Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Hammer Staff Picks

Still searching for that perfect gift? We asked some of our most enthusiastic Hammer staff shoppers to tell us about their favorite items in the Hammer Store this holiday season.

You can purchase many of the gift guide items online, come shop with us in person, or call us for more information: 310-443-7063.

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Hammer Members receive a 10% discount year-round, but from December 1 to 14, members enjoy an additional 10% off, for a total of 20% off—perfect for your holiday shopping! Join today. 

The 20-Minute Meditation Clock Set is perfect for any meditation lover in your life, whether they are beginners or already familiar with their practice, this set is for anyone and everyone. Including a sleek brass plate, a box of matches, and 30 candles, you can keep track of your meditation with both style and ease. This meditation set is not only a visually pleasing addition to your household, but it is also just as useful!  

–Lauren Bugay, Hammer Store Clerk

Purchase 20-Minute Meditation Clock Set ($48) from the Hammer Store

Donna Wilson Hot Water Bottle

These uniquely designed water bottle covers/water bottles are both functional and beautiful. Having unique items adds to the feeling that your life is custom to your tastes and needs. What better item to do just that, than one intended to bring physical comfort that also adds a sense of joy! 

–Brooke Pearson, Hammer Store Clerk

Purchase Donna Wilson Hot Water Bottle Cover ($109) from the Hammer Store

Don’t allow seasonal depression to hit you this holiday season, let &Tradition Flowerpot Lamps luminate your life. &Tradition Flowerpot lamps are based off the iconic original 1960s Verner Panton design but updated to fit into your modern life. Danish designer Verner Panton is known for designing objects that spark joy by pushing design boundaries with innovative materials, bold color, and unconventional forms. Panton's vision for the Flowerpot lamp was to communicate with color. The vivid color choices each contain a meaning and function—these colors are meant to highlight the beauty of the design and add a touch of color in each space. Flowerpot Lamps are a timeless design that has remained effortlessly chic since the 1960s and will look perfect in any home or office space. These lamps are lightweight and cordless which will allow you to easily transport from room to room or outdoors. When fully charged they will illuminate your space for up to 10 hours and allow you to control the light intensity. Flowerpot lamps are the perfect gift for your interior design friends, color enthusiast friends or anyone in-between.

–Michelle Castro Bastida, Lead Salesperson

Purchase &Tradition Flowerpot Portable Lamp ($315) from the Hammer Store

Think of your favorite relative’s blanket. Now make it with reclaimed linen in collaboration with a prominent local community organizer-artist-gardener, you get the perfect gift for your environmentally conscious loved ones. Plus, it’s made entirely in LA at Suay Sew Shop, making a great statement textile piece for your living room or bedroom!

–Ray McIntyre, Hammer Store Clerk

Add a touch of whimsy to your space with our variety of candles! From the earthy elegance of the Morel Mushroom Candles, perfect for nature lovers, to the vibrant and fun Cherry Tomato Birthday Candles that brighten any celebration, each piece brings a unique flair to your home. And don’t miss the Tinned Fish Candle with its smoked rose water scent, offering a blend of humor and sophistication. These candles are not just decorative—they're conversation starters, ideal for gifting or treating yourself to something truly special!

–Angeline Sun, HR Specialist 

Purchase Disguised Candle Collection ($35) from the Hammer Store

If your love for cats knows no bounds pick up a cat person and let it pick up your spirits! Share fun with your friends and family because who doesn’t love our feline friends! It adds color, charm, and conversation to any look and just something you can’t pass up! Bring joy this holiday season and more with the perfect purrrrr-se!!! 

–Chaniece Jefferson, Hammer Store Clerk

Purchase a Cat Pocket Purse ($20) from the Hammer Store

Sure, you could mark your place in your book with an old receipt or a piece of junk mail, but wouldn’t it be more chic to use a leather bookmark from Ark Color Design? Shaped in the form of rabbits, roses, dollhouses, cats, and melting candles, these whimsical placeholders come in a range of colors, from pastels to jewel tones. Made by a family-run manufacturer in Scotland, the bookmarks are embossed with foil details, including sayings and additional details on the reverse side. They’re the perfect gift for the bibliophile in your life! 

