Let's See Your Vintage Inspired Office!

[SweetieStarr]

Some more shots.

Here's the desktop. Desk is burled walnut, executive size (66 inches long) with lots of great carved details, and tons of drawer space.

The phone, lamp, letter holder, and in/out box are all vintage. Stapler is from the 1930s.

Where does one find a great letter holder along the lines of what you have? I'm sure ebay has some, but I stopped ebay-ing.

 

[samson44]

Art Deco

Here's a quick photo of my office - I might post more later.

Inspired by this image I found used by a website - it was a painting done in France during the 1930's:

 

[Shanghailander]

Where does one find a great letter holder along the lines of what you have? I'm sure ebay has some, but I stopped ebay-ing.

That is a 1920s era Bradley and Hubbard piece. Lots of antique letters holders (brass) out there. Bradley and Hubbard, as well as other companies, made them, in all kinds of motifs, including Art Deco and Art Nouveau.

Mine holds my monthly bills, scribbled notes, and other odds and ends. With emails and online billing (and bill paying) these will probably go the way of the telegraph key.

 

[Old School QD]

What a most excellent discussion topic. I am currently amassing the items I need to put together my own vintage home office. I've been scanning the local used ads for old wooden desks and chairs. I've already got the 1920's Underwood No. 4 typewriter, but I need more. Great photos everybody, and keep them coming. It's great to see people take pride in their office space.

 

[Ethan Bentley]

Here's a quick photo of my office - I might post more later.

Inspired by this image I found used by a website - it was a painting done in France during the 1930's:

I really like the shade of green you've chosen, you've done a great job of keeping to the theme of the original. :eusa_clap

 

[Shangas]

Show Off Your Desk

EDIT: Thanks to the mods for moving this here. Sorry for the mixup! I'll just tidy up this post a bit...

My desk is "L" shaped. The short part is for my computer and lamp and CD collection, the long part is my writing-area, which is also the somewhat vintagey area of my desk. You'll find a lot of vintage & antique things on my desk; my pocket watches, vintage fountain pens and boxes, my inkwell, rocker-blotter, a bazillion dip-pen nibs, ink-bottles, blotting-paper and many other things besides.

Anyone who's had a look at my blog (see sig below) will probably guess that I'm a mad, crazy, hardcore writer. Here's a selection of photos showing the tools of my trade:

NB: The selection of pens on this desk is in no way indicative of my full collection of fountain pens, which numbers in at around three dozen functional pieces.

The breakdown of the stuff in the photos is as follows:

Pens:

MONTBLANC - Meisterstuck 145 Chopin w/matching ballpoint.
CARAN D'ACHE - Varius Snakewood.
PARKER - '51' Flighter + Pair of black w/gold-filled caps. (All in original Parker '51' boxes).
CONWAY STEWART - M70 & M58. (Not original box, but C/S nonetheless. The pen to which this box is original is actually being resacced at the moment, hence its absence).
SHEAFFER - Targa 1005 set. (In original box).
VISCONTI - Opera Elements 100/365; Ragtime 20th Anniversary LE 1592/1988.

Inks:

Noodlers, Sheaffer's, Parker's, unknown, calligraphy ink, Visconti (in box), Sheaffer's.

Watches:

WALTHAM - M1895 from 1899. 14S 7J open-face 14kt gold-filled case. Crown wind & set.
BALL - 435C from ca. 1957. 16S 21J open-face 10kt gold-filled case. Crown wind, lever set. 8Adj, micrometric regulator, etc, etc...It's a railroad watch!

Both watches were wound and running at the times of the photographs and are used regularly.

Seals &etc:

Chinese name-chop with my name in Chinese on it.
Sealing-stamp with letter S on it, for my first name. Not seen in their entireity are a half-dozen sticks of sealing-wax.

Other things in these photographs:

Rocker-blotter. Wood w/faux red leather on top. In regular use (I should probably change the paper on that thing, to be honest!).
Antique glass & nickel-plated inkwell.
Antique glass dip-pen rest & nib-holder (A present from my grandmother).
Gold magnifying glass w/precious stones embedded in handle (A present TO my grandmother...which she never used!).

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

Great collection you have there! I love the 51 g/f set, but then again, I am partial to the 51's myself. I try not to horde them, but I have seven of them kicking in my pen case myself! My recent purchase I have been rather enjoying, is one of those Eversharp Skylines. (Brown body, g/f cap) I hated the pens when I first saw them, but it kept nagging me and I just had to grab one.

btw... which Noodlers is that? I don't remember that lable.

 

[Shangas]

Hey EMT,

Yes, the 51s are beautiful pens. I picked up the two 51s & the box for $100 at the flea-market. And both pens work!

The Noodlers is Ottoman Azure (blue). It's a rich, dark blue, kinda 'Navy' ink.

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

Yea, I love how plain and simple they are... They just do the job and don't complain! That's a great deal for the 51 set. One of these days I am going to pick up a black one. My favorite 51 is a bit of an odd ball, it's a gf cap, cordovan brown vac/demi. You don't see too many of the demi vac's out there.

