For your creative best friend, the painter, designer, illustrator, or dreamer, this Christmas, skip the ordinary. Give them a gift that carries history, craft and inspiration. Each piece below is a one of a kind find from The Urban Vintage Affair A selection dedicated to antique objects reimagined for modern creatives.
Why Vintage & Antique Gifts Are Perfect for Creatives
Our pieces aren’t just pretty props, they’re tactile tools that spark imagination. Their textures, materials, and stories infuse creative spaces with character. Antiques make sustainable, thoughtful gifts that help artists connect to craftsmanship of the past while inspiring new ideas today.
1. The Director Simon — Antique Brass Wax Seal Stamp
A tactile, historic desk tool that adds ritual and creativity to any workspace. Seal envelopes, tag handmade prints, or simply enjoy its sculptural presence.
2. The Director Lynette — Antique Natural Agate Wax Seal
Why it’s perfect: Semi-precious agate combines function with beauty, a jewel like object for designers and writers alike. As a stylish prop or to create authentic wax marks on creative papers.
3. The Director Charles — Antique Silver-Plate Wax Seal Stamp
Elegant, refined, and steeped in antique charm ideal for modern minimalists with an appreciation for history. As a desk accent or prop for creative photography and stationery styling.
4. The Director Fitch — Vintage Copper Printing Plate (Locomotive)
A relic of craftsmanship that delights printmakers, illustrators, and texture lovers.
Display as wall art, or experiment with mono printing for tactile ideas.
5. The Director Nicholas — Vintage Copper Printing Plate (Portrait)
Combines portrait art with industrial patina, perfect for mixed-media artists and photographers. Frame as art, photograph for texture overlays, or display on shelves.
6. The Director Fabian — Antique Magic Lantern & 47 Slides
A cinematic antique that embodies storytelling and imagination perfect for photographers and dreamers. As a mood lighting prop or centre piece in a creative studio.
7. The Artist Meredith — Vintage Holmegaard Pinch Decanter
Mid-century glassware with sculptural form a creative’s dream prop.
Hold coloured liquids, then simply catch the light on a studio shelf.
8. Master Will — Handmade Rustic Clay Plant Pot / Vessel
Organic and textural handmade pottery connects creatives to nature and process
As a vessel for brushes or as a plant pot to add warmth to a workspace.
9. Flatlay & Styling Postcards
Affordable and versatile, these vintage-style postcards are ideal for mood boards and collage lovers. Style product photos, decorate studio walls, or add to creative journaling kits.
10. The Stripper Maddy — Bristol Blue Brandy Decanter (c.1820)
Deep cobalt glass makes this antique a dramatic and inspiring centrepiece for any creative space. As a statement prop for photography or a display piece on shelving. Better still to fill with creative juices.
The Director Simon with the our silver miniature candlestick
Master Will with one of our branded notebooks
Choosing the Right Gift for Your Creative Friend
Match their medium: Printmakers adore copper plates; illustrators love tactile stationery, photographers crave unique props.
Think function + inspiration: Choose pieces they can touch, use, or admire every day.
Consider scale: Small items like wax seals or postcards make great stocking fillers.
Support sustainability: Every vintage piece saves something beautiful from waste and gives it a second life.
Each of these gifts is more than an object it’s a story, a tool, and a spark of inspiration. This Christmas, surprise your artistic best friend with a piece of history they can use and cherish.
Also Invite your gift recipients to invest in antique and homeware that resonate, and décor that lives. And if they subscribe to the newsletter or follow The Urban Vintage Affair, they’ll be the first to know what arrivals, because creativity is ongoing, not just seasonal.