Sweet Mother’s Day Gifts for Your Designer or Architect Mom

She’s “Mom” to you, but to her clients, she’s the one who has breathed life into their dream home. Home designers, architects, interior designers, and contractors come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds, including moms.

Mom loves getting any gift from their children, but this Mother’s Day we want to help you find something she’ll love and be able to use and enjoy for more than a few days. Note: these are products we love and enjoy, and links are not affiliate links.

Fun & Interesting

These are for the Mom with a bit of a sense of humor, or a non-traditional gift-giving style. These items may not be high on the list of things to receive, but once Mom has opened it and started using it, she’ll wonder how she never thought of getting it for herself.

Bespoke LEGO Architecture

You may think Mom has outgrown toys, but these LEGO sets aren’t like the others. The Architecture line of LEGO sets are LEGO sets that replicate famous architectural landmarks. Famous skylines like New York, London, and Singapore, as well as individual buildings like the Taj Mahal, Notre Dame, and others are available. Mom can build the model and display it in her office. It will last for years compared to the basic chocolates or flowers you may have planned.

Frank Lloyd Wright Drink Coasters

If you’ve taken a single architecture or design course, ever, you’ve probably at least heard the name Frank Lloyd Wright. He has a very distinct style, and even the untrained eye can spot some of Wright’s most well-known designs. These drink coasters replicate some of the unique and iconic stained glass patterns found in his homes and buildings. Mom will love the designs, and the lack of moisture rings on her bespoke wood furnishings.

Industry Guides

Every industry has rules, guidelines, best practices, and most importantly laws to follow when it comes to its work. Make sure Mom has the latest when it comes to information for her industry. Several publishers have a number of editions for guide, and you can replace Mom’s dated copy with one that has the most current information.

The Interior Design Handbook

Furnish, decorate, and style any space with the handbook written by Frida Ramstedt and published by Clarkson Potter, the book is billed as “the new comprehensive bible of interior design, from a home styling guru who has coached an entire Scandinavian generation in the art of creating a harmonious home.” It’s available in three formats, Amazon Kindle, hardcover, and spiral. Mom can keep the physical copies in her office, or have the Kindle version at the ready when meeting with clients.

The Architecture Reference & Specification Book

The Architecture Reference & Specification Book updated & revised: Everything Architects Need to Know Every Day, published by Rockport Publishers is a must-have reference guide on any architect’s bookshelf. It’s filled with essential information related to planning and executing architectural projects of all shapes and sizes. They physical copy is small enough to carry anywhere, while the Kindle version is always available on your device for on-the-go reference in the field or with clients.

Engineering

“Engineering” covers many subcategories, each with their own standards, practices, and guidelines. We could write a whole article about different “engineering” guides, reference manuals, and books. Check out Mom’s professional library to see if there’s one she’s missing.

Tools

While Mom’s tools of the trade may not be the first thing that come to mind when thinking of Mother’s Day gifts, some moms may want you to think again. I love to cook and bake. When I began branching out and exploring more cooking for scratch and other new recipes, I began needing new tools to get the job done. You may perceive these tools to be bought at any time, when needed, and not necessarily for a special occasion.But several of the tools I’ve needed have come as Mother’s Day, birthday, and Christmas gifts. There’s not much else I want or ask for, and they always make the perfect gift. For me, of course. The woman you call “Mom” is anything like me, she’ll appreciate some of the following gifts more than you may know:

Rocketbook Core Reusable Spiral Notebook

Mom may love the feel of pencil and paper when drawing and sketching, but at the same time she likes to keep all her notes and sketches in one place, and having a record of each. Ripping out a page in her sketchbook to hand over to client means she has no record of her work. If the client misplaces it and asks for another copy, she won’t be able to provide one.

Enter Rocketbook and its reusable spiral notebook. It offers the look and feel of writing and drawing on paper that Mom loves, but it also allows her to save her notes and sketches to cloud storage where she can access them any time. She can quickly retrieve and send those notes to clients, too. The best thing? The notebook never fills up! Once Mom uses the accompanying app to save her work to her preferred storage, she can wipe it away with a damp cloth and start over.

Horizontal Spiral Sketchbook

Is Mom left-handed like me? A traditional spiral bound notebook with a vertical spiral leaves my wrist with an imprint and a minor ache after writing so long. Maybe she prefers to turn the page in one fluid motion rather than having to reposition the book to fold the page behind the cover. No matter her reason for her preference, a spiral bound sketchbook with the spiral on top (horizontal) is for her. Designers and architects can fill up a sketchbook quickly while in the field, and you will have beaten her to the punch by replacing it.

Vertical Spiral Sketchbook

While not necessarily for “right-handed people” a vertical spiral notebook may be Mom’s preference. Keep in mind there are a number of sizes of sketchbook, so sneak a peek at Mom’s current sketchbook if you to get an idea of what she prefers.

Stencils

Many architects and designers work exclusively on the computer now – to the point that hand drawing and drafting is only a short module on a college syllabus rather than a whole class, or the preferred method.

But if you’ve noticed Mom still pulls out the stencil kit from time to time, and it’s looking a little worse for wear, it may be time to replace it. There are plastic and metal choices, as well as sets that come with other tools like rulers, triangles, and protractors.

Go the Traditional Route

The one you call “Mom” may, of course, prefer more traditional Mother’s Day gifts, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put a twist on those favorites when possible.

Apple Cookies & Chocolate Company

If your mom gravitates toward cookies, chocolate, or other treats for Mother’s Day, Apple Cookies & Chocolate Company specializes in sweets with an architecture, design, and other building-related themes. You can pick from a number of popular designs, and can even order by product type or “by industry” on their website. Categories include Architecture, Engineering & Design; Builder, Contractor & Construction; Electrical-themed, Landscaping, and more.

Flowers

Most moms like flowers. You can bring them to Mother’s Day Brunch, or you can use a service that sends flowers anywhere in the country or world. You might want to add a fun balloon or sweet card while you’re at it.

Take Her to Brunch

The traditional Mother’s Day activity for many is brunch. The family heads to Mom’s favorite restaurant for a special late morning/early afternoon meal. Call ahead to see if reservations are necessary, and make sure to get your name on the list. There’s nothing worse than showing up for a special meal and waiting two hours to get seated because you didn’t make a reservation.

Final Thoughts

Celebrate Mom’s special day with any of these thoughtful gifts. If you have any questions about them, or need help with design services Mom doesn’t provide, the staff of Acipe Design is here to help.