Adjacent to the pen world, there is a veritable wealth of opportunities to really structure your desk around your personality. Being able to build upon your personal style in new ways is part of the joy of collecting beautiful objects. This is all the easier to accomplish when one looks to the experience of heritage brands who have so perfectly curated their aesthetics over the years.
For instance, who can do Italian excellence better than Pineider? Or English sophistication better than Smythson? Or, for that matter, German elegance more thoughtfully than Graf von Faber-Castell? What you often find is that a singular vision of the brand is often condensed best into their accessory lines. These lines are often the staples of the brand, offering a low entry point for buying products and aren’t as affected by seasonality as the pen industry sometimes can be, which is more focused on remaining new and current.
With that, if you are to go the route of buying a desk accessory from any of the above brands, might I recommend a desk set? Offering a pre-curated bundle of many of the best accessories gives you an instant collection and helps to provide cohesiveness to your desk. Here are my top three recommendations.
Stationery Bureau in Mara (Smythson)
This is one gorgeous offering from legendary British stationers, Smythson. A bureau made of calfskin leather, embossed to resemble crocodile, it has multiple compartments for your daily writing needs. Not only that, but the bureau itself is just beautiful, in a dark navy that complements the Kings Cream Wove stationery and matching envelopes. Truly, this is Smythson at their best: giving one the opportunity to live luxuriously and timelessly.
Price: €2,186.00
Epsom, Cognac Desk Set (Graf von Faber-Castell)
Next on the list is Faber-Castell’s more straightforward desk set. Here, we have an entire tableau of offerings from the German brand, making it easy to accessorize your desk all in one go. All parts are handmade with calfskin accents and the set itself includes six Guilloche pencils, letter opener, pen holder, notelet box, pen tray, desk pad.
Price: €1,590.00
Travel Desk Set (Pineider)
Possibly the most luxurious desk set you may ever come across is from Pineider. Taking Italian excellence to another level, one could easily find this exact set on the Orient Express or in the Doge’s palace in Venice. Made from cherry wood and leather, this set is an unbelievably handsome offering from the Italian makers and has everything – literally – you’d need to write for any occasion, including: 14 nibs, a dip pen, a black ink well, a leather notebook, 14 black pencils, 25 Pineider plain, deckle-edged water-cut cards format 9, 25 laid, Pineider watermarked, deckle-edged water cut writing paper size A4, 25 laid, Pineider watermarked, deckle-edged water cut writing paper size A5, and blind embossed Pineider envelopes. And not only that, but every object in the kit can be personalized. Now that is luxury.
Price: €4,278.00
