For the person who tells you they really don’t want anything—because they’re paring back and trying to tread as lightly as possible on the planet. These 15 finds are useful, long-lasting, (mostly) compostable—and designed to delight.
For Tiskets and Taskets
Above: The onion basket is a pantry staple and longstanding Remodelista favorite for gathering produce, eggs, and more—Erin Boyle of Reading My Tea Leaves uses hers as a cell phone keeper. This made-in-Maine rattan version is $32 from Sugar Tools of Camden.
Waste-Not Rug
Above: Danish fashion and housewares company Aiayu has made sustainability a priority since its founding in 2005. Its bathmat-size Raw Rugs, €40, are woven in India from organic cotton scraps and production cuttings. Profits go to a school in Agra.
Alt Sponge
Above: Soft and sturdy Felted Wool Scrubbing Pads—one oatmeal, one brown—are $8 for a pair from Farm Fresh Fiber on Etsy.
Nature’s Laundry Soap
Above: On our Must Try list: Soap Nuts, a natural laundry detergent alternative: the dried shells of fruit from the Sapindus mukorossi tree are rich in saponin. Three to four nuts per laundry load does the trick—and they can used for several washings, and also to make shampoo and plant spray. Instructions and a small wash bag included; $7.11 for up to 80 wash cycles worth from Battle Green.
Leftover Joy
Above: From Marie Kondo’s new KonMari online shop: Food Containers by Orez (zero spelled backwards) are made of oven- and stovetop-safe enamelware with acacia wood lids that have airtight seals; $34 each (larger sizes also available).
Above: Made of sustainably harvested (and biodegradable) bamboo, Mable toothbrushes are designed to stand up; $10 for a two-pack.
Cleopatra-Style Potion
Above: Kindred Black’s reusable apothecary bottles are hand blown in Oaxaca from recycled glass and have wax-sealed cork stoppers. Organic Damask Rosewater Toner, from roses “grown on the slopes of the Lalehzar Mountains in the province Kerman in Southern Iran” is $58.
Minimalist Lunchbox
Above: From Japanese brand THE, The Lunch Box of anodized aluminum—a mere 3.15 inches long—stands ready to be inventively filled; $28 from Ode to Things.
Moveable Feast
Above: Aplat of San Francisco specializes in pie, casserole, and bread satchels. Its denim Grand Carryall Tote, $100, is long and shallow f0r holding everything from covered dishes to produce and bulk-market containers.
Full-Use Recipes
Two cookbooks that detail how to make the most of ingredients that otherwise get tossed. Scraps, Wilt + Weeds, $14.98 from Powell’s, is by Noma co-founder Mads Refslund, and Waste Not, $28.66, a collection of recipes from the James Beard Foundation.
Feline Fun
Above: The Sonoma Wool Company’s Cat Toy, $11.95, is modeled after its dryer balls downsized for floor play. The wool is dye free and sourced from American family ranches.
Your Own Sugar Snaps
Above: From Terrain, the Kitchen Garden Seed-Starting Kit, $40, contains everything you need for propagating a windowsill nine-pot starter veggie and herb garden.
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