Spring has arrived and with it comes a new selection of desk organizers at Parvum Opus. It may not surprise you to learn that I adore small, everyday functional things. There's an intimacy to using and designing utilitarian objects, and believe that even the smallest thing, when beautifully designed, can enhance our daily lives. I've created two new desk caddy variations to go along with my hexagonal pencil cups, and these are now available to order in any pattern on our website. The first features a graceful tapered shape with a wavy edge, and the second is a pyramidal piece with a sculptural presence.
It's wonderful to be thoughtful about the things that we use everyday, and when I can find or build a creative way to corral quotidian necessities, it makes me happy. I love a writing desk or reading corner with a spot for books, a cup of tea, a place to keep reading glasses, bookmarks and pencils for scribbling brilliant (haha) thoughts in the margins. On my desks, I like to keep several pencil cups or caddies full of writing and other desk tools. These are equally handy on night tables, in the kitchen, on hallway entry tables and more.
The magazine clipping shown above has been living a few feet from the work tables in my studio for several years now, and it never fails to inspire me. It's a view of a library designed by Studio Peregalli, and I'm sorry I can't remember the magazine in which it appeared originally, but I believe it also appears in the book The Invention of the Past: Interior Design and Architecture of Studio Peregalli by Laura Sartori Rimini and Roberto Peregalli. I absolutely adore looking at the collection of things both functional and aesthetic that marches down the center of this beautiful library table. This collection of objects creates a portrait of the people to whom this library belongs, just as the things that surround us in our own homes describe and define us. Can you spy the cups filled with pens and pencils? When I'm designing my own pencil holders, I like to think of them as companions for such an array, adding a bit of texture and pattern to a collection that will in turn reflect the person who uses them.
There's another image that I come back to again and again, which you may find a bit unusual given my penchant for desks and libraries. It's a photo I saw in a post on New York Social Diary back in 2014, featuring designer Howard Slatkin's New York apartment. If you enjoy a maximalist interior, you'll enjoy a look back at this article, but the photo above was the one that particularly caught my eye. It's a small table in his dressing room, carefully arranged with baskets and trays containing all the things a gentleman might need in the city. I am neither a gentleman nor a New Yorker, but when I saw this photo, I felt an immediate spark of recognition and appreciation. The beauty here lies in the careful consideration of what might simplify and enhance one's daily activities: I imagine that if we all took on a small project like this, every one of us would end up with a different but equally interesting composition.
It's always great fun to design and build new pieces for the Parvum Opus collection, and it's truly my privilege to make desk organizers that will provide both beauty and utility for you. The possessions in our homes reflect and shape our identities, and whatever you choose to collect, I hope that you'll be inspired to create special places for your own everyday things.
Souvenir is the blog for Parvum Opus, an artist-run studio specializing in artistic decorative objects and home furnishings. We welcome your thoughts! Comment below to join the conversation, and if you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe to receive an email when we publish new posts.