If only gas stations were this cool. Her

If only gas stations were this cool. Here’s a Mies van der Rohe original. Absolutely stunning reno. http://ow.ly/9f4rh

X Marks The Spot – X Mark Mouse Slim

Canon's X Mark Mouse Slim - it's a wireless mouse, calculator and keypad!

White looks great with an apple keyboard, if you want to keep things...white.

By way of Designboom, Canon is now taking pre-orders for its X Mark Mouse Slim, a three-in-one business tool for your computer. The wireless mouse, calculator/keypad is a great example of streamlined innovation. I love the simplicity and efficiency of this. It makes perfect sense, right? Offered in black or white, the X Mark is a lightweight companion that should be a staple for your office. Check it out here. $60 USD [available in August 2011]

TIMBER! Reclaimed Timber Desk Caddy

Reclaimed Timber Desk Caddy by Jonathan January

I’m sitting in a session at BlogHer in San Diego and the discussion is ridiculous. I’ll spare you the details. It’s providing the perfect time to tackle a few task items, including a long passed due entry here on The Desctop. This came way of Uncrate recently and I thought to myself, “how beautiful to have some raw materials sitting on your desk.” This desk caddy is made from reclaimed fir timber and treated with a non-toxic durable finish. It’s a stunning piece for the desk for showcasing all of those items like pens, pencils, letter opener, scissor, etc. I’m all about the old with the new, so this can be quite special looking if sitting on a nice stark modern table. The caddy measures 11”L x 4”h x 3”W and sells for $45 USD on Jonathan January’s Etsy site.

Walnut Keyboard Tray

Neatly hold your keyboard and keypad.

I think I should have been Canadian. Something about their aesthetics and zest for clean lines and design is so appealing. Every time I see an atrocious strip mall, I think about my trip to Vancouver where the simplest storefronts are stylish without being too trendy. And did I mention how clean everything is? No graffiti in sight. It’s amazing. Well, leave it up to the Canucks to create a clean tray to house your Apple wireless keyboard and keypad for your desk. The Combine Collective represents an ensemble of local Canadian artists who fuse art and technology for modern convenience. If you’re looking for a way to warm up your desk with natural wood accents, this is the perfect balance to the cold austere (yet beautiful) design of Mac products. Below the placement of the keyboard and pad is smaller vestibules for hiding unwanted clutter like pens and paperclips and whatever else you can easily loose in the mess. The tray can be ordered for right or left-handers. The purchase of this tray is a sure way to add some polish to your mundane office desk. Get yours for $99 CAD.

In case you need to hide something.

Federal Supply Service Notebook

new year resolution - spend less

We all have new year resolutions so I thought I would start off with my first post of the year with a sensible one. This came my way through A Continuous Lean, the daily blog of all things cool and collected. Contributor Michael Williams was interning at the Pentagon when first coming across the DOD’s standard issue journal/notebook that is commonly used by a wide range of personnel, from government officials to soldiers fighting insurgents. I’m a huge fan of Moleskin journals, but as we all know, it can get pricey and I must say that the leather spine does not hold well with wear and tear. With a new outlook and perspective on my spending habits for the upcoming year, I have opted for the beyond reasonably priced federal notebooks that will run you only $3.83 each. Check out Williams post as he shares some great insights and practical use for his new find. As for me, I bought five and had them shipped directly to the office. One will be used for the Palm Springs renovation project, the others for travels, and of course one for those impromptu brainstorm sessions.

Desctop tip: here, more is more. Five or ten of these notebooks make for a stunning and bold design on your desk. The vibrant kelly green is a great accent for your office and who ever said that you can’t have more than one? Buy a few here.

Happy 2011

Some of you may have noticed (and many of you did not realize) that I have been out of touch these past few months. Aside from increased responsibilities with my real job, holiday traveling, family matters and a new weekend home renovation in Palm Springs, I am a bit stretched at the moment. However, with the close of the year comes new resolutions to help us reflect, rejuvenate and re-energize ourselves for the next 12 months. It will definitely be a busy year and one that I hope to share with you. My goal is to be inspired with countless hours of online research (shopping) mixed with some personal inspirations from worka and life. Check back or sign up for the e-newsletter feed. I’d love to hear your thoughts and make for an actual exchange of ideas.

