11 Arizona-made products to spruce up your apartment
Arizona-made products have impeccable craftsmanship and can level up any space. Check out these 12 options, from bar cart staples to stunning art.
We all know that shopping locally comes with many benefits, including boosting the local economy, putting money directly into the hands of your community members instead of large corporations that won’t miss it, and owning items that are made with intention, not large-scale factory dust. But did you know you can do so effectively in an apartment—and even on a budget?
Many get stuck in the mental trap that they need a lot of space, such as a large home, or a stacked bank account to support local businesses, but this couldn’t be less true. Your apartment can be completely decked out with Arizona-made products, and we’ve gathered 11 of the items most worth your attention so that you don’t even have to chase them down. We searched by room, targeting wares that can easily elevate your kitchen, bathroom, and living space, including chic decor, a smell-good item, useful tools that double as talking pieces, and more.
1. Lavender soap can bring some tranquility to your apartment
Sprucing up your apartment needs to start with the bathroom, if you ask us, and there’s no better way to begin than by grabbing Lavender Soap Bars from Pine Creek Canyon Lavender Farm. Like its name suggests, lavender is this farm’s specialty, and it goes into all of its goods. These lavender-infused soaps come in different scents, ranging from Lavender Coffee Peppermint and Lavender Oat to Lavender Charcoal, and each looks beautiful with vibrant colors. Plus, lavender is known to have calming properties, so this soap might just make you, your loved ones, and your guests feel good, too.
2. Lavender pillows are equal parts stylish and soothing
While you’re placing your Pine Creek Canyon Lavender Farm order, don’t forget to check out the Lavender Therapy Pillow. This pillow is white with lavender details in the stitching, and with actual lavender inside of it, you might just reap some calming benefits, like with your soap. It’s stunning, and it’s practical—a win-win, really. If you need something smaller, you can always opt for the Travel & Eye Pillow. If displayed on your nightstand during the day, it could double as decor, and the lavender may help lull you to sleep at the end of a long day.
3. This sake is one of the most provocative Arizona-made products
Getting off to sleep is hard, sometimes even with a lavender eye pillow. This is where Arizona Sake comes in (though we always recommend drinking responsibly). If you’re someone who curates a bar cart in your apartment, this brewery needs to be on your radar. Arizona Sake has won multiple awards for its signature drink, and it’s thirst-quenching on its own or incorporated into cocktails.
The reason it’s so good? Arizona Sake comes from sake expert Atsuo Sakurai, who only brought the drink stateside after working in the sake industry in Japan for a decade. Now, Holbrook, Arizona, is lucky to call his business home.
4. Elevate your bar cart with Arizona-made whiskey
Are you more of a whiskey person? Arizona’s got you covered there, too. (We can do all things the South can do, and we won’t be told otherwise.) Whiskey Del Bac is another award-winning alcohol company, but it’s the Sonoran Desert that makes this brand so unique. The Southwest flavors distilled into each bottle were born from ideas first conceived in the desert, and the distillery has grown so much thanks to its intriguing flavor profiles that it’s begun selling limited-time options and even offering distillery tours.
Bottles here start at $40, and this whiskey is the perfect accompaniment to other liqueurs on your bar cart. You can sip it on the rocks or swirl it with your favorite fruity mixers. Either route will offer whiskey flavors you’ve never experienced before, making this one of the most tantalizing Arizona-made products.
5. Locally grown succulents and cacti make perfect apartment decor
No apartment would be complete without plants, especially in the Southwest. Our climate might be arid, but that’s why we cling to succulents so strongly. Luckily for us, Bach’s Cactus Nursery, which spans an impressive 10 acres in Tucson, has options for everyone. This falls more in the camp of Arizona-grown products than Arizona-made products, but it’s all the same, really.
At Bach’s Cactus Nursery, prospective plant parents can peruse prickly pears, agaves, aloes, yuccas, hedgehogs, succulents, and more. Many of these plants require minimal upkeep, making them perfect for apartment dwellers with busy lives. They’ll infuse extra color and oxygen into your life, and isn’t that all we can ask for?
