In these deeply uncertain times, it’s really the little things that can keep us sane.
Take the tiniest bottle of Champagne in my Brooklyn, N.Y., home. It’s about two-inches tall, and its content costs roughly $1 per ounce. Pop the plastic cork, and you’ll find a narrow wand from which you can blow tiny, glittery bubbles. It’s entertained my nearly 1-year-old for hours over our time in quarantine (18 days, thus far), and the little container, which looks like shrunken Perrier-Jouët, gives me a chuckle each time she grabs it. Also to my delight, it’s a rare form of amusement that neither moos, honks, squeaks, plays electronic-sounding Mozart snippets, nor requires a great deal of energy expenditure from me, exhausted work-from-home mom. It’s truly saved me from the brink of many a meltdown.
That’s just one example of a little thing keeping us sane here at Bloomberg Pursuits. (In all fairness, it’s likely the smallest … and the most affordable.) Here are 25 additional at-home luxuries that we’re cherishing right now. Use them to transform your social distancing experience, or as a gift guide for friends in need of a boost.
Tiny Kitchen Upgrades
A morning ritual: For years, I’ve subscribed to a membership service called Craft Coffee; it sends out a curated selection of beans from high-end roasters across the U.S. The frequency of the packages—and how much coffee you get—can be customized on an impressively granular level. I get three 8-oz. selections every 21 days (from $7 per 12 oz.). —NE
Fancy flour: It cost $45 just to have it shipped, but the four bags of artisan organic flour that photo editor Aeriel Brown purchased from Central Milling ($7 per 5-pound bag) are what’s keeping her sourdough starter going, and the slightly malted flavor is worth every dime. The store is also one of the only places where you can still find bread flour in stock online, thanks to the boom in at-home bakers.
Pasta time: Deputy editor James Gaddy has used his KitchenAid pasta-making attachment ($199) more times in one week than in the entire year he’s owned it. “I never knew how nice and delicious and relatively easy it is to make pasta on your own,” he says, from simple spaghetti to sheets of lasagna that can also be used for ravioli.
Chop chop: A fancy cutting board doesn’t look much different than a regular one. But thick blocks of maple, cherry, or walnut feel substantially different when you use them: They’re spacious, soft, and supportive, all qualities that will improve your knife skills overnight. This long-grain board with an indented groove to catch juices ($128) has become the household favorite, and its Brooklyn maker happens to be helping to fight the Covid-19 pandemic through a drive to collect protective gear for local hospital workers. —NE
Self-Care Boosts
Clean hands club: If you’re going to be washing your hands for half your waking hours, it’s better to use soap that makes you feel pampered. Deputy editor Justin Ocean, our resident soap fiend, recommends Le Labo Hinoki hand soap ($23 for 8.5 oz.). He says the lather is silky and substantial, a tactile pleasure, and pleasantly aromatherapeutic. He says it won’t strip your hands as much as drugstore brands do.
A springy scent: We can see blossoms maturing on the trees just outside, but fresh air and the smell of spring feel like rare commodities. A well-chosen fragrance, such as Fresh Honeysuckle ($50 for 30 ml.) helps bring the outdoors inside. —NE
That clean laundry smell: Pursuits chief Chris Rovzar has similar feelings about scents: No matter how tidy you keep your home or apartment, when people crowd it all day, it’s going to smell a little stuffy. A few spritzes of Clean Space’s almost magical Fresh Linens room spray ($25 for 5 oz.) instantly makes a room feel as if it’s just been laundered.