Writing Table Essentials for La Rentrée
© Joann Pai
La rentrée (back to school and work season) invites us to replenish our supplies after a long summer vacation, and cozy up at our writing tables for the autumnal months ahead.
Stepping into September, we’re organizing our work corners: picking out playful pens, the prettiest stationery, and committing to keep the workspace a beacon of inspiration.
Here are the items we’re enjoying as we ease back into work this fall.
The Desk – Choosing What Speaks to Us
The writing desk, as we know it, is thought to have been popularized in England and France around the 17th and early 18th centuries. It arrived in elaborate forms at the French court, with leather tops, hidden compartments, and wood inlay.
If starting anew with the writing corner, we recommend choosing a desk which speaks to the person who will sit behind it. An antique mahogany table with brass handles may call to us at a Parisian brocante. If we’re lucky, we might find the perfect one which will spark an innate dedication to our projects for the year ahead.
The Desk Lamp – A Subtle Glow
Depending on where the desk is positioned, we prefer to work beside a small lamp rather than beneath an overhead light. The gentle glow lends a soft ambiance in the early mornings and evenings working.
Antique brass or mid century modern lamps are our favorite additions to brighten up our working corner.
Choosing the Right Writing Tools
Few materials are as important as the pens we choose. Holding them should feel comfortable and require little stress concerning longevity and utility.
This doesn’t always merit a big investment. For everyday pens, we pick up a pack of our favorite disposable options – typically opting for ballpoint styles with generous ink lines. For a special alternative, we like taking notes with a fountain pen.
Some French schools still encourage children to learn how to use them and they remain an affordable mainstay in French institutions and homes –
But for something special, Montblanc pens, specifically, fountain or ballpoint, are a celebrated luxury addition to any collection.
Stationery & Notebooks – Personality in the Paper
When scratching down to-do lists and details for coming projects is part of the everyday, it can become difficult to keep track of the scattered notes and nondescript legal pads.
We enjoy choosing colorful reims of paper, delicately decorated stationery, and bound journals to keep track of our musings and tasks. This not only brightens the space and our mood, but subtly organizes every duty which requires our attention.
Arranging the Space & Avoiding Clutter
Organization could be seen as a banal detail — akin to controlling a space rather than occupying and living in it. For us, it’s half the fun.
Repurposed luxury candle holders make elevated pen holders — we even love the occasional vintage flower vase for the job.
In the same way we organize pens, we keep catchall dishes out for the stray hair clips, coins, and lipsticks which might find their way to the work table – and unique serving plates for our various papers.
Stationery Clips – Charming Vintage Treasures
Sometimes we prefer a touch of frivolity to elevate the character of our writing tables. Rather than the dependable bulletin board, we love installing vintage stationary clips to the surrounding walls or keeping them on hand to organize our pertinent papers – otherwise, we enjoy using them to hang pretty photos, messages, and inspiring quotes.
They’re usually heavy brass trinkets with Victorian or regency inspired details.
Searching for Tranquility – The Books We Keep Near
When we need repose from the task at hand, we open a page in a favorite book.
The desk side stack is ever growing.
Our favorite books span across genres – everything from fiction to travel and shopping guides make the cut, leading us to momentarily escape before returning to the work before us.
Written by Jessy Brewer
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