Your desk says a lot about you as a person. Are you one of those creative types always working on 15 things at once? A hyper-organizer that has to have a place for everything? One of those people that likes to deck out the workspace with pictures, tchotchkes and mementos? Regardless of which one of those types best describes you, you need some great desktop accessories to help you get stuff done during the day. From desktop stands and pencil cups, to calendars and organizers, these are our favorites. The 10 best desktop accessories for back to work.
Grovemade Wooden Desktop Stands
Portland-based Grovemade knows a thing or two about making sleek and stylish desk accessories. After trying countless solutions we always come back to their Wooden Desktop Stands for our laptops, monitors or computers because the build quality is second to none, the design is even better and every single one of the options elevates your desk to a whole new level of mid-century modern cool. Seeing as how the monitor stand, MacBook dock and laptop stand are available in both walnut or maple, you can choose the perfect color to accent the rest of the carefully chosen accessories on your desk.
$80+
Good F*cking Design Advice Travel Mug
Good Fucking Design Advice could take a bunch of their nuggets of wisdom—Never fucking settle. Make a fucking difference. Learn to fucking say no. Fucking simplify.—plaster them all over an otherwise mundane travel mug and we’d still probably buy it. And that’s exactly what they did with the matte black 16 oz. stainless steel Advice. Travel Mug. The designed and printed in the USA mug features 18 different pieces of good fucking design advice that’s completely NSFW in most offices. When you don’t have any fucks to give, the Advice. Travel Mug has your back.
$25
Godinger Race Coasters (Set of Four)
Whether you’re sucking down java, staying hydrated, enjoying a smoothie or winding down after a long day of work with an adult beverage, every desk needs a coaster for your favorite mug, bottle or glass. If you’re an automotive enthusiast, you won’t find a cooler set than these Godinger Race Coasters. Each 3.5″ coaster in the four-pack set is decked out with a unique automotive gauge (speedometer, fuel, oil, amps) and made of nickel-plated metal by a company that’s been honing their craft for almost four decades.
$34
TaoTronics LED Desk Lamp
Whether it’s a late night work session reviewing documents or just some added light during the day, every desk needs at least one great lamp. While we love gas pipe creations fitted with Edison bulbs for just about everything else, there’s no substitute for an LED desk lamp like this one from TaoTronics. This modern lamp has five different color temperature modes, seven dimmable levels of brightness, a rotating arm and lamp head, USB charging port, less-fatiguing lighting and a modern design that will fit with any workplace setup. As if all that isn’t enough for a lamp that costs less than fifty bucks, it’s also available in black or white to fit any work space.
$33
Ryan McGinness Calendar To-Do List Pad
Year after year, legendary artist and designer Ryan McGinness creates a limited run of a combination calendar and to-do list that you’ll actually look forward to using on a regular basis. Each page of the 4 1/4″ x 11″ pad features all the usual calendar stuff (month, day and date at the top, along with monthly details at the bottom) accented by a different McGinness typographical drawing in a dot near the top and enough graphed space to track all your daily to-do list needs. It’s a desktop version of a multi-function app that lets you get back to basics while amusing you in the process, but most importantly, it doesn’t require an outlet or a charging cable.
$25
Gather Desktop Organizer
Designed by the founder of Ugmonk to tackle desktop clutter, the Gather Desktop Organizer is a modular storage platform built to accommodate anything you might have on your desk on any given day. The wooden base is slotted to work with injection molded ABS plastic modules designed for specific purposes like holding your phone, your Post-it notes, pens, pencils, notebooks or knick-knacks. The grid system of the Gather also allows you to rotate or re-position the entire storage system at a moment’s notice should your needs change. Gather even has an optional Extension Kit with a separate headphone stand and coaster that are designed to attach to the flagship organizer with built-in rare earth magnets.
$119+
Schoolhouse Electric Desktop Flip Clock
When you want to know the time you’re probably checking your phone, the right hand corner on a computer or asking Alexa. There’s a better way when you’re at the office. Throw a little vintage style and old school cool into the mix with the Desktop Flip Clock from Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. This analog flip clock has a striking, monochromatic design that will pop against any work surface. More importantly, it was built by one of the world’s original flip clock manufacturers with a battery operated German quartz movement to combine the retro with precise timekeeping.
$99
CB2 x Fred Segal Solid Brass Studio Pencil Cup
It doesn’t matter if you prefer pens, pencils or sharpies, you need a place to store your writing instrument of choice on your desk. This Solid Brass Studio Pencil Cup is part of the CB2 x Fred Segal collection and is designed to be a luxe desk accessory inspired by the California creative community’s unique blend of live/work. We like it because the 3 3/4″ tall and 3″ diameter cup holds all the day’s essential tools and will look great on any desk because solid brass is always cool. As with everything else made of brass, it will also develop a beautiful patina over time.
$15
KROSNO Handmade Quench Water Carafe Set
We’re probably as guilty as any of you reading this when it comes to mainlining coffee for a good portion of the day. Staying hydrated is even more important than staying caffeinated, and that’s where the KROSNO Water Carafe from Household Essentials comes in. The 16-ounce water carafe and the 8-ounce glass that perfectly sits on top are both hand blown by glass artisans in Krosno, Poland, where the company has been perfecting home and office glassware for almost a century.
$30
Alvin Professional Self-Healing Cutting Mat
In addition to being a fantastic platform for all your X-Acto creations and paper models, the Alvin Professional Self-Healing Cutting Mat makes a fantastic mouse pad and desktop home base for keyboards, pen and pencil holders, device stands, speakers, drinks, accessories, monitors and anything else you need to use or want to display on a regular basis. You don’t even need to worry about the size of your desk or your decor, because it comes in nine different sizes ranging from 8 1/2″ x 12″ to 4′ x 8′ with one green side and one black side. You have no reason not to have one of these on your desk.
$19
