Making the Workday Work for You

It may be hard to believe in the Big O with weather like we've been having, but it is Fall. Among fun and festive Autumn activities like hayrack rides, pumpkin patches, and leisurely strolls amidst the fall leaves this also brings new school and office routines that hopefully we've all settled into by now. Whether you work in a confined cubicle or from the comfort of your own home, it's important to have a work space that is both functional and inspiring. Give your desk some personality and keep it fun with bright colors, fun textures and charming details. Here are eight items to turn your workday from drab to joyous.

1. Hold Everything. This ceramic New York City Greek deli cup is a perfect hold all for everything you need to keep at your fingertips.

2. An office with a great view is hard to come by. So, why not bring the outdoors inside. We think this grass vase from Normann Copenhagen just may be prettier than the real thing. A great idea to beat the [soon to come] winter blues.

3. Recycled Thoughts. Keep those bright ideas fresh in an Attic Journal made from recycled books.

4. Keep your friends close. What better office friendship to form than one with success. Keep it on your mind and on your desk in the form of this John Derian paperweight.

5. Everything has its place, keep desktop odds and ends in sight with a chic and quirky ceramic "take-out" dish from Lorena Barrezueta.

6. The best thing since....well, regular sticky notes! This charming office themed sticky note set from Cavallini is sure to help you remember all of those important details.

7. All the right words. Daily affirmations keep your mind on the prize at the office. So why not surround yourself with positive and inspirational thoughts. This John Derian decoupage tray is a smart addition to any desk.

8. The Magic word. Thank you notes like this one from Jonathan Wright are always an office staple. Nothing says thank you like a handwritten note, great for that coworker that always brings you coffee in the morning or for the potential client who you just met.

I Spy: Vintage Paris Map

I always get a thrill seeing items we sell at Trocadero make appearances on other people's blogs. Welcome to our "I Spy" series.

Today's "I Spy" post is once again from La Dolce Vita. If Paloma ever visits Omaha, she will have to stop by Trocadero; we carry all of her favorite brands!

Paloma was recently interviewed on Pepper Design Blog and shared some of her design inspiration and guidelines:

Add personal touches. Your home should not look like a photo from a sterile catalog. It should have life and speak of you and your interests. If you like to travel, add a framed map.

To illustrate her point, Paloma featured a photograph of a room in her home, presumably her living room. I immediately noticed two things: that adorable dog and the vintage Paris map on the bottom left of the foursome of framed posters over her couch. Visitors of Trocadero will notice that we have the same map framed at the front of the store near the door and that we sell it unframed for $13.

PS: Framed or unframed, a vintage map of Paris makes a great gift for world travelers, history buffs and Francophiles alike.

(image via La Dolce Vita blog)

Honeymoon in Italy

A year ago I was on my honeymoon in Italy. My husband and I visited Florence, Venice and Rome. Ah, memories...

Don't assume that the only international goods that Trocadero sells are French; the shop happens to sell many products that remind me of the two weeks we spent sightseeing in those historical cities, including classic children's travel books of Venice and Rome by M. Sasek and vintage Italian postcards by Cavallini. And Red Flower makes a shower gel, a body lotion and a candle that smell like blood orange, a fruit native to Italy that we enjoyed as juice every morning while abroad.

The Troc also carries a number of products that I wish I had with me on our trip like the beautifully constructed and extremely practical M.Z. Wallace nylon Jane bag. I could have used the Malin + Goetz "carry-on approved" travel kit, as well as a pocket-sized notebook to record all of our adventures--what we ate, where we stayed, what sites we saw.

To celebrate the one year anniversary my honeymoon, I may just have to buy myself a bottle of Bond No. 9's Little Italy perfume, which has top notes of mandarin and grapefruit. Delicious!