For Immediate Release: November 15, 2006
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
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NBM Shop: News Release
NBM Gift Shop Guides You Through Holiday Shopping
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Be the coolest person at the office and become your neighbor's best friend with great holiday gifts from the National Building Museum Shop. Find hostess gifts, under-$10 items perfect for that Secret Santa swap, house wares your trendy sister can show off, organic products your hippy aunt will love, and other presents for everyone on your list that will ensure you earn a thank you card. Visit the Shop Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm, with these suggestions for those hard-to-shop-for people on your list:
• It's the office Secret Santa swap and you don't want to look like the jerk who couldn't think of a cool gift for your colleague in cubicle three. Pick up the lipstick red Alvar Aalto-inspired ice cube tray ($10) and you can bet you'll be sipping chilled cocktails at the next party they throw. If only your co-workers could be so suave.
• Your mother in law loves to travel, but a trip around the world is out of your budget. Send her to new destinations with the oversized, hardcover book Skylines of the World: Yesterday and Today ($75). With 223 fully-illustrated pages, she'll feel like she's visiting the sites in Hong Kong, Budapest, Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, and other marvelous cities around the globe.
• Bath time will be extra fun for your little niece or nephew with Aqua Architect Water Building Blocks ($12-$20). The sets include colorful foam blocks for building creative structures and water animals ready to swim around them.
• Give your architecture/design student friend something that won't make them cringe and that they can actually use — a Kübisphere ($36) may look like a modern metal sculpture, but it's also a practical magnetic message board. And putting it together is in and of itself a challenge that any architecture and design student would love.
• Endear yourself to your neighbor with an edgy, Dutch rubber vase that looks like a flowerpot ($24 for set of two; assorted colors) and never worry about your unkempt lawn again.
• Impress your boss with a Frank Lloyd Wright or Eames-inspired pen ($60) that will be sure to win praise at your next client meetings. Is the ink on that raise dry yet?
• Bob and Linda having trouble relating to their teens? Buy any uncool parents some Slang Flashcards ($15.95; 60 cards per set) that will have them "talking street" and commenting on "bling" in no time.
• Your über-trendy sister wouldn't be caught dead in last season's Uggs, so why would she do her chores with anything less than a chrome-plated Alessi dust buster ($130)? This gift will not only keep her apartment spotless, but solidify her ultra-cool status.
• Forget Birkenstocks and go for the bamboo. Bamboo kitchen towels ($9; cream or beige) are extra soft and environmentally friendly. Match them with Bamboo Goo ($14, 8 oz.) that rejuvenates wood and bamboo surfaces and you've got a gift for that aunt who's still dreaming of Woodstock.
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
