Fine Housewares
Nesting and home beautifying has emerged as a major pandemic theme – and Switzerland offers several homegrown options of professional grade equipment for home use. In cookery, artisan blacksmith Thomas Lampert forges iron frying pans in Guarda, an idyllic hamlet nestled in Engadin (prices start at 138 francs for small pans, through Kurts). A Victorinox Grand Maître 26cm knife (149 francs) will cut through bread or pastry without sawing. Aino Aalto’s grooved sea-blue cups (12 francs per piece at Sibler in Zurich) are a kitchen necessity.
Bespoke Events
The team behind Zurich’s six-year-old «secret dinner» concept launched also offer bespoke dining events with themes ranging from Russian Christmas, Roaring 20s, street art, or 007. Every event is different; prices begin at roughly 20,000 francs (including the venue), depending on number of guests and theme.
Sustainably Sweet
(Image: Sweetzerland)
Geneva-based Sweetzerland produces organic luxury chocolate which seeks to pair sustainability with Swiss craftsmanship. Sourcing is local: Swiss milk and salt crystals from the Alps and aronia berries from Montherod (Vaud), while hazelnuts come from nearby Piedmont. Master chocolatier Elena Esposto has conceived a Christmas box of 25 pralines with flavors including Black Forest gâteau and autumn crumble (54 francs).
Design Collectibles
Moomin mugs based on the beloved hippo-like cartoons by Swedish-Finn author and illustrator Tove Jansson are fast becoming collector’s items: one recently sold for $26,000 at auction. Schipfe 51, an unassuming shop named for its location on Zurich's medieval boat docks, sells Moomins as well as Finnish pieces from designer Markku Salo and iconic Iittala.
