10 Tools That Every Home Needs

"You gotta have a little level. We all need that gravity check to keep our furniture and artwork in line."

—David Kaihoi, interior designer

$13, homedepot.com.

"Besides the blades, my Swiss Army knife has scissors, screwdrivers, a bottle opener, and a lot of other small tools that I use all the time."

—Roderick Shade, interior designer

$93, swissarmy.com.

"A sturdy stepladder. My favorite is the Tiramisu by Kartell."

—David Mann, interior designer

$345, allmodern.com.

"I can't live without a tape measure. I keep Stanley 25-footers in my kitchen, my study, my husband's library, the project room, the garage, and tucked behind the seat of my car. I've also got a small jeweled one in my dressing room, and a mini three-footer on my Hermès tassel keychain!"

—Suzanne Tucker, interior designer

$210, hermès.com.

"I truly love my Black & Decker cordless screwdriver."

—Kerry Joyce, interior designer

$30, target.com.

"At four inches long and with the diameter of a lipstick tube, the Inova X1 flashlight is sleek and compact, but it emits a bright, focused, circular beam like a spotlight."

—Ann Wolf, interior designer

$24, niteize.com.

"Goo Gone works like a miracle. It's my secret weapon for removing price tag residue and years of gunk on flea market finds."

—Nick Olsen, interior designer

$6, drugstore.com.

"A small hand shovel, or as I call it, a 'crabgrass eliminator.' I use it to dig up weeds, as well as to pot plants."

—John Danzer, furniture designer

$10, target.com.

"A good, reliable corkscrew adds to the quality of life."

—Phoebe Howard, interior designer

$50, macys.com.

"My stylish stripe-handled straw broom from Alice Supply Co. is good for everything from sweeping my front porch to grabbing cobwebs I can't reach to swatting the occasional bat that flies inside."

—Sheila Bridges, interior designer

$30, in striped, store.alicesupplyco.com.