The Well-Appointed Desk

Review: Bird Letter Opener

AnaJanuary 16, 2014Leave a comment

A dear friend sent me this beautiful bird letter opener for Christmas. Its made of a hard plastic with a matte finish. It’s sculpted shape feels good in the hand and the tail is curved to tuck under the edge of an envelope. It can stand on its own like a little bird perched on my desk.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve put it through its paces the last couple weeks. It works pretty well but is not as sharp as a blade sharpener like my favorite old school letter openers. It has decided to take up residence on my work desk where it can be called upon to open the occasional letter versus the abuse my home openers endure.

(available via Walker Art Center Shop for $16 each, seven color options)

In Fountain Pen Review

Review: Pilot Kakuno Fine Nib

AnaJanuary 15, 2014May 27, 201710 Comments

I finally got a hold of a Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pen. Its an introductory fountain pen, originally targeted to school kids, with its plastic body and low price ($16.50).

The cap has no clip and is the part of the pen available in a variety of colors. I, of course, bought the lime green cap version with a fine nib. There are other color caps available: red, blue, pink, gray and orange. The cap snaps into place and the divot on the cap is the grip area for grabbing and removing the cap. The body on all the Kakuno pens is an opaque, slate grey. The grip area is a translucent grey-black.

Its a very lightweight pen but the cap can be posted on the pen to give it a little bit more weight and makes it a comfortable length for just about any hand size.

One of the most endearing features of the Kakuno is the etched smiley face on the nib. This is a nib that should make you smile on a Monday morning.

pilot kakuno writing sample

The nib is as smooth and silky as the nib I have in my Prera. The grip has a faceted grip area like a hexagonal pencil but has soft, rounded edges that does not dig into my hands the way the Lamy Safari does. But the grip area will help people using fountain pens for the first time find the right hand placement.

I used a standard Pilot blue-black cartridge ($4) for my writing sample though the pen does ship with one black cartridge. I also purchased a CON-50 converter ($8.25) to use with bottled inks. The total cost is $24.75 for the pen and the converter which is a very competitive price for a first fountain pen.

Overall, I love the nib and the grip area is a lovely compromise between the rigid grip area of a Lamy Safari. The green cap is a perfect lime but, I find the look of the pen plastic to be a little kid-like for me. With the exception of the cap, the pen is very unassuming. Though I think it will definitely be a pen I use and keep in my office. The Kakuno is a great value.

EDIT: The grip area is actually a rounded triangular shape.

DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

In photo

Pencil Array

AnaJanuary 14, 2014Leave a comment

(viaThings Neatly Organized)

In link

10 Ways to Declutter your Desk

AnaJanuary 13, 20142 Comments

Kinfolk editor Nathan Williams' desktop computer at home along the Oregon coast via Hear Black. — Kinfolk editor Nathan Williams’ desktop computer at home along the Oregon coast via Hear Black.

There are ten great (if sometimes obvious) tips for keeping a clear desk and a clear head over on Remodelista. Clean, sort, organize and manage your time are things we all need to be reminded about occasionally. I’m particularly fond of the advice to use Unroll.me to remove your name from slews of subscription emails and SelfControl to forcibly block sites from yourself for certain windows of time (hello, Pinterest!) for we of little self-control.

(via Remodelista)

In link

News: Planner Camp

AnaJanuary 11, 2014Leave a comment

Planner Camp is an online class, forum and resources to help you create your own planner to organize and plan your perfect year. Planner Camp starts on Monday and costs $49US. Some of the topics and features of the project include:

Three weeks of private posts, tips and video tutorials

Access to a private student Facebook Group

Pre-designed planner templates for you to customize into your perfect planner, fast!

Weekly video based lessons on customizing the planner templates using Adobe InDesign ®.
Don’t have it? Don’t worry! Check the FAQ for details on the affordable month to month access option & 30 Day Free Trial.

Pre-designed templates that are customized to work with two tried & true binding systems: Filofax ® (A5 size) & M by Staples™ Arc Customizable Notebooks (Junior size).

Advice for printing at home or working with a professional printer, including strategies to minimize costs.

Unique design ideas to help you create a year built around your values & passions! From taking great care of yourself to accomplishing your goals, feeling fabulous, and having as much fun as you can dream up.

Weekly open office hours for one-on-one student questions, design support and troubleshooting.

(via Freckled Nest)

In photo

Rustic Pallet Desks

AnaJanuary 10, 2014Leave a comment

pallet-desks

In my search for woodsy, natural feeling workspaces, I stumbled upon the idea of building desks, tables and shelving out of reclaimed shipping pallets and wooden crates. There was an extensive article on MyInteriorDesign.it where I found many of the photos shown above. Some refinished the pallets, sanded or stained to a lovely finish while other options left the material in its raw state with all the stains and wear-and-tear from its previous life clearly visible. The fold-up pallet desk is a good option for those with little space or for the kids to use for homework or craft projects.

Instructions for building your own pallet fold-away desk cane be found at Thistlewood Farms.