30th Birthday Gift Ideas 30th Birthday Gift Ideas

Because the big three-oh deserves an exceptional present

Because the big three-oh deserves an exceptional present

They say life begins at 30. It’s a defining age, a turning point. As we grow older, we become more set in our ways. Our younger years have taught us a lot about ourselves and we’re more in-tune with our wants, needs, and desires—and that’s something to be celebrated. Love it or dread it, 30th birthdays are a milestone and this makes finding the perfect present for your significant other, best mate, or cherished co-worker a challenge. Help them glide into the next chapter of their life with wall art to match their personality.

Street art Sam

We all have that friend: the style guru who’s always down with the hottest trends. The latest limited-edition trainers currently igniting the blogosphere? Of course he’s got a pair. Tickets to the new Banksy exhibition? His are early birds with queue jump. And he might be pushing 30, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost any of his swag. It does mean that Sam should stride into his thirties by taking his pad to the next level, however. Want to show him your street cred on his birthday? Tag his walls with some hip street art prints.

Pop art Paula

There’s always that one who likes to air-quote words and phrases. You know, the one who unleashes her wit in on the Twitterverse. It’s precisely her sarcasm and cynicism that gets the gang in roars of laughter each and every time. She’s not one to stay standing still—she’s forever changing things up and inventing her own rules. How to win her over on her special day? By gifting caustic pop art prints for walls to match her attitude.

 

Abstract Adam

Searching for a gift for that one friend you can never quite suss out? He’s always ahead of the curve; a modernist, the intellectual sort. His humour could loosely be described as postmodern, although that’s just a fancy way of saying you don’t always get his jokes. His wardrobe is a sea of black with hints of grey. Looking for a way to brighten up his birthday? From Bauhaus-inspired colour-blocking to deconstructed forms, abstract wall art is sure to complement his minimalist aesthetic.

Vintage Victoria

Then there’s that friend that has a taste for the finer things in life—matured wines, aged whiskeys, and the odd Cuban cigar. She’s a connoisseur through and through, as knowledgeable as she is curious. She decorates her flat with rockabilly sideboards and kidney-shaped coffee tables in an interior sprinkled with relics from the bygone eras, making her truly an aesthete of yesteryear. With her 30th birthday fast approaching, she’s edging ever closer in age to the antiques that adorn her home. You can’t go wrong with vintage travel posters and meticulously restored lithographs.

 

Photography Fiona

Maybe the birthday girl’s that friend with her feet always firmly on the ground—the analyst and realist with a tendency to document everything around her. She’s someone who likes facts and figures to make sense of the world, who deals in tangible realities. She’s a reliable amiga with her head screwed on. So of course you don’t want to let her down on her special day. Find her the perfect photography print and make her world that little bit sharper.

Naturalist Nadeem

Finally, there’s the down-to-earth type—literally and figuratively. Everyone’s got that friend who spends his bank holidays kayaking upstream, bouldering cliff sides, or hiking through tropical forests. He’s the sensitive kind, in-tune with nature and a hippie at heart. When it comes to his special day, he’s sure to crack a smile if given a beautiful nature illustration for his home to remind him of his most recent jungle jaunt or wild adventure.

Text: Nicholas Potter