Finding the perfect gifts during gift-giving occasions can feel daunting. Finding a meaningful gift that celebrates their passion can be challenging if one of your loved ones is an architect.
More and more people today are showing an interest in architecture. So, whether you’re shopping for someone in architecture school, a working architect, or even a teen interested in buildings and skylines, you can foster this interest with a unique and memorable architecture-themed gift.
You may think that your gift should be grand and expensive, but that is hardly the best choice. From small desk trinkets to practical architectural tools, here are the 25 best gifts for architects.
If you’re shopping for an architect interested in skyscrapers and city skylines, you might consider gifting this New York Skyline Chess Set.
The high-quality acrylic chess pieces recreate iconic New York buildings, and the board has a classic black-and-white design. Architects and chess enthusiasts will love this unique board based on some of the most recognized and celebrated architectural achievements.
This unique and innovative architecture activity book is a fantastic gift for anyone interested in architecture. Both students and working architects can enjoy interactive activities such as designing their skyscrapers and creating houses and monuments.
Along with offering engaging activities, this book is perfect for aspiring architects, students, and even working architects to learn more about the craft. It has information on key architects, building sustainable cities, reading blueprints, and much more.
Many architects are constantly planning, sketching, or drafting ideas for new designs. With a unique, architect-themed personalized journal, you can give them a practical gift to sketch in style!
This handmade hardcover journal has a vintage blueprint design with an attached ribbon bookmark and quality matte laminated cover. You can customize the design with a name, year, and your architect friend’s favorite inspiring quote.
Lego offers a selection of architectural models, such as this Eiffel Tower Model Kit, that allow architects to bring their favorite buildings to life.
This Lego model features the iconic Parisian tower, an architectural feat that any aspiring or working architect will enjoy recreating. Along with the New York skyline, you can find models for various amazing buildings from all over the world.
Paris
London
San Francisco; and
Tokyo
You can also purchase specific landmark sets, such as the Taj Mahal or the Great Pyramids.
Your architect friends can combine their passion for architecture with their home decor when they receive these six Vintage Architect Tool Patent Prints.
These unique, quality stock paper prints make a fantastic addition to any space. Pick them for an office, living room, or bedroom. This one-of-a-kind gift shows how some of the most common architectural tools came to be, making it a perfect choice for anyone who loves the history of architecture.
Another stunning home decor idea, the American Houses History Print is a perfect gift idea for any architecture enthusiast interested in designing homes.
This clean and detailed artwork features diagrams of over 120 American homes, color-coded and organized by style and year. The poster is printed on high-quality paper stock and looks amazing in any frame style and home decor.
If you’re searching for a more practical gift option for the architects you know, you might consider this sleek and handy Architect Gift Set.
Inside the sturdy gift box is a high-quality mechanical pencil and architect ruler, tools that almost any architect is sure to use daily. The box also features an inspiring Frank Lloyd Wright quote: “The mission of an architect is to help people understand how to make life more beautiful”.
Who doesn’t love receiving a fun and colorful pair of socks, particularly socks personalized to one’s passions? This cotton, handmade architect socks gift box is guaranteed to be a hit for any occasion.
The colorful, patterned gift box comes with five pairs of bright, fun, and creative socks. The designs feature architects such as Ivan Levinsky, Zaha Hadid, and more.
If you’re looking to buy a sentimental and memorable gift for any architect, you can’t go wrong with this Personalized Architect Wood Sign. This handmade sign is made from high-quality wood with a distressed finish and makes the perfect gift for any architect’s office. The top part comes as is with an architecture quote and tools, while you can personalize the bottom section with any two lines.
Many architecture-themed coffee table books would make a great gift for any architect. A great option is Architecture: A Visual Historyby Jonathan Glancey.
This renowned architecture book highlights some of the most stunning buildings and monuments in the world. It includes stunning photography, cross-sections, and annotations that any architect will love.
If you’re shopping for gifts on a budget, these Acacia Grove Mini Cinder Blocks are a perfect desk knick-knack to gift to any architect.
These realistic cement blocks can be a desktop accessory or a helpful tool for dioramas and construction planning. They use real cement, and with an accurate scale, architects will enjoy this gift’s attention to detail and authenticity.
Any student or architect that loves design will appreciate the artwork and compositions in The Hand of an Architect Sketch Collection. Moleskine’s sleek, hardcover book features 378 autographed sketches from 110 famous, well-renowned architects and makes for a prized gift.
This unique journal shows the thoughts and creative processes of some of the most internationally recognized architects to help inspire current architects.
Architects generally have pencils, pens, rulers, and other tools on their desks, so you can’t go wrong with gifting them a stylish and practical desk organizer.
