In the winter months, I tend to favor candlelight over electricity in the evenings. If I have to endure the season’s early sunsets and freezing temperatures, at least I can make it cozy (and complexion-flattering) inside. Scented candles can grow cloying after a few hours, so I prefer scented matches — they still lend a sense of occasion to lighting up, but their smell won’t linger long enough to give you a headache. The yuzu incense matches from Hibi are my favorite — the brand was created by Kobe Match Company, which has been producing matches in Japan since 1929. Each one lasts about 10 minutes, and a pad for safe burning is included in the box. I also like Bohème’s Marisol fragrance — its notes of cardamom, clove and sandalwood are infused into extra-long matchsticks. For a touch of old-world charm, Buly is a classic choice: The brand’s perfumed matches come in eight signature scents and are housed in beautifully illustrated boxes. Any of these options would make a charming Valentine’s Day gift paired with a whimsical candle from Wednesday Company. Handmade by the Bronx-based Grace Battista, these playful depictions of croissants, baguettes and fruit look good enough to eat. And they’re unscented, so you can enjoy them long into the night.
hot stuff
Dutch Ovens Show a Sweeter Side
The name Dutch oven is a bit of a misnomer; it was actually the English foundryman Abraham Darby who patented the process of casting iron cookware in sand molds in 1707, though to be fair he was inspired by a trip to Holland, where he observed similar methods for making brassware, which he recreated back home using much cheaper iron. (In Dutch, the pots are simply called braadpan, meaning roasting pan.) Almost two centuries later in 1891, Johannes Berk Van Kampen (himself a Hollander) began coating the pots in enamel, making them easier to maintain and allowing them to be painted in vivid hues. That tradition continues this Valentine’s Day with a pair of limited-edition Dutch ovens made by the kitchenware supplier Great Jones in collaboration with the New York-based ceramist and illustrator Laura Chautin. After she connected with the Great Jones co-founder Sierra Tishgart on Instagram, Chautin created a series of botanical designs that include daffodil, tulip and lily of the valley flowers hand-printed on two sizes: The larger Dutchess comes in white enamel and the Dutch Baby (half the size of the Dutchess) is in a bubble gum pink. Culinary-inclined sweethearts are likely to swoon; Chautin herself recently used one to make spaghetti pomodoro with mushrooms for a dinner party, to rave reviews.
Without my husband to nudge me to take my Estradiol tablets each morning, I wouldn’t be half the woman I am today — hormonally speaking, at least. His routine reminder has become a kind of everyday love language, a small and simple gesture that tells me he cares about my health and well-being. But when he’s not around, or if he’s slept through his alarm, I turn to my pill organizer, one of those flimsy plastic cases with slots for every day of the week, that I picked up from a pharmacy down the block from my apartment. Various brands have updated this classic form — Port and Polish’s iteration comes in lilac, mint and blush pink with compact mirrors inside — but this year, I’m eyeing something a little more imaginative. Casa Shop, a home-goods boutique in Richmond, Va., stocks vintage silver pillboxes shaped like candy and strawberries. Tiffany & Co. also offers luxurious sterling silver cases (with the option to personalize them with engraving), as does the Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Sophie Buhai, who fashions hers as a nautilus shell. And Judith Leiber Couture riffs on its signature crystal-clad minaudière handbags with surreal pillboxes disguised as lipsticks, martini glasses and gummy bears. Millions of Americans take prescription medication, so I can’t be the only one in need of a better vessel; these pillboxes are hard to forget.
Touchy-Feely
Vases That Upstage the Bouquet
A Valentine’s bouquet won’t seem like the obvious choice when it comes with a striking vase. The Italian designer and architect Gaetano Pesce’s Indian Summer Vessel looks like glass, but it’s molded out of pliable resin, making it an ideal gift for both the design-obsessed and the clumsy. Though the squiggly silhouette comes in various colors, the white iteration will complement any vibrant floral hue. For those who don’t mind the flowers playing second fiddle, Pesce’s Nugget Vessel — composed of colorful layers resembling molten lava, dotted with globs — doubles as a stand-alone sculpture. The Australian designer Tabitha Hope makes a different kind of soft vase: Hers are hand-tufted with acrylic yarn. Consider the Square Squiggle Pot to give your partner’s favorite pothos plant a cozy coat, or add a fluffy finishing touch to an otherwise mundane bouquet with the Lu vase in pink and red. The gift of flowers may be short-lived, but these vases will leave a lasting impression.
Farm to Table
Ceramic Tomatoes That Look Fresh From the Garden
When the London-based ceramist Yasmin Falahat began selling her pieces in 2018, she was focused on making figs and pomegranates inspired by her Iranian and Turkish Cypriot heritage. She shaped the fruits as if they’d been cut in half and hand-painted the seeds inside. As her business grew, she expanded her offerings with cantaloupe bowls and mushroom incense holders. In the fall, she released a set of miniature pumpkins that seemed real at first glance. July 2023 saw the arrival of trompe l’oeil tomatoes, their mottled surface catching the light in an uncanny imitation of the fruit’s skin. When the green stem is removed, the tomato becomes a candleholder, though Falahat notes her customers have also used the space to hold salt or olive oil. “I love the idea of everyday functional objects being beautiful or fun because it makes the everyday a little more joyful,” she says. Falahat releases new items in limited drops that tend to sell out quickly. Her next batch of tomatoes (along with pomegranate and fig dishes) will be available on Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. E.S.T.
One-of-a-kind jewelry usually outshines the mass-produced variety, especially when it comes with a back story. In his Revive collection, the Japanese designer Yuta Ishihara makes the old new again by taking settings from cocktail rings, mostly from the 1980s, and resetting them onto modern wide bands. The original pieces are sourced by the designer in the city of Yamanashi, where he was born, then reset on new platinum or gold bands that give each ring a futuristic look. The New York-based designer Brent Neale looks closer to home — your home — for her custom pieces that use children’s artwork as a starting point. Drawings and sweet notes can be engraved onto 18-karat gold hearts that dangle from necklaces or bracelets. Self-portraits can be imagined as charms, too. The sky’s the limit for more fanciful works: For one client, a chicken originally made from feathers, googly eyes and pipe cleaners was recreated in rose gold, rhodochrosite and colored sapphires. Neale is always taking custom orders, but a dedicated service called Mini Masterpieces will officially launch this spring.
brew masters
Artisanal Teas That Soothe and Revive
As much as I love my partner, indulging in a quiet evening alone with a soothing cup of herbal tea is a gift I’d cherish this Valentine’s Day. The starter kit from Takizme is one of my favorites. It includes four different teas (mushisei tamaryokucha, kamairi tamaryokucha, hojicha and genmaicha), a bundle of Palo Santo and a QR code for access to the meditation music that plays in the tea ceremonies that take place in the company’s teahouse in Shinagawa, Japan. With Masha Tea, a Brooklyn-based company founded by the naturopathic doctor Maria Geyman, you can either create your own gift set from a range of organically sourced tea leaves or opt for the classic herbal tea set, which includes holy basil — a plant, also known as tulsi, that can lower blood sugar and inflammation — and a calming blend of chamomile, lemon balm and calendula. Ancient Healing Teas, the Philadelphia-based brand founded in 2016 by Amanishakhete James, who goes by Queen Amanishakhete, sells a line that’s based on the traditional herbal mixtures she learned about while working with healers in over a dozen countries across Africa and the Caribbean. A guinea hen weed, chamomile and ginger blend is said to promote fertility, while a licorice, peony and cinnamon brew is intended to increase stamina.
