I have a new find for you today, and I have to say Xavi Garcia has made my week. It’s no secret that I am interested in contemporary European toy design and that I love discovering new talent, so when I came across these Wooden Bauhaus Blocks my heart skipped a beat, or two.

Inspired by the basic shapes of Josef Albers’ “kombinationschrift” alphabets and Alma Buscher’s simple wooden toys, Xavi Garcia’s beautiful handmade blocks can be used to form letters, numbers, small constructions, indeed anything you can imagine.

Each set is crafted by hand in Xavi’s family’s workshop in Frades de la Sierra, a small mountain village in Spain. The blocks are sanded to a very smooth finish and left natural, however, as they are made to order, they can be customized with different types of wood and coatings. There are one hundred blocks in all and they come in a handmade bag for easy storage.

This is the first toy that Xavi has designed and made, but I am already looking forward to more. Like myself, this New-York based multidisciplinary designer and illustrator has a keen interest in traditional toys and games, and the role they play in our digital age. The blocks were initially created as part of a series of commissioned work for Fortnight Journal in 2011 and have only recently become available.

It goes without saying that this wooden set would make a very special, timeless gift and keepsake for any member of the family. I know I’m now desperate for a bag of Bauhaus construction blocks of my own. Love!

The starting price for a set of handmade Bauhaus-inspired blocks is $180 + shipping, available from Xavi Garcia.