They’ll always appreciate a simple and functional option but this Nuts and Bolts Sculpture adds creativity and style to their crowded desk. More than just a gorgeous handcrafted design, this functional gift offers several pencil and note organizing spaces.
American architect Michael Graves is known for his iconic and influential architectural designs and the bright, striking color palette he used in his buildings. Your architecture friends can channel Graves’ style with An Architect’s Pencil Set.
This gift features 24 colored pencils in shades commonly seen in Michael Graves’ color palette. It is both a practical and meaningful gift and even includes a motivational essay about colors and the design process on the glossy lift-off lid.
This Frank Lloyd Wright “Liberty Covers” Stone Coaster Set is a fantastic practical option for architect friends or family. It is no secret that architects can work long hours with tight deadlines. With these absorbent and colorful Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired coasters, they can always have a safe place to keep their coffee or water cup, whether at the office or home!
The vibrant 10-ounce ceramic mug showcases drawings of 10 of the most famous architectural achievements, from the Pantheon to Notre Dame. It is sturdy, durable, and dishwasher safe, so every architect can enjoy long-term use from this gift.
If you know someone who is always struggling to keep their pencils, rulers, and other architectural tools organized, they’ll appreciate this stylish, handmade Architecture Zipper Pouch.
The pouch boasts a durable, 100% recycled textile canvas with a quality zipper closure and a 12-ounce gray exterior. The design features famous landmarks, buildings, blueprints, and drafting and diagramming tools. It is perfect for small tools and can easily hold pencils, sliding rulers, a compass, and so much more.
personalized keychain with architect charms is one of the best options. This gift comes with a high-quality stainless-steel chain, with a sleek compass, protractor, and alphabet letter charm.
You can also find several personalized style options when you purchase the gift, including
Just the charms
Charms on a keychain
Charms on a necklace; or
Charms on a bracelet
These options allow you to make the perfect gift choice with sentimental value for your architect friend or family member so are ideal for special occasions.
The Iconic Buildings of the World Memo Game can easily become an architect’s favorite pastime at social gatherings. Architect enthusiasts and non-architects alike will have a great time playing this fun and educational architecture-themed game.
As you play this game, you can learn about some of the most impressive and renowned architecture. The goal is to match buildings with their cities, all while learning about the design and historical significance of the impressive landmarks.
National Geographic offers a huge selection of 3D puzzles based on famous world landmarks that will entertain architects of any age. You can gift models of iconic landmarks such as:
The Colosseum
Notre Dame
The Tower Bridge; or
The Empire State Building
This DIY puzzle is fun and easy to assemble but it is also full of details and looks great on any desk or dresser once it’s complete. It also comes with a National Geographic booklet to learn more about the landmark’s history and construction.
While working professional architects may be long out of school, it never hurts to have a handy reminder of some of the most crucial lessons learned in architecture school. 101 Things I Learned in Architecture Schooloffers a guide to architecture basics in clear and concise language. Written by architect and instructor Matthew Frederick, both young students and graduates alike will be happy they can turn back to the lessons in this crucial guide.
A high-quality travel water bottle is necessary for architects that bring coffee, tea, water, and other drinks back and forth between home and the office. This makes any vacuum architecture travel mug an ideal useful gift for an architect.
This high-grade stainless steel bottle has a unique, textured architecture design, and it can keep coffee and tea hot, as well as water cold throughout long days. The tightly sealed lid also prevents any disasters when bringing it to and from work!
You can aim for versatility, practicality, and style with your gift when you purchase this Concrete City Landscape Plant Pot. The gorgeous, concrete metropolis pot looks great on any architect’s desk. And not only can it hold succulents, moss plants, cacti, and more, but it also serves as a desk organizer. This two-in-one desk solution brightens up any office while keeping pencils and other office tools tidy.
Inspire the female architects in your life with a copy of The Women Who Changed Architecture. Readers can enjoy an in-depth guide on some of the most influential women in architecture, ranging from the 19th century to the modern day.
The book highlights over 100 architect profiles, with breathtaking images and comprehensive histories for each transformative featured architect.
Architects can relax, have fun, and play games with this unique set of SCALA Architecture Playing Cards. The handmade standard card deck features influential buildings ranging from small-scale projects to major urban designs. The cards are color-coded based on card suits and every print is gorgeous and highly detailed.
If you have been stressing about finding the perfect gift for an architect, you are in luck.
There are so many options out there, and you can use this list of 25 gifts for architects to narrow the search and find the best option for your gift recipient. Whether you’re searching for something fun, decorative, or practical, this list can help you find a gift that’s guaranteed to make any architect happy!
Cardi “likes to party” Clark has 15+ years of designing, planning, and executing successful parties and events. Highly skilled in event strategy, management, planning, and execution with a track record of exceeding expectations. I make it happen. I get it done and people have fun!
