The definitive guide to lifestyle and tech Christmas gift ideas for under RM1,000

A house isn’t a home unless you make it truly yours and a great way to do so is by sprucing it up with well-considered interior accents, such as by way of scents. Come Christmas, consider taking a gander at New York-based haute perfumery Le Labo’s range of home candles for the festive period, especially in its PIN 12 guise. Bearing a heady opening salvo of cut pinewoods, it lingers on with the weight of the label’s signature undercurrent of musk, making a truly transformative votive. Better still, each candle can be personalised, as is Le Labo tradition.

Another great option for quality home scents hails from the British Isles via Penhaligons, which recently debuted its very first standalone kiosk in Malaysia at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. The heritage perfumer, which bears a history of over 153 years, is often credited with some truly evocative perfumes. This degree of finesse applies to their range of home scents as well, with the Kumgan Rose Home Candle being our personal favourite for the season, expressing a deep, resonant bouquet that easily bathes a room in its aroma.

Beyond candles, the use of incense has also proven to be an increasingly popular method to scent a space. For that purpose, Australian premium skincare brand Aesop’s range of home scents has expanded to include incense sticks. Sold in a pack of 33 sticks in every box, these delicate slivers of perfumed mindfulness are not just capable of changing the temperament of a space, but can potentially even elevate it with its Zen-like sensibilities. The Murasaki incense is an especially notable highlight, suffusing ribbons of resinous warmth upon being lit.

As you’ve probably noticed by now, most modes of scenting a room tend to require a heat source by default, which in some living arrangements may not prove practical whether due to the risk of soot or a fear of fire hazards. Room sprays are a great alternative for that purpose, with Aesop offering a concise range of choices all the same. Our pick of the range is the Olous Aromatique Room Spray, exuding a sprightly freshness in its miasma of citrus botanicals tempered with the weight of cedar notes.

Room fragrances aside, sound plays another key facet in shaping a space. Give the gift of excellent auditory quality this Christmas season when you purchase the Marshall Emberton II portable speaker, which despite its diminutive proportions, makes no concessions to deliver playback excellence. As the second iteration of the Emberton speaker range, it offers a slightly updated design, alongside improved acoustics and of course, battery life, from the original.

Even higher up along the audiophile hierarchy is New York-based company, Harman Kardon. Founded in 1953, the brand’s consistent innovations in sound technology have easily turned it into one of the most esteemed benchmarks within the industry. Given the quality of their products, most of their home audio and personal audio naturally command a considerable price tag, But if you’re intent on owning a slice of Harman Kardon magic, you could do so with the Luna portable speaker, which features a dynamic sound profile in a sleek, ergonomic package for under RM1,000.

From sound that can fill a whole room, to audio finesse that you can take with you in your pocket, we now enter the realm of personal audio peripherals. Kicking off this segment is the Huawei Freebuds Pro 3, which represents the pinnacle of the Chinese tech giant’s TWS earbud offerings. Now in its third generation, they offer all the usual roster of features from earbuds at this price point, which naturally includes solid sound quality through its dual-driver setup and high-resolution audio codec support, active noise cancellation, as well as 31 hours of battery life.

As you’re probably familiar, Japanese tech conglomerate Sony has often been held in high regard for their consumer electronics, which also happen to include audio kit. The LinkBuds S represents one of the most compact entrants from the company, containing a remarkable amount of tech, chiefly their adaptive noise-canceling sensors, in a discreetly minuscule package. This is further bolstered by spatial audio abilities, and the earbuds’ ability to upscale compressed audio files to yield richer sound.

No lineup of personal audio peripherals would be complete without mentioning one of the most ubiquitous entrants to the segment: Apple’s infamous white beads, the AirPods. Arguably the lynchpin for the now prevalent TWS movement upon their launch in 2016, the instantly recognisable earbuds have recently debuted in their third iteration, sharing quite a number of similarities with Apple’s ‘Pro’ flagship. While they still aren’t in-ear earbuds, the third-gen AirPods do come equipped with adaptive spatial audio capability, as well as around 30 hours of battery life.

While compact earbuds are great for portable sound on the go, they still fall short of the range and depth that proper over-ear headphones can provide. A testament to that truth comes in the form of Audio-Technica’s revered ATH M50X headphones, which continue to remain one of the most capable professional monitor headphones in the market. While they lack modern-day conveniences such as active noise cancelling and wireless capability, they more than compensate for it with almost peerless sound quality. These are headphones for true sound geeks who want to listen to their music from home through a quality setup with dedicated amps.

