The Art of Gifting...with Charlotte and Angus Buchanan
The design duo share their top tips for mastering holiday gifting
Britain’s most in-demand design studio, Buchanan Studio, is helmed by husband-and-wife duo, Charlotte and Angus Buchanan. Renowned for their rule-breaking approach to design and aesthetics, we invited the creative duo to share their expert advice for holiday gifting as part of our The Art of Gifting series.
Charlotte: I’ll admit, I tend to fall into the “last-minute panic buyer” band. Every year I tell myself I’ll get everything organised by November, but it never quite happens. What I will say in my defence is that I’ve noticed there’s a silver lining: my gifts often end up more spontaneous and interesting because they’re picked in the moment rather than overplanned. Sometimes the best ideas come under a little pressure! My aim is to find something that the person might not have discovered themselves yet - or something that they would never buy for themselves. Sometimes the best ideas come under a little pressure!
WHAT TO BUY FOR…Angus Buchanan
Angus’ happy place is in our garden, so I’ve got my eye on these extraordinary secateurs from Niwaki — they are hand forged to order up in the mountains of Yamagata.
WHAT TO BUY FOR...Charlotte Buchanan
I adore Le Monde Beryl shoes, and these Chelsea dolomite boots are very much on my radar right now, perfect for a winter stomping about London.
WHAT TO BUY FOR...Your Most Stylish Friend
You simply cannot go wrong with a knit from & Daughter, it’s a beautiful brand with beautiful pieces that are all made here in the UK from natural yarns. My favourite is the Ada Crewneck cardigan, which comes in 7 colours. I love the Navy colourway as it's very classic, but I also the Poppy Red would make a fantastic gift.
WHAT TO BUY FOR…The One That Has Everything
This is always the hardest person to gift! I try to think about something a little unexpected or not necessarily easy to get hold of. For example, a year’s subscription to Ffern, who release seasonal bottles of small batch perfume only to those on their ledger.
This year, I have a few tricky people to buy for, and I plan to give them a bare root rose from David Austin. I believe this is an ideal, unexpected, yet very special gift.
WHAT TO BUY FOR…The Person You Know Very Little About
Who doesn’t love a scented candle? And for those strange few that don’t, it’s delightfully easy to re-gift! I’m a fragrance obsessive and spent over a year developing the scent for our Ticking Rose candle. Soy wax hand-poured in London; the fragrance is inspired by our fabric of the same name. It's an enigmatic combination of rose, tomato leaf, geranium, sandalwood and amber.
WHAT TO BUY FOR…The Aesthete
For lovers of beautiful home objects, I have to highlight our USM x Buchanan Studio Tray in pink and white. This is one of my most favourite pieces from our collaboration with USM this year. The pink is a rare, special-edition colour created for our collaboration, making it even more unique.
WHAT TO BUY FOR…The Foodie
The best panetones are by Fiasconaro x Dolce & Gabbana- arriving in a beautiful tin, they are as delicious to look at as they are to eat. As a chocoholic, I rarely stray from anything other than the chocolate one, but this year I’m feeling tempted by this Citrus & Saffron...
WHAT TO BUY FOR…Furry Friends
We always joke that our dog, Duffel, looks exactly like a highland cow, so imagine how excited I was to come across this Barbour dog toy.
Where To Shop For The Best Gifts IRL
I always love a Christmassy visit to Dover Street Market, and I can't resist a Foodhall, usually Fortnum & Masons, where I never fail to find last-minute gifts, in particular for my father, who is challenging to buy for but very partial to foodie treats. And I can't leave without picking up some rose and violet creams for myself- everyone else seems to think they are disgusting, so I have to buy them for myself.
Go-to Shops For Gifting?
Abask is brilliant for discovering independent designers and makers, Bettina Ceramica for beautiful Italian ceramics. And my friend recently introduced me to Pairs, which do the best merino and alpaca bed socks in the loveliest colours and which arrive in excellent packaging, making them ideal to gift.
What is your signature wrapping style?
We like to keep it simple, brown paper with a tartan ribbon (Buchanan, of course!).
For more gifting ideas, discover the ultimate 2025 Gift Guide from the Marie Claire team.
