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e

Object Culture

Desktop Valets/Organizers, Yea or Nay?

How do you organize the things you carry, when not carrying them?

By Rain Noe - May 7, 2018

Whether you refer to it as an "Everyday Carry" or not, most of us have things we consistently keep on our person as we leave the house. For some, if not for your correspondent, it makes sense to marshal all of these things onto a dedicated object at the end of each day. Here are some examples of what these objects look like:

Enter a caption (optional)

Etsy shop SkyWoodStudio

Etsy shop EcoWalnut

Etsy shop ImproveResults

Etsy shop PineConeHome

Etsy shop AmbientWood

We can assume those who use these a) Prefer to see everything in one place and b) Can be assured they will not leave the house without the items they need.

Functionally these organizers never appealed to me, and even if I found one aesthetically pleasing I'd never use it. The objects I need to bring outside of the home are scattered about inside the home, a function of my idiosyncrasies.

Here's what I carry at all times outside, and where they live inside:

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Keys. These live in my pants pocket. As I wear the same pants for weeks at a stretch, the main set of keys stay within them each night. As I never leave the house without pants on, I never forget my keys. I have additional keys related to side jobs that occasionally need to be swapped in and out, and these live on hooks by the door.

Enter a caption (optional)

Cash. Like the keys, these live in my pants. On laundry days I switch the keys and cash from the old pants to the new pants.

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Wallet. I'm still carrying this thing, and have not found a better replacement. My wallet lives in a semi-concealed spot near the front door, convenient enough that I automatically reach for it when leaving, but concealed enough that only a determined burglar would find it.

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Phone. Generally sits on a horizontal surface close at hand (desk, kitchen counter, shop table). Because it's always nearby, I never forget to grab it when leaving the house.

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Vape Pen. Lives in one of four drilled-out wooden blocks scattered around my house (desk, kitchen, shop, sewing machine repair bench). I forget to bring this frequently but am okay with that as I oughtn't be using the damn thing in the first place.

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Eyeglasses. I don't like bringing glasses outside the house because I don't always need them and really hate the design of eyeglass cases (too bulky given the contents). But I always bring these if I'm going to be driving a car, going to a large big-box store (something about the lighting in there makes it extra hard for me to read product labels), wielding tools, or to any environment where I will be using a computer. These live on my desk or on my face.

What do you all carry, and how do you organize it inside your house? Do you think desktop valets like the above have merit? And if you've designed one yourself, please post a photo and description in the comments.

Object Culture

Rain Noe

Rain Noe is a writer and industrial designer based in New York City.

8 Comments

g h

a year ago

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after forgetting my badge and having to return home [2 rush hours for 1] I was forced to create this model and 3D print it.

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Ignacio Revoredo

a year ago

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I've probably never used a desktop organizer consistently before, but I'm currently designing one that is tailored specifically for my needs as part of a design class at college so I'm curious to see if this changes anything. I would love to share it when the prototype gets finished!

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Steven Caruso

a year ago

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I throw my wallet and keys on a tray in my living room, which also collects pens, coins, tools, and other garbage until it's overflowing and I move it all into another pile of garbage underneath in a cabinet, where it's forgotten about for the rest of eternity.

But I have been looking for a nice homespun plywood apparatus with a batman insignia laser-etched into it to hold my pistol and watch collection neatly on my workspace, thanks.

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Chris Simon

a year ago

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I usually just use a bowl. Then I nested this found object— a fire truck dome light—and I have an instant favorite.

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James Connors

a year ago

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Check out 'gather' by ugmonk.
1

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Juan Cano

a year ago

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Funny. Can't find my wallet since yesterday. I carry keys which are as minimal as possible, just a ring made out of the outside of a Mexican, 5 keys and USB stick. My phone, my wallet which is a money clip which can only fit like 7 cards and a few bills. Lately I've been carrying a CRKT PAZODA knife because I find it's super useful. I have a small 6" square metal tray on my dresser where I put everything, most of the time. I also keep an extra knife in there, 2 multi-tools, headphones, and unfortunately, too much other random stuff. Yesterday morning I didn't put my wallet there and now can't find it. The organizers just seem over the top to me, I'm not that neat.

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- Juan Cano
  
  Juan Cano
  
  a year ago
  
  Z
  
  Z
  
  Reply
  
  "outside of a Mexican coin.."
  
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  - Sean Thackston
    
    Juan Cano
    
    a year ago
    
    Z
    
    Z
    
    haha. Thanks for clarifying Juan. I thought we might have a serial killer in the message-boards; turning his victims into EDC.
    
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