Local Christmas shopping guide #4: home and hearth

For many people, a gift for the home is the best type of Christmas present and luckily there are lots of interesting homewares made and sold locally that may just fit the bill. C20 Home is a fantastic new showroom in Dunfermline where collector David Walker sells mid-century classic furniture and home accessories including this gorgeous 1950s Finnish carafe and glass set, 1960s Lotus Pottery bulls, elegant white 1950s china and vintage maps.

Holloway Interiors (top of post and below) in Aberdour is where you will find these quirky antler napkin rings along with a selection of handmade curtains, soft furnishings, lighting, furniture and gifts all selected by Sonia Holloway’s impeccably discerning eye.

Vintage treasure trove A Village Affair is in Townhill and is a brilliant place to browse for some unusual secondhand finds like this rather impressive chaise longue, perfect for reclining on after too much Christmas dinner. It would be worth taking to upholsterer Paula Graham at her Fire Station studio for her to turn it into something truly sumptuous.

Alternatively you could head to Kirkcaldy and check out the excellent Love Restored who bring tired and neglected furniture back to life, often making it better than when it was first made. If a chest of drawers won’t fit in the stocking however, they also sell smaller homewares and vouchers for their popular workshops.

If you want to win brownie points for originality and sheer scale on Christmas morning, how about going for an original piece from Iron Design by Rory? As well as large commissions such as the gate and bed below he also makes smaller, ready made and commissioned items such as clocks, house numbers and wall art.

Easier to wrap than a pair of music-themed gates, are the highly desirable hand knitted wares (below) of Rachel Collins whose company Selvage is based in Crossgates. She designs and makes throws, cushions and hot water bottle covers in delightful heathery shades and Fairisle patterns. The range is stunning and the prices are very reasonable.

Talented Chippendale school graduate Frazer Reid specialises in wooden surf and skateboards which would make amazing presents – if you can’t surf or skate you could serve cheese on them or just sit and admire how beautifully made they are. Reid, based in Crail, also makes and restores elegant wooden pieces such as the writing desk below.

These Charlie Bears, who look as if they are anxiously waiting to be chosen as someone’s present, are at Pink String and Sealing Wax, a proper emporium of a shop where you may well be able to complete your entire Christmas list. Quality kitchenwares, china, glass, jewellery, candles and gifts are all stocked in this long established Dunfermline institution.

For a splash of colour and retro style this Christmas, Clarabella Christie makes cheerful lampshades and other houseware from bold, mismatched vintage fabrics as well as running fun sewing and restoration classes at FSC.

And finally, at the other end of the scale from vintage accessories, you could go all out and pop a handmade kitchen from Cairneyhill-based David Douglas under the tree. It’ll only set you back a few thousand (or ten, or more) but you will win Christmas, hands down.