This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
I think I got my first desk tidy when I was still in primary school. It was one of those cheap plastic tubular ones, but I was already deeply entrenched in my stationery addiction so I adored it. It had a little space for paperclips and compartments for storing my pens separately to my pencils. Everything, in short, my little control-freak heart desired. Fast forward over twenty-five years (man, I am old) and nothing has changed…. Yes, you could use a mug to hold your pencils, but why pass up the opportunity to buy dedicated stationery storage?
1. This pen holder loses marks for just
being one big container (no compartments, no drawers, no exciting
pull-out tray), but I like the humour of the design and the nice
material (rubberwood). Plus, you can distract yourself from irksome
tasks by pretending that it's an ordinary pencil sharpener and
that you've shrunk (or, alternatively, that you stole it from a
giant). £10 from Tesco.
2. I'm guessing this cardboard pen
holder is not going to be particularly durable, but it's hard to
resist its retro vibe. It's a flatpack kit (with stickers)
that folds into a camper van desk tidy. £3.49 (on sale) at Find Me A
Gift.
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3.Okay, so you can't store anything
else except for the scissors (bunny ears) or paperclips (caught by
the magnetic carrot), but this desk bunny is so cute I'm happy to
overlook such petty practicalities. £20 from NotOnTheHighStreet.
4. New York cityscape pen stand from Muji.
Available in Tokyo, Paris and London varieties, and priced just £3.50.
5. This is a serious desk tidy. You can
tell because it's made in serious dark-coloured wood and has a sober price tag of £39. According to the
Scotts of Stow description, it's a Navy-style desk tidy 'reminiscent of campaign pieces', which passes 'serious' and heads
into 'ominous' territory. Whatever. It looks very smart and
classic and I like the drawer (I love miniature drawers as much as I
love boxes, books, notebooks and toast. ie. Lots).