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Q: Desk Essentials

-- Interior Design, 5/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

It’s no secret that designers need things Just So in order to get the job done Just Right. We asked, “Besides your MacBook Air, what are the essentials on your desk?”

“A pad of gridded paper and a box of colored pencils. A Luddite touch in my otherwise state-of-the-art office, they’re a constant reminder that digital distractions shouldn’t keep us from the direct retinal flood of design.” —Charles Thanhauser of Tek Architects

“Little yellow Post-it notes with to-do lists for each project, written very small with a black or red Uni-ball pen. Despite the seeming convenience of computers, BlackBerrys, and other ‘smart’ devices, I’m addicted to making handwritten lists. I’m lost without them.” —Lea Ciavarra of Lubrano Ciavarra Design

“The date book I get every year from Maharam. I love a paper calendar. I’ve dropped it many times, and it’s never fallen apart. I’ve left it on airplanes, and it’s been returned to me.” —Ken Wilson of Envision

“My Smythson agenda to draw on. I like the superthin ruled blue airmail-weight paper. It not only makes me feel like sketching but also acts as a cultural balance to the BlackBerry. —Carl Gustav Magnusson of CGM Design

“After much thought, I’ve selected that ever ready desk companion, my magnifying glass for reading small type.” —Don Chadwick of Chadwick Studio

What’s on your desk? Tell us by using our Talk Back feature below.