And just to tease…here’s a pic of the next post.

Your new journal.

Be safe celebrating and ringing in the new year. I’ll be back on Monday with new things to share.

Best,

Michael

Storylines for your office (wall)

Frederik Roije's Storylines book shelf

Available in four colors, dark and light grey, white and blue.

Last month, I introduced you to Frederik Roije and his Guidelines wall-mount magazine rack. Now witness another great find from his Amsterdam-based studio – Storylines is a book shelf with the outline of an architectural skyline. If in the search for something interesting for your office that goes beyond the conventional, look no further. What I enjoy most about Roije’s work is the combination of architecture, design and functionality. True to the modern creed of “form follows function,” there’s nothing better than a true testament of authentic design that fuses all of these great aspirations. Made of powder-coated folding metal, Storylines is available in dark grey, light grey, blue, and white and is available for 199 Euros.

Meet petite Vika Veine – IKEA

Affordable and space saving Vika Veine desk by IKEA.

Available in Brown-Black or White.

Convenient access to cables and plugs.

I get excited when mass manufacturers decide to provide accessible, clean design to the public. Grant it, IKEA is a rare breed with Swedish roots, which can hardly be coined as a “mass player.” But, considering it’s sheer volume of products and mass appeal, I appreciate their consideration of space-challenged dwellers living in urban neighborhoods. So if you’re in New York, or just happen to have a rather tight space, take note. The Vika Veine desk is a small workspace (measures 39″ wide by 24″ deep) that opens up to provide access to a felt board full of pockets and space for paperwork. Thanks to the mechanism of the pop-up hood, a channel opening provides access to power outlets and for hiding those messy cables. It’s a smart feature and one that is rarely seen with such minimal flair. You can be working and easily hide everything by closing the top. Furthermore, you have a clean worksurface in a split second.

The best part, the price is only $99 USD (not including the legs).

Workflow of the future – Workflow Concept

Workflow desk concept by O4i.

The new cubicle for the stale office.

Here’s something to dream about. Swedish design firm O4i has proposed a new concept for the modern office that makes the stale cubicle a rather interesting place to work. Led by designers Henrik Kjellberg and Jon Lindstrom, the Workflow concept is an all-in-one workplace that provides a standard height work desk, a transaction counter for standing room work, and a built-in lounger for those impromptu relaxed brainstorming sessions or…well, naps in the office. Who needs a sofa in the office, right? It’s not like we’re Mad Men drinking during the middle of the day and needing a horizontal surface to lay. Well…come to think of it, this has been a requisite in the past due to some crazy lunches, but we’ll discuss that later.

The concept first grabbed my attention on the design blog community, ChicTip. Thank you contributor Lauren Proctor for posting the info. The O4i site includes several other product designs as well as a brief introduction to the award-winning designers. Not for production or sale, yet, but if we keep our fingers crossed, perhaps our dreams will come true.

A pen fit for the Embassy – Embassy Pen

The Embassy Pen featuring the Fisher Space refill.

Government approved.

I’m a sucker for a good-looking pen. Just like I’m a sucker for a good-looking anything, but that’s a story for another time. Government approved vendor County Comm is the maker of several products for various U.S. groups and requirements. When commissioned for creating a new barrel pen, County Comm managed to broker a deal of keeping a surplus for their own profit. Making the limited quantity of pens available to the public, the black, anodized aluminum Embassy Pen is also available in stainless steel. The bold, knurled grip makes this tool a very attractive, sturdy, durable accessory for your writing needs. And who said it’s no longer fashionable to still write with a pen? I know technology is making it easier to type away for every task – thank you iPad – but, I will always find a way to use a pen for the old-fashion way of taking notes, or yes, even writing a check. Sadly, I have more pens than anyone could ever need. It’s a major problem and I don’t advice keeping too many around on your desk. However, I do love seeing great looking pens – a few at least – in a nice presentation on a desk. In my opinion, it’s very timeless and very executive.

Add the Embassy Pen to your collection for about $40 USD.