For wireless freedom, our top pick this festive season goes to the JBL Live 650BTNC Over-Ear Headphones. These stylish daily commute companions are a great addition to any work bag, offering massive 40mm drivers to pump in great sound, while active noise-cancellation technology shuts out the world around you so you can keep your focus on the music. Better still, they offer upwards of 30 hours of playback time, ensuring that they’ll see you through even the most lengthy train rides back home from work.

Beyond audio, you’ll need to have the visuals to match. Whether for hours of Netflix binge-watch sessions or button-mashing console gaming exhilaration, nabbing a quality television for proper viewing is a must. While most sets tend to cost over the RM1,000 mark, Malaysian appliance retailer SenQ has recently brought the price of their Philips 43-inch 5600 Series LED TV down to a wallet-friendly RM898. Offering a much sharper viewing experience compared to conventional LCD screens with up to a buttery-smooth 60Hz refresh rate, this unit is a must-grab.

For effortless upkeep of your home and hearth, cordless vacuum cleaners are an indubitable godsend that every home needs to have. If you’re hoping to add one to your cleaning essentials, then consider nabbing the Airbot Hypersonics Pro Smart Cordless Vacuum Cleaner ahead of Christmas. While this may be priced on a budget, the vacuum itself sports some considerably enviable features including 27000Pa of suction power, to a built-in infrared sensor that adjusts its suction strength based upon the size of the dust particles it detects.

Not everyone can spare time from their day for menial household chores, which is why modern-day conveniences such as robotic vacuums can help pick up the slack. Understandably, these nifty devices have gained an increasing surge of popularity among consumers for their ability to keep your house clean without you needing to even be present. While most will set you back a tidy sum, budget alternatives such as the Xiaomi Robot Vacuum Mop 2 Lite can provide a similar feature set at a more palatable price. This unit comes with 4000Pa of suction power, multi-directional assisted cleaning, and even a mop function.

Did you know that Malaysia ranks third in the Asia-Pacific region for coffee consumption? Arguably, much of that is owed to the fact that coffee has always been an inextricable facet of local food culture, from the dawn of the kopitiam and warung. In modernity, Malaysian coffee culture is best expressed through convenience, especially with the advent of the now ubiquitous Nespresso machine. Join the bandwagon and purchase the Nespresso Inissia for your kitchen, which comes fully equipped to make the most out of every Nespresso-compatible capsule for consistently great coffee with just the touch of a button.

While capsules offer convenience, enthusiasts will most likely prefer a more involved approach. In this case, the Morphy Richards 3-in-1 Espresso Machine & Milk Frother would make for a perfect surprise under the Christmas tree. This little slice of caffeine heaven comes with a pressure pump rated up to 20 bars and a high-pressure milk frother for all your latte preparation needs. Best of all, it can be had for under RM1,000, making it an ideal coffee machine for new entrants into the hobby.

On the topic of kitchen appliances, Italian brand SMEG tends to occupy a coveted spot on many wishlists, owing to their highly distinctive, retro-futuristic designs that appear to be lifted right off the pages of a 1950s Neiman Marcus catalogue. With demand comes a pretty exorbitant price tag, but if you know someone who has been dreaming of some of that Italian vintage charm under RM1,000, there’s always the SMEG Mini Kettle. Functionally, it is everything you’d expect a kettle to do: bring water to a boil. But look at how adorably it does it in your choice of pastel colours!

As for gifts with a more traditional appeal, one can never go wrong with a present containing delicately made fine china. What many may not be privy to is the fact that Malaysian luxury label Bonia happens to be a reputable purveyor of these decorative ceramics, offering a considerable range of exquisitely designed tableware that looks just as good in a vitrine as it would for a holiday feast. Our favourite comes by way of the Marini set, featuring a bright latticework of ocher and yellow patterns that will certainly add a dose of cheer every time you lay eyes on it.

As the largest manufacturer of pewter products in the world, one can count on Royal Selangor to offer some truly outstanding gifting options. Come this Christmas, that continues to ring true. For the discerning gentleman’s home bar, consider the gift of glassware accented with pewter by way of the Royal Selangor Ace Shot Glass Quartet. Each one rests on an intricately etched pewter base, making them true art pieces in their own right that can also double as fashionably useful vessels.

For cosy evenings spent with loved ones over wine and conversation, we recommend another piece from Royal Selangor’s collection, suitably dubbed the Vienna Decanter. Perfect for allowing your wines to breathe and soften into proper richness, the decanter’s curvaceous lines meld to the upright angles of a pewter cuff that decorates its stem, evocative of the lush opulence that was a constant hallmark of the Roaring 20s.