Our staff looks at some of the items, tech and not, that not only work well but also look great.

Photo: Antonio Di Benedetto / The Verge

Sometimes we treasure our devices and tools not just because they’re practical, but because we like their style — the way they look, the way they make our surroundings look, or just because it’s nice to work with something that is, well, snazzy. It reflects our taste. It gives us, or our living space, style.

So this month, we asked the staff of The Verge what they used that had real style. We got back answers ranging from handbags to smart thermostats to shower caddies. Here’s some of what they told us.

Okay, hear me out: I know $200 is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a glorified shower caddy, but shower accessories are largely ugly, and this one is just so beautiful. I did weeks of research before I purchased it, looking for a more affordable alternative, and winced a little when I added it to my cart. But I’ve never regretted it.

I think the shower should be one of the most intentionally designed and organized spaces in your home. I love paying time and attention to the most private spaces in our apartment, and it feels extra decadent to invest in practical aesthetics that are just for us. I finished up the shower with a shower curtain from Quiet Town and a no-tools-required swap of our ugly showerhead with a color-coordinated wand from Sproos. — Kristen Radtke, creative director

No one needs a Casio CRW001-1. It’s a mini, fully functional Casio watch that you wear on your finger and, at $120, costs double that of many regular Casio watches. It can’t track your fitness or sleep, or do anything you’d expect from a modern smart ring. It also doesn’t have most of the features a smartwatch does. But look at this thing.

Do you not feel a wave of nostalgia washing over you? Perhaps, like me, you were one of those kids in the ’90s who fed quarters into a gumball machine to get one of these nonfunctional ring watches. Even if you weren’t, you have to admit it’s a snazzy statement ring. It says, “I’m a gadget nerd, but a stylish one.” And if you aren’t convinced, I ran into Beyoncé’s makeup artist at a press event, and he said it was dope as hell. — Victoria Song, senior reviewer

I was lucky enough to recently make my debut in one of The Verge’s YouTube videos with my M4 MacBook Air hands-on, but the real star of the show was on my wrist. A bunch of YouTube commenters had their eyes glued to my shiny silver watch with a bright orange dial, and some of the eagle-eyed horology fans noticed it’s a Seiko 5 SSK005. I own a bunch of fairly budget-friendly watches (which you can see a sampling of here), but this Seiko 5 is one of my new favorites. It’s an automatic GMT, which means it self-winds with the movement of my wrist and has an extra hand for tracking another time zone. But its lovely orange color and bicolor bezel (when it catches the light) are what usually grab people’s attention and warrant the most compliments.

I’m a big fan of watches, and though the luxury stuff is appealing, I really love affordable “tool watches.” Seikos and Casio G-Shocks are some of my go-to choices, and this Seiko GMT is a little extra special because I got it directly from Japan via a friend who took a trip there last year. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, reviewer

Inside me, there are two wolves: one that loves to shamelessly express her fandom of video games and franchises, and one that spends way too much money in consignment stores on designer fashion. Very, very rarely do these two interests intersect, and especially in a form that has practical use. The Le Pliage is a classic bag with an instantly recognizable silhouette — you can see it on the shoulders of hundreds of women going to work every day — as is their LGP line with its iconic, black-and-white logo print. But what if you threw a bunch of Pikachus in there? In my humble opinion, that’s when a purse goes from good to great.

I also appreciate that the Pika power is very subtle compared to other collaborations, like last year’s Fendi x Pokemon line. I’m sorry, I’m not paying $2,290 or more for a Fendi bag with a massive Dragonite on it. Dragonite? I mean, really, they chose Dragonite?! — Tina Nguyen, senior reporter

If you use a dedicated camera — whether mirrorless, DSLR, analog, or a digital point-and-shoot — there is no easier or better way to express yourself than a stylish strap. There are tons of options out there for neck / shoulder straps and wrist straps. Look well beyond the company that made your camera, because the basic straps they give you in the box are typically boring and uncomfortable. Treat yourself to a more premium material like leather or something with a fun pattern or pop of color. You can go vintage, modern, sleek, or get functional conveniences like Peak Design’s detachable anchors.

I personally own way too many straps (my closet has two hangers full of them), because many of them have different looks and purposes. Some of my favorites for my Leica Q2 include a no-frills black cotton strap from Artisan & Artist that’s super comfy and a lovely leather strap made by Sleepwalk that was gifted to me years ago by a YouTuber friend.

I also have some straps made from climbing ropes and one that I adorned with punk-style spikes for when I really want to be extra try-hard on style over comfort. And while smaller street cameras from the likes of Fujifilm and Leica have the widest array of options, you can pick from some very fun options for bigger system cameras from companies like Couch Guitar Straps. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, reviewer

Too much smart home tech comes encased in shiny white plastic or is all black, with maybe some silver accents. This is why I got very excited when the new Nest Learning Thermostat (4th-gen) was released, which included the option of gold.

The original Nest Thermostat redefined the boring plastic wall box that controls your temperature, but the fourth-gen model kicked it up a level. Its polished look and tactile dial combine form and function, and I love the way it floats on my wall. The crystal LCD screen also reflects light beautifully, making it look like a piece of jewelry or art on my wall, rather than a boring piece of infrastructure.

I want to see more of this ambitious industrial design. Tech companies need to hire more interior designers as they make the move into the smart home, as the success of Samsung’s The Frame TV is a testament to. People want tech that looks good in their home, not gear that makes it look like it came off the shelf of a tech store. — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, reviewer

A good friend of mine is very into fountain pens and has tried as hard as she can to make me interested in them, too. Over the course of several birthdays, she bought me three pens with different widths and looks, but I just couldn’t match her enthusiasm — I found them too difficult to write with. She came up with a compromise and sent me an ink-ball pen — a pen that works the same way fountain pens do (by drawing liquid ink from a small well), but uses a ballpoint tip. Finally, success! I use it constantly. I love how smooth it is to write with but also how it looks: the body of the pen is black, with an underlying feather-like pattern that you hardly notice unless you look closely but that gives it real personality.

Unfortunately, the model I have, which also has a gold clip and tip, is no longer available. But there is still an all-black version available with the same pattern. If I ever lose this one (knock wood!), that’s the one I’ll get. — Barbara Krasnoff