Upgraded Utilitarian: Beautiful Tools for Garden & Garage

You know you’ve reached a new level of design obsession when you start fangirling over an “artisanal” toolbox…or garden gloves…or BROOMS. The amount of times we ooohed and ahhhed over “beautiful,” well-designed home essentials while working on this new series would make anyone wonder about our stability (except not really, because if you’re here reading this design blog, you probably get it). We’re all design nerds around these parts, after all.

So, as I mentioned, we’re embarking on a new (short-ish) series for the next several weeks on what we’re calling “Upgraded Utilitarian.” We’re talking the aforementioned brooms, sponges, laundry racks, closet organizers, alarm clocks, toilet brushes, hangers…anything that might normally feel like an afterthought in your home, but BEA-U-TI-FUL (even if in an unassuming way). We’re digging DEEEEEP into the internet to find the most stunning, simple, artisanal versions of utility items. Chic compost bins. Yup. Attractive dish brushes? You betcha.

Today, since summer is winding down in a few months, we thought we’d start with gardening basics and workbench picks like tools and whatever you need to tinker around your home. And if you think for a second that you’re not going to be SUPER PUMPED about a brass hammer…your tune will change as soon as you scroll down and see what we found. You WILL be itching to seriously upgrade your toolset, we promise. And for any of you out there that are all like “wait, why would I spend money on a ‘pretty’ utility knife when a basic one will do?” Well, here’s what I have to say about that…because you CAN (you by no means need to, but if your hose is braided black nylon with brass hardware, it might spark just enough joy that hosing off your back patio is all of a sudden a treat for the eyes instead of drudgery…and THAT should always be celebrated). Annoying chore + pretty thing to do said chore = maybe not so painful chore.

If you’ve never gasped over the beauty of a brass fire extinguisher, then you haven’t lived…welcome to the other side of your life.

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1. 6 pc Screwdriver Set | 2. Leather Toolbox | 3. Black Retractable Knife | 4. Wood Tape Measure | 5. Brass Fire Extinguisher | 6. Powder Coated Drawer Bin Cabinet | 7. Brass Hammer | 8. Leather Nail Bag | 9. Adjustable Wrench | 10. Aluminum LED Flashlight | 11. Ballpoint L-Wrench Set | 12. Wood Step Ladder | 13. Blue Toolbox | 14. 24 inch Level | 15. Waterproof Solar & USB Chargeable Travel Light | 16. WOHNGEIST 7-Piece Tool Kit In Wood Case | 17. Brass Padlocks | 18. Birch Plywood Pegboard | 19. Wooden Mallet | 20. Wood Handle Folding Utility Knife | 21. White Pegboard | 22. Canvas Oval Bucket Tool Bag | 23. Travel Tools Keychain | 24. Wood Tool Set | 25. Ultralight Slimline Ladder | 26. Leather Tool Tote | 27. Two in One Hammer & Screwdriver Multi-Tool | 28. Brass Nails | 29. Brass Flashlight | 30. Snap Tool Roll | 31. Carpenter Apron | 32. Screwdriver Set | 33. Mini Wood Hammer All-In-One Tool Set | 34. Wood Step Stool | 35. Smoothed Face Brass Dead Blow Hammer | 36. Folding Hex Key Set

You know all those times you’ve stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, staring up at the ceiling, stressed that your tool bench/garage/utility cabinet was full of such ugly things? So much black plastic and safety orange. The horror. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. You can sleep soundly now that we’ve found you the most beautiful step stools, a leather tool tote, a brass flashlight and MORE. But for real, how pretty is that tape measurer at #4?!? We love our heavy-duty Stanleys around the office and on job sites, but are you kidding with that wood face?? And okay, for anyone eye-rolling at the $1,700 toolset at #16, we debated back and forth about how ridiculous this was but in the name of “upgraded utilitarian,” we just went for it.

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1. Jute Garden Bag | 2. Modern Watering Can | 3. Walnut Garden Square Hoe | 4. Green Garden Fork | 5. Black Hose | 6. Hardwood Timber Tool Stand | 7. Garden Scissor Set | 8. Brass Coarse Spray | 9. Barn Brooms | 10. Market Backpack | 11. Ultimate Garden Tool Set | 12. Brass Mister | 13. Green Rake | 14. Heritage Watering Can | 15. Leather Pruner Holster | 16. Suede Garden Kneeler | 17. 6 in Utility Shears | 18. Plant Marker Set | 19. Sun Hat | 20. Canvas Wall Organizer | 21. Copper Gardening Tool Set | 22. Pocket Snips | 23. Second Skin Gloves | 24. Bamboo Plant Stand | 25. Garden Hose | 26. Suede Waist Apron | 27. Copper Scoop | 28. Canvas Apron | 29. Ceramic Watering Vessel | 30. Garden Clogs | 31. Forged Hand Tool Set | 32. Gathering & Foraging Canvas Bag | 33. Garden Scissors

On to the garden…we’ve got you covered head to toe (literally…there’s a cute little raffia hat and the best Hunter garden clogs). If you’re a certified plant whisperer, the 9-piece set from Williams Sonoma might just be something you’ll want to add to your wish list/shopping cart because it seems to have every small tool you need to get your hands all kinds of dirty. But if you’ve got a handful of indoor plant babies instead, take a look at the brass mister (#12), the long-spouted watering can (#2…these are great for getting deep into foliage without too much of a fight), and the blue pocket snips for pruning (#22).

Stay tuned for next week’s laundry/org/kitchen Upgraded Utilitarian post. We have a few more categories in the works, but let us know what else you might want us to source that could fall into this category of mundane yet magical.