–Jennie Waldow, Curatorial Assistant, Grunwald Center

Purchase Rose Bookmark ($13) from the Hammer Store

2025 is all about getting back into the body. We’re decoupling from our phones, consciously uncoupling. We’re deleting Twitter. We’re taking keys to our front cameras. At its core, our addiction to social media is just a reflection of our desire to write things down, to be in community with ourselves and those around us. We all want the same thing. The Hobonichi packaging invites us to “create our Life Book.” And what a perfect life it could be. Lay flat binding, inspirational quotes (shoutout to you, Haruomi Hosono!), and whatever it is you have to say. This is your Life Book. When would you like to start?

–Lionel Deatherage, Assistant Manager, Visitor Experience

Purchase Hobonichi 2025 Planner ($52) at the Hammer Store.

For the Mushroom Lover!!!!

The perfect pairing for the forager on the go. A pocket guide to take with you and flash cards to study at home. Plus look how excited this guy is, all dressed up, scoring mushrooms. Get inspired and got hunting today! 

–Sara Beattie, Store Operations Manager

Purchase All That the Rain Promises and More ($17.99) and New York Botanical Garden Mushroom Identification Flashcards 100 Common Mushrooms of North America ($20) at the Hammer Store.

As a writer, I love a good quote - and this collection is chock-full of them! More than just words on paper, these inspiring, powerful, wisdom-filled quotes from the likes of Toni Morrison, Nina Simone, Ruby Bridges and other notable figures, serve as a call to action and reminder of the brilliance and wisdom of Black women across generations. Send them as jumbo sized postcards, or use them as frameable art (designed by author Amos Paul Kennedy Jr) to place around your home. Better yet, send them as gifts to the amazing women in your life. 

–Nneka Samuel, Hammer Store Clerk

Purchase Sista Said - Jumbo Postcards ($22.95) at the Hammer Store.

This independent press out of Mexico City provides a varied collection of direct, zine-adjacent books. There's surely something of interest in their catalogue for everyone. I love two Gato Negro books we're carrying by LA based conceptual artist, David Horvitz; one a playful documentation of the goings-on in his "Language Garden" afterhours ("Pissing In The Garden," 2024). The other, a conceptual photography project; Horvitz presents to us the deleted images from his archives in the form of a poetic description ("Nostalgia," 2024). Gato Negro's titles range from poetry and prose to art theory and photo books. Their distinctive graphic sensibility derives from the copying-printing technique of the risograph that they employ. This technique is low-cost compared to others, making these unique books a perfect curiosity for a loved one over the holidays. Five gold stars, Josh certified! 

–Josh Stasik Prince, Hammer Store Clerk

Thanks to bee week here at the Hammer I was privileged to get to be involved in a honey tasting where we sampled more than 10 honeys from around the world. It was so wild to be able to taste the different flowers that bees make their honey from and the Organic Ohia Lehua Honey from big island bees was my favorite. It is not too sweet and is so smooth. 10 out of 10! 

–Michael Terzano, Preparator

Purchase Big Island Bees Honey ($30) at the Hammer Store.

This is part of an amazing series of books that uses the setting of Iceland as a starting point on a journey of identity. This is part of a series that started in 1988, and Mother, Wonder is the 11th book and was published by Steidl in 2023. Each book differs in content and imagery, and it is only by seeing multiple Ísland books do you really start to understand what Roni Horn is looking for. 10 out of ten it is a must buy because they all seem to disappear. 

–Michael Terzano, Preparator

Purchase Roni Horn: Mother, Wonder ($50) at the Hammer Store.

Great little buddies that link hands, hug, or just hang around. Fun to play with, but also adorable just hanging out on the shelf. Perfect for kids and kids at heart. 

–Anonymous 

Purchase Palimals ($18) at the Hammer Store.

The newest version of the the crayon's adventure sees them looking at the planet and seeing their contributions. Really cute, and who doesn't love crayons? 

–Anonymous

Purchase The Crayons Love our Planet ($9.99) at the Hammer Store.

Dahlov Ipcar's illustrated books are a favorite at the store, and this reprint of her 1961 Stripes and Spots is no exception. 

–Anonymous

Purchase Stripes and Spots ($9.99) at the Hammer Store.

Need a unique holiday gift? What if, instead of more stuff, you gave your favorite people the gift of access, escape, and discovery? Treat the art lover(s) in your life to a year’s worth of memorable experiences with a Hammer membership! Hammer member benefits include exhibition previews and curator-led tours, priority ticketing at our renowned public programs, discounts at the Hammer Store and Lulu, and more! With an Impact level membership ($500) your loved one(s) will receive invitations to our exclusive Director’s Receptions and a Hammer exhibition catalogue of their choosing. 

–Renato Gontijo, Membership Associate

Purchase a Hammer membership.