Curated Sensory Gift Guide for Meaningful Giving

Cover photo by Jess Bailey

Holidays? Birthdays? Special Events? Corporate Gifting?

Photo by Happy Films

Are you struggling to find a special gift to share with a loved one, friend, colleague, or team?

Do you remember when you were a kid and you loved rolling down the hill or at the beach jumping when the wave came to shore. Or when you were a teenager blasting your favorite song and even singing along? These were the sensory experiences we enjoyed as kids and lost as adults. I created Rooted & Refined Living to give you the opportunity to find those sensory experiences again. Each story and each featured product is designed to elevate your sensory experience and help bring you back to that feeling of excitement and enjoyment that might have been playing hide and seek since you were a kid.

The Rooted & Refined Living Expert Tip: 

"In a world of mass-produced goods, I believe in the Rooted & Refined Living standard. Every product featured on this site is personally used by my family and me to create an elevated sensory experience."

For the last few years, I have purchased some of these items as gifts to my team members during the holiday season. With each gift, I try to offer a story that creates the same passion from my personal use to elevate their sensory experience.

To help you with a sensory gift guide for your special someone, team, or event for any occasion, here is a list of my top suggestions for exceptional gift recommendations.

For Transparency: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I truly love and use myself.

Experience the Best Sensory Gift Guide for 2026

I will continue to add more products as I publish the stories.

As well, I would love to hear about your gifting experience. Please share in the comment section below.

Shun Bread Knife Review: The Standard for Artisan Bread

My Shun bread knife with Italian Olive Oil and local bread from Bread Guy Breads on the Boos Block cutting board

Cover photo by Rodolfo Marques

Now, before you say that I am crazy for recommending a bread knife that retails for more than you would expect to pay but let me tell you that it is amazing.

I love bread. That should be the end of the story but there is more. I have always loved bread, and I assume most people are like me. You grew up on bread and now that you are an adult, you are always in search of a great loaf of bread. Whether it is for bread dipping, your favorite sandwich, or an accompaniment to your favorite pasta dish, a good loaf of bread makes everything better. This is a bread knife review based on my personal use.

Here was my problem.

Up until recently, I had a few bread knives in my butcher block, purchased from somewhere, sometime ago. Honestly, I never gave it much thought and just accepted the fact that when I cut into my bread, it would smush and make a big mess. My family would make comments that they had big hand divots in their bread, and it sometimes would lose its desirability.

The Rooted & Refined Living Expert Tip: 

"Less is more when using a high-end bread knife. Focus on a slow gliding motion. Feeling the steel cut the bread like warm butter will elevate your sensory experience, just like the baker intended."

I also recently purchased a chef’s knife after years of not liking the one I had but the new one I bought is just ok and not one that I would recommend (full disclosure, it was not a Shun Cutlery knife). Mary Beth and the kids encouraged me to start researching for a new bread knife, so I dug a little deeper into my search trying to find the best one out there. After cross referencing a few bread knife product recommendation sites, Shun kept coming up and specifically, this high-end version.

I was initially impressed by their website and craftsmanship but as with any knife, it’s a very personal experience. I took a big chance on buying a bread knife knowing that it may fall flat just like my chef’s knife. After the unboxing, I had to jump in the car and drive to my local baker, Bread Guy Breads to purchase a loaf of bread so we could try it out.

Bread Guy Breads is a success story all by itself as the founder and owner, Chuck Brown, is a retired school principal. During the pandemic, he started making bread out of his house and delivering it to a few people. It started to quickly take off, and he opened up a retail store in town and is the biggest hit each week during the local farmer’s market.

Best Bread Knife Review: Is the expense really worth it?

Drum roll…..It cut the bread like I was cutting through melted butter. The effortlessness of each stroke gave me goose bumps. I then started to play around with the knife to see how thin I could cut the bread, similar to those in those fancy chef videos you see on YouTube. I was so impressed.

Shun Premier 9" Bread Knife with Italian Bread on a Boos Block Cutting Board

The other thing that I found fascinating is the knife itself doesn't look sharp. You can run your finger lightly across the blade and not get cut. Well, not get cut if you don't continually do it for a few minutes. I finally said ouch and got what was the equivalent to a small paper cut. I learned my lesson just like my parents taught me as a kid... don't play with knives!

At some point, I will be passing my chef’s knife onto my kids as they move out and will be looking to buy another Shun product to add to my collection.

Happy cutting and don't forget to pair your favorite bread with the olive oil and vinegar from Madge and Louie's with your new cutting board from Boos Block.

Start Your Own Bread Knife Sensory Experience

If you’re curious to start your own bread knife Sensory Experience, I’ve listed my favorite Bread Knife below. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

For Transparency: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I truly love and use myself.