A Better Alternative

To begin this post about minimalism (or sometimes referred to as “essentialism”), I wanted to showcase one of the top-rated, top-reviewed books on the subject. This book was an instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestseller, and covers the — dare I say — essentials of essentialism. Now, minimalism can often connote a lifestyle or an approach to design and form. This book cover primarily the former. After skipping around and reading the Introduction and the first chapter (i.e., “The Essentialist”), Greg Mckeown’s take on the subject mixes personal experiences and outlooks with an analysis or review of what it means to be an essentialist. In my opinion, the lifestyle seems to have its roots in Buddhist thought. Nonetheless, I figured if you are in fact looking for a gift for a minimalist or essentialist, why not get them one of the top books on it.
– $15.60 –

A Better Alternative

Alright, so remember when I said minimalism (or essentialism) can connote either a way of life or a certain design aesthetic — this book covers the latter. I went through a couple books before landing on this one and ended up choosing it for its diverse content. In other words, John Maeda does a good job providing real-life examples and illustrations of how best to create and incorporate simplistic design strategies into digital and physical mediums. So, if the person you’re planning on getting this book for is interested in the design-side of this field, I recommend this book.
– $14.29 –

A Better Alternative

On to the rated gifts! This is a super unique, neat candle I found — actually, it was the only one I could find that had bark as the container. It’s made by a small shop in Greenville, SC that handcrafts their products in-house and sources local ingredients and materials. In terms of their candles, they have a whole line of bark candles, ranging from cedarwood, alpine, and sandalwood. The candles are also 100% natural soy, which means they’ll burn for longer. It’s an overall cool find.
– $42.00 –

A Better Alternative

Believe it or not, reclaimed woods pens under $50 are tremendously hard to find. Reclaimed wood pens, as far as I’m concerned, are hard to find, period. I was only able to find a few shops on Etsy that sold them, one vendor on Amazon, and found only one other shop via an organic Google search — but everyone one I found, besides this one, was over $50 (the others ranged from about $65 to over $100). Personally, I like the sleek, minimal look of these pens and am happy to support a local, eco-conscious artisan. Moreover, everyone, even an essentialist, uses pens.
– $29.95 –

A Better Alternative

This air filter / air purifier won the Japanese Good Design Award in 2008, and is one of only a handful of biodegradable air filters on the market (a fellow Agreeable & Co. kit maker was able to find another one, which I’ll link to: here). It’s made by a minimalist, design company located in Japan. They specialize in charcoal-based products and handcraft several of their creations, including charcoal holders, brushes, facial pads, and a number of other personal care and home decor products. The website also says that you don’t need to replace the filter, you can simply put it in the sun for about six hours and then it’s ready for reuse. Overall, it’s an incredibly innovative product and is bound to look neat in just about any room.
– $30.45 –

A Better Alternative

I’m a huge fan of Repose’s cement planters. From looking through their products, it seems only a few of their plant pots are under the $50 mark. Any of the “small” one should be under $50. All their planters are made cement and have a simplistic, geometric design to them. If you’re not a fan of this egg-shaped one, I found a cube-shaped one for $33.17, which you can find here. They also make for a great housewarming gift.
– $20.50 –

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After learning about this company, I’m quite fond of them. Alibi Interiors is a group of four craftsman/craftswoman based two hours outside of Santa Cruz, California. They source all of their scrap wood materials from local forests, barns and sheds — and repurpose them to make minimalist, 100& natural reclaimed wood home accessories. I linked to their page of reclaimed wood pictures frames and shadow boxes, as each is under $50, but the one in the picture (to the left) is their 8x10 shadow box.
– $32.00 –

A Better Alternative

Here at Agreeable & Co., we’re fans of cork. If you’re a dedicated visitor, you may have even read a couple fun facts about cork which explain exactly how and why cork is one of the leading sustainable durable materials. In short, it’s a renewable and biodegradable resource. Furthermore, cork is obtained through carefully peeling the outer bark of the cork oak tree, which grows back quickly and doesn’t impact the health of the tree. These coasters are 100% cork and come in several motifs. I’m a big fan of turtles, so I chose these, but feel free to explore.
– $9.89 –

A Better Alternative

You may have seen this clock, or a clock like this, before in a magazine or online shop. There’s quite a few companies that make them. It went viral recently after crowdfunding campaign launched with a new spin on the idea. I chose this one as it’s the only one I found that’s made by a socially-responsible company. You can read about the social work Accessory Power does here, but, briefly, they’re strong supporters and proud sponsors of Ride 2 Recovery, Pandas International, and more. Also, to refer back to the clock, this was one of the only models I found with multiple features still within a $50 budget.
– $49.99 –

A Better Alternative

This is an awesome idea: upcycling old dictionary pages and turning them into fun, artistic prints. The creator is small brand and vendor on Etsy based in Seattle, Washington. They hand-print each piece and make a variety of pretty cool and unique graphics (if you couldn’t already tell by this hippo one). Check them out; I’m sure you’ll find a piece that fits the aesthetic of whomever you’re buying for.
– $9.99 –