I have used that blue before, and it is a nice one. If you like that color range, you should try the Visconti blue. It's as close as you can get to Noodlers Baystate Blue without all the hasssle that comes with that evil ink. :rage:

My top favorite is one of the inks that FPN sells, the Gailio Brown. It's just behaves so well and is waterproof. A great match for me as I have quite a few cordovan / brown pens.

 

[Shangas]

Glad you like the photographs, EMT. I'm very proud of my collection of fountain pens. What you see there is by no means all of it. I have other pens and other boxes, stored or stacked away, but all the pens do get used very regularly. I lay out my pens on my desk for each day's use like some men lay out ties!!

 

[Dr Doran]

jesu, it took me about 50 years to find this %*(*#$(&@ thread. Here you go, poetman. My current vintage inspired office:

 

[poetman]

Doran,

Thanks for all the photos! That place looks awesome! I especially like the cinder blocks for bookshelf space. I recently bought some slabs of wood at Lowe's and did something similar. Again, thanks for sharing--it looks really nice!!!

 

[Dr Doran]

Doran,

Thanks for all the photos! That place looks awesome! I especially like the cinder blocks for bookshelf space. I recently bought some slabs of wood at Lowe's and did something similar. Again, thanks for sharing--it looks really nice!!!

Glad you like it! Thank you!

 

["Skeet" McD]

Glad you like it! Thank you!

The man seems to like books....a lot!

"Skeet"

 

[dhermann1]

I like the bare bulb with a parasol for a shade, and the way the office spills into the dining room, and the dining room chair at the desk. Is that your study chair? And what is that little series of green books right above the desk?
And a few random plants, and tho it's dark in there, there's plenty of sunshine a few steps away.
Definitely a high brow man cave.

 

[Dr Doran]

I like the bare bulb with a parasol for a shade, and the way the office spills into the dining room, and the dining room chair at the desk. Is that your study chair? And what is that little series of green books right above the desk?
And a few random plants, and tho it's dark in there, there's plenty of sunshine a few steps away.
Definitely a high brow man cave.

Ha ha, thanks. Yes, the chair at my desk is my study chair. It has arms and is very comfortable. I often study on the black early 1960s couch, though. Its arms can lie flat and thus make it a longer couch, or go vertical, making it a love seat, or go at any angle. It is a most ingenious piece of atomic furniture and is the only real concession to post 1945 styling we have except a few machines like the tv.
The little green books are Loeb Editions of ancient Greek authors. Each page that you open has the text in ancient Greek on the left hand page, and then a reasonably good, usually pretty straight translation into English on the right. I am a PhD candidate in ancient Greek and Roman history at Berkeley, so I need to have the actual writings in Greek of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Diodorus, etc. at hand at all times. The "primary sources." (I also enjoy reading crap here and there, don't worry, and watching TV, as you can see.)

 

["Skeet" McD]

More Signs of the End-times...

The little green books are Loeb Editions of ancient Greek authors. Each page that you open has the text in ancient Greek on the left hand page, and then a reasonably good, usually pretty straight translation into English on the right.

Dear Doran, Athenaeus is one of the important primary sources in my own dabble at Classicism, and living near Boston (and being impecunious) I make my annual trip to Harvard Square during Lent the occasion of adding a couple of new volumes; eventually, kids, I'll have the whole set! (what a ragbag, but FASCINATING ragbag....).

At any rate, I've been lucky enough to always do this at the Harvard U Press bookshop, right in the square. Last year: there it was. This year: GONE. Bookshelves there; no books. Tiny sign on the door: closed.

You can no longer go to a brick-and-mortar place run by Harvard and purchase the books the University prints....for the first time since the 17C. Yes, yes: I'm sure the Loeb will still be available for on-line purchase. But (for a dabbler like myself) the chance to just see them all lined up, cheek-by-jowl, and pull anything that looked interesting off the shelf....is gone.

O TEMPORA O MORES HEV HEV

"Skeet"

HOLY MOLY! Talk about...freaky! "SIGNS OF THE END TIMES" indeed...check out the Post number.....this was unintended, and unnoticed until I posted it...which is why it gets this editing....oh boy.

2nd edit: well, of course you fool: the number keeps changing....but you can imagine what it was (no sense tempting the dark forces of Kaos)

 

[Dr Doran]

[QUOTE="Skeet" McD] Athenaeus .[/QUOTE]

A delightfully bizarre author.

 

["Skeet" McD]

DEIPNOSOPHIA

A delightfully bizarre author.

If we can even expand "author" that far: he pretty much gives up on his framing story...and all the rest is, basically, what would happen if we had the scribbles from the rubbish tip at the Library of Alexandria, neatly sorted for our reading pleasure. But thank God he did what he did.

"Skeet"

 

[MissMeraRose]

Here's a quick photo of my office - I might post more later.

Inspired by this image I found used by a website - it was a painting done in France during the 1930's:

My goodness, your office is so lovely!