Design

8 Luxury Game Sets That Make Perfect Holiday Gifts

From an Hermès backgammon set to a Baccarat chess board designed by Marcel Wanders, these playful presents will inspire anyone on your list

By Jill Sieracki

December 3, 2019

Black and clear artistic vases with rose accents arranged in a row, featuring intricate designs and elegant shapes. — Pieces from Marcel Wanders’s Jeux de Cristal game collection with Baccarat. Photo: Courtesy of Marcel Wanders

Games shouldn’t be reserved for just the kids on your list. For proof, look no farther than these luxury gift sets from esteemed brands like Hermès, Baccarat, and Saint-Louis, which are sure to be the life of any holiday party. Here, Galerie has rounded up the most artful interpretations of classic board games and unique, hard-to-put-down puzzles.

Leather case with two decks of stylish playing cards, one red, one blue, scattered and stacked on white surface. — Berluti’s playing cards are stored in a Venezia leather case. Courtesy of Berluti

1. Berluti Playing Cards Set and Leather Case, $770

These minimalist decks, which are tucked neatly into a Venezia leather case, elevate any card game—from blackjack to crazy eights. berluti.com

Colorful backgammon board with geometric design and pieces arranged for play. — Hermès backgammon set. Courtesy of Hermès

2. Hermès Backgammon Set, $7,150

The leading purveyor of luxury leather goods has a long history of creating backgammon sets beloved by collectors. This wood version, available at Hermès stores, features the atelier’s signature orange and complementary shades as well as rich leather accents for another sure-to-be-treasured edition. hermes.com

Luxurious glass and mirrored chess set with intricately designed pieces on a reflective board. — Saint-Louis crystal Prestige chess set. Courtesy of Saint-Louis

3. Saint-Louis Prestige Chess Set, $32,500

This dazzling chess board from Saint-Louis’s Games collection features clear and flannel-gray pawns that are reimagined versions of the iconic crystal maker’s decanter stoppers. When not in use, it can be disassembled into an artful array of prismatic cubes. saint-louis.com

Brass domino box with sliding lid and black dominoes with brass dots partially pulled out, placed nearby. — L’Objet’s Deco dominoes set is made with mahogany and brass details. Courtesy of L'Objet

4. L’Objet Deco Dominoes Set, $695

L’Objet elevates this ancient game by creating a series of mahogany tiles that are inlaid with brass details. A gleaming brass box adds to the dominoes set’s decorative allure. l-objet.com

Colorful geometric wooden blocks arranged in an abstract shape on a white background. — Designer Clara Von Zweigbergk’s modern interpretation of the classic snake block puzzle. Courtesy of The Grand Tour, Palm Beach

5. Snake Block, $16–$32

Stockholm designer Clara Von Zweigbergk has reimagined this classic puzzle in wood for Brooklyn giftware company Areaware. Available in small or large sizes, and in palettes of pale pink and beige or green and yellow, the toy can be twisted and turned into a number of sculptural shapes or patterns. grandtourhome.com

Checkers board game with black and red pieces set up for a match on a checkered board. — Purling London’s stone checkers set. Courtesy of Purling London

6. Purling London Checkers Set, $695

Purling London is known throughout the world for its artist-designed chess, checker, and backgammon sets, among other art games. Now available at Bergdorf Goodman, the company’s premium checkers set is made with Italian alabaster coins featuring Nappa leather felts embossed with an 18K-gold logo, all laid upon a bird’s-eye maple board. purlinglondon.com

Triangle wooden rack filled with turquoise and white billiard balls, numbers visible, black ball in center, white ball outside. — Tiffany & Co.’s Everyday Objects wood pool triangle and ball set. Courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

7. Tiffany & Co. Wood Pool Triangle and Ball Set, $1,500

The storied jeweler has been creating a number of showstopping iterations of everyday objects, from birdhouses to balls of yarn. Adding to its collection of games, which already includes ping-pong paddles and a tic-tac-toe board, the new billiard set includes balls in Tiffany’s signature blue and an oak triangle. tiffany.com

Assorted black chess pieces with clear tops, arranged in a row, with a red rose above the center piece. — Marcel Wanders’s Jeux de Cristal chess pieces for Baccarat. Marcel Wanders for Baccarat, 2019

8. Marcel Wanders Jeux de Cristal Chess Set, $18,000

Prolific designer Marcel Wanders recently announced new designs for acclaimed French company Baccarat, namely the Jeux de Cristal collection, which includes five impeccable games—backgammon, checkers, dominoes, Chinese go, and chess. The first-ever game collection for Baccarat, the array features a numbered-edition chess board of black and white inlaid marble as well as a crystal queen that doubles as a stem vase. us.baccarat.com