6. Supporting Arizona-made products includes investing in custom furniture
Sprucing up your apartment doesn’t just mean hanging up a new painting. Supporting small businesses also means calling up your local furniture maker instead of roaming the aisles of Ashley Furniture for the umpteenth time. (The quality is probably better, too.)
Enter The Furniture Ranch, a Phoenix-based company that provides custom options for all areas of the home. The Furniture Ranch makes jaw-dropping pieces, including many dazzling doors, but when it comes to renting an apartment, we’d like to recommend the company’s office furniture. The desks and cabinets can get as intricate as you’d like, and they’re made from premium materials that will make every penny you spend worth it. Plus, they just look very nice, making this furniture a true talking point when people visit your home.
7. Vibrant, Arizona-made artwork can liven up any apartment
You probably expected artwork to be the first item on the list, but we’ve got to keep you on your toes. When it comes to lining your apartment walls with Arizona-made products, it doesn’t get much better than Practical Art. Operating out of Phoenix, this shop uplifts the artistic voices of creators across the Copper State.
On the shop’s website, you can purchase individual prints, which can range from abstract amusement parks to stunning greenery and devilish black swans. Even more interestingly, Practical Art offers a monthly subscription for $50. Members receive artwork on their doorsteps every month, so you can create a rotating gallery in your apartment. How chic is that?
8. Your kitchen will look sharper with these Arizona-made knives
We’ve been all over the apartment but have yet to leave a strong mark on the kitchen—and that’s about to change. A quality knife or two can make a world of difference in the kitchen. As they say, dull knives are far more dangerous than sharp ones. A good knife can even stand out as decor. But where should you look?
Knife maker Don Nguyen, founder of Don Nguyen Knives, has been honing his craft for more than a decade, and the products on his website show off that finesse and experience. His knives are high-quality and look like you’ve invested in a nice item, which makes them stand out on your counter (though we wouldn’t recommend leaving a knife out all the time). Some folks attach knives to magnetic strips on their backsplash, and this could be a beautiful way to display Nguyen’s craftsmanship. Not looking for kitchen knives? Nguyen brings folding knives to life, too!
9. This shop proves that custom hats can moonlight as decor
Custom hats are also among the fiercest Arizona-made products, but if you haven’t seen the ones from Watson’s Hat Shop, you’re missing out. Handmade hats are the name of the game at this Cave Creek shop, with options including Panama hats, cowboy hats, fedoras, and more. You can opt for myriad embellishments or keep them classic, and you can order yours in several colors. You don’t have to be beige, though there’s nothing wrong if that’s what you prefer.
These hats are so carefully designed that they can easily pass as decor. Hang one on a hook in your bedroom, or leave one sitting on a surface. Both scenarios will grab people’s attention.
10. A bundle of this local shrub can create an evocative environment in your apartment
After you’ve scoured all of Phoenix’s amazing farmers markets that are worth waking up for in the summer, you need to check out Camelback Flowershop. This store sells beautiful arrangements and even hosts workshops, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss. Instead, we have our eyes on the Creosote Bundle on the shop’s website.
The creosote plant is a shrub that grows in the desert—specifically, the Sonoran Desert in this case—and its smell-good properties really come alive following rainfall. Its herbal scent is essentially synonymous with the desert, and you can bring it home with you for less than $9. Water brings the smell-good properties in the plant to life, which is why it’s most prominent in the desert following rain. To achieve this at home, try finding a place in your bathroom to place the bundle. After a hot shower, your steam should’ve worked its magic on the bundle, and you’ll feel like a whole new sensory world has opened for you.
11. These Arizona-made products will make you bell-ieve in magic
Last but certainly not least, Cosanti Originals sells some of the most beautiful Arizona-made products you’ll ever set your eyes on. This company specialized in bells not unlike the ones you’d find at your grandma’s house, but absolutely more special (sorry, Gran).
You can buy two varieties—bronze and ceramic—and the colors scream “Arizona.” Greens and tans will take you across the desert and back, and they’ll liven up any apartment, whether they’re hung by your front door, in your bedroom, in your back-patio garden, or anywhere in between. Prices for these handcrafted bells start in the low $100s, making them an affordable yet elegant touch in any apartment. (Of course, you can go much more expensive if you’d like something even more glorious.)
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