Surfing for One-of-a-Kind Style

Whether I’m looking for the perfect pair of earrings, a unique painting to spruce up my living room, or a distinctive gift—felt skirt, hand-drawn note cards, or vintage lamp—for my fashionista friend (who already has everything), I have a few no-fail resources to find what I don’t even know I’m looking for.

While there are thousands of merchant-, artist-, and design-showcase Web sites out there, a few stand out among the rest. When you don’t know what you need, but you do know it needs to be one of a kind, check these sites first:

Etsy
Launched in June 2005, Etsy is a virtual emporium of artists, craftspeople, and designers—all with individual Etsy “shops” (e.g. web pages) to sell their handmade wares. I did most of my Christmas shopping here this year—and sometimes it was hard to choose just one gift, as there are so many great finds here. Block out some time on your calendar for your shopping; this is one site that’s so alluring, with so many enticing possibilities, that you’ll lose hours if you’re not careful. 

Matthew Stinchcombe, vice president of communications, recommends treating each visit to Etsy like a new journey. “You can shop by color—sort by parameters, if you’re just looking for blue jewelry, for example,” he recently told me. “Shop local—you can type in your location and see sellers close to you and support your local economy.” Browse around within your areas of interest, or take advantage of cool tools such as the Time Machine, which provides a scrolling spiral of recently listed items, or the Treasury, where members curate their own lists to showcase their favorite pieces.

My favorite part of the site? Their new feature called Alchemy, which allows any shopper to request a custom item. “Let’s say you want a blue sweater with a picture of your husband embroidered on it,” Stinchcombe began. “It has to be cashmere, and you want to wear it to your anniversary party in May, so you need it by late April. You’re willing to pay $150.” Merchants will then bid on it, offering their specs, price points, deadlines, and examples of past work, and the customer can then choose the artist based on the return bids. Additionally, “sellers that opt into this program can put a note on their shop that they’re an Alchemy participant,” says Stinchcombe. “Custom orders can be requested directly from a specific seller as well.”

Design*Sponge
Need some inspiration for your home? If you’re looking to spruce up your surroundings, start at Design*Sponge, a site that covers the best in home and product design. Features include product reviews, artist profiles, home and studio tours (my personal favorites), holiday gift guides, and more.