Printworks Games & Photo Albums: Gift Ideas That Last

I like brands that make a case for putting the phone down without giving a speech about it. Printworks began in Stockholm in 2017, started by Annette Gårdö and Patrik Westerdahl after careers in advertising. They noticed that increasingly digital routines were leaving less room for shared time, so they went back to familiar things like photo albums, games and puzzles and asked how those could bring small rituals back into daily life.

 

Their phrase for it is functional decoration: objects that are useful but meant to stay visible at home. In 2026 Printworks became part of the design group NOD, and it carries on as a standalone business with its founders and team in their roles. Picture a long dinner that naturally runs into a chess rematch, the board already on the table instead of packed away.

Printworks treats game sets and albums as things worth keeping in sight, not tucking away between uses. The Wood Chess The Minimalist and the Classic Art Of Chess bring the game side, while Photo Book Love Is in The Air and the A Dog's Life Dog Album are keepsakes for particular chapters. The Good Times Photo Album and the Little Moments Big Memories Photo Album widen the choice, and there are backgammon sets, wedding albums and even a beach tennis set along the way.

 

Picture friends staying after dinner for one more game, with a stack of albums being passed around the table. My practical tip is to choose the occasion first, playing or remembering, and then narrow the format. It makes a broad collection feel personal. What I would skip: the generic house gift.

Printworks has a specific kind of presence. The board can stay ready for a quick round, and the album can sit where the stories actually get revisited. I like that this is less about hiding the useful object and more about giving it a place in the room.

 

When a game is already out, it is easier to invite someone in, and when an album is within reach, the photographs become part of everyday life. That is a grounded idea for a gift and for a home. Although I suspect the chess set would also make me look far smarter than I am.