Archives

Gift Guides

Our Guide to Ninth Anniversary Gifts: A-Tisket, A-Tasket, A Woven Wicker Basket

August 1, 2017

Ah, year nine—merely 12 months away from year 10! It’s a milestone in its own right, and one you deserve to celebrate in style. Tradition dictates that willow, the material most often used to craft wicker, is the gift to give for your ninth anniversary, but… well… we don’t sell a lot of willow, and we fudged it a little. Luckily, we’ve got plenty of woven wares on offer, from handcrafted baskets that symbolize friendship to edamame grow kits that come with wicker bowls to bread-warming blankets that aren’t made of wicker at all, but sure do look like it. Read on for our top ten willow-inspired picks, plus, as always, one modern gift, this time a reprise of (vegan) leather.

Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

Our Guide to Eighth Anniversary Gifts: From Stoneware to Sculpted Bronze

July 30, 2017

As you inch ever closer to your tenth anniversary, the gifts you’re giving start to seem a little more permanent. From delicate paper and cotton wares in years one and two, you’ve graduated to materials with some heft, at least on the traditional side of things. Consider the options with which you’re presented to honor your eighth anniversary. Bronze? Pretty sturdy. Pottery? Breakable, sure, but only if you make a grave mistake and, say, trip and fall while carrying your prized llama mug—otherwise, the stuff tends to stand up pretty well. Modernists, meanwhile, are faced with linen and lace for their eighth anniversary—both fine materials that speak to the strength of your bond. Read on for ten of our most uncommon takes on both bronze and pottery, from virtually indestructible “candles” to nostalgic handmade keepsakes, plus: one heartfelt lacy find.

Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

Our Guide to Seventh Anniversary Gifts: Cool Copper and Welcoming Wool

July 27, 2017

The seventh anniversary, some may say, has a little something for everyone. With sturdy copper and fluffy wool both granted a spot on the traditional list for the year, lovers of shiny metals and soft stuff alike will be easy to please. Luckily, both wool and copper are versatile materials, finding their way into craft kits, decorative bowls, and comfy slippers alike, making it easy to find something to please every type of spouse, from do-it-yourself lovers to seasoned interior decorators. Meanwhile, devotees of the modern list will find it’s a great year to be a worker bee, with desk sets granted the coveted seventh spot. Read on for our top traditional picks, plus a desk set that packs some serious personal punch.

Continue Reading…

Design

In Praise of Sound Design: Introducing the Public Radio

July 25, 2017

*Editor’s note: The Public Radio – Single Station Tuner is coming soon to our assortment. Get it first by pre-ordering here.

Modernity can be a little overwhelming. Don’t get us wrong, of course; the internet is an amazing tool, and smartphones make virtually everything easier, from navigating the wildlands otherwise known as the subway system to finding out whether it’s going to rain in fifteen minutes or if that cloud’s just looking a bit more angry than usual. We agree: These are all good things. But sometimes an escape from the wealth of information our era provides seems awfully luxurious. Sometimes you just want to turn your phone off for like, one second. And sometimes you’d rather not wonder which one of the hundreds of thousands of podcasts out there you should listen to today. You’d rather flip a switch, hear one thing (and one thing only), and move on with your life, complex as it already is.

Spencer, left, and Zach

Enter the Public Radio – Single Station Tuner, brainchild of media and sound technologist Zach Dunham and his childhood friend Spencer Wright, a manufacturing strategist. A breath of fresh air among the seemingly endless streaming options in today’s digital landscape, the Public Radio – Single Station Tuner radically simplifies your listening experience. Tuned to a single FM station of your choice, it has only one knob, for volume control. And while lowercase public radio (or, y’know, Hot 97) devotees will appreciate the ease with which they can tune into their favorite station, design aficionados will take to the gadget’s thoughtful construction, which allows it to fit into any wide-mouth Mason jar—not only the cute, compact half-pint variety it ships with.

Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

Our Guide to Sixth Anniversary Gifts: An Ironclad Bond… That’s Sweet as Candy

July 24, 2017

Traditional sixth anniversary gift-givers will be relieved to discover that they have two materials to choose from this time around, and the pair couldn’t be more opposed if it tried. Your options? Candy… and iron. How the two came to coexist as traditional sixth anniversary gifts, we may never know, but it’s our duty to report on them, and so we’ve amassed ten suggestions to fill the void—five that incorporate sugary treats, and five our favorite heavy metal, plus, of course, one modern gift, a reprise of our most recent post in wood.

Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

Our Guide to Fifth Anniversary Gifts: Knock on Wood

July 21, 2017

Your fifth anniversary is a big milestone, and one you should celebrate happily—after all, you’re 1/10 of the way to year 50! But it’s not time to start giving gold yet; on the contrary, “wood” is the word for your fifth year together, and, if you’re feeling kinda modern, so is “silverware.” With so many options for wooden gifts—from furniture to cutting boards to Jenga to, well, trees—it can be difficult to sift through your options and choose something that’s sure to speak to your spouse. That’s where we come in, with an uncommon spin on ten traditional fifth anniversary gift ideas, like clocks, cutting boards, picture frames, and wall art… plus, as always, one modern-themed gift to quench your thirst for the contemporary. Read on below.

Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

Our Guide to Fourth Anniversary Gifts: A Fresh Take on Fruits and Flowers

July 18, 2017

Four years in and the Fs keep coming, by which, of course, we mean “fruit” and “flowers,” the two alliterative gifts traditionally given to mark your fourth anniversary. “But wait,” you stammer. “You sell fresh fruit?” Well, no. “And fresh flowers?” Again—negatory. Could we rightfully call ourselves uncommon if we sold stuff you could get at your nearest corner store? I think not. All the more reason why the fruity, flowery gifts we do sell, from pens made with rose petals, seeds, and stems to copper cuffs covered in layers of specially dried and thinly sliced fruit, are so special. Read on for ten of our top fourth anniversary picks—five floral, five fruity—and, as always, one additional pick for our modern cohorts. (This time, you get your very own appliance.)

Continue Reading…

Gift Guides

Our Guide to Third Anniversary Gifts: A Love as Tough as Leather

July 13, 2017

You’re three years in, and the gifts you’re picking are getting a bit more sturdy—just like the foundation of your relationship. In the latest installment of our series of guides to picking anniversary gifts, we’re tackling leather, the material traditionally used to toast your third anniversary… in theory, anyway. Here at UncommonGoods, we actually don’t sell any products that contain leather, feathers, or fur, thanks in part to our vegetarian founder, Dave Bolotsky. Thankfully, we carry plenty of animal-friendly goods made from sturdy vegan leather alternatives, some as innovative as dried-and-dyed strips of orange peel. Check out some of our top picks to celebrate your third anniversary in conscious style below, plus one bonus selection for the modern-minded among us.

Continue Reading…