture they may not otherwise think about having on permanent display.
So, mundane gifts need not be mundane! Whether it is a mirror, an ash tray or a lamp, some thought and research can reveal a host of items that you would consider a boring gift that, through their clever design, take the gift on to a whole new level. If only they would do something about socks!
