With the summer holidays in full-swing, the next big event on the calendar is going back to school, college or work. Academically, September is the month for a new start, so it’s the perfect time to have a clear out and update your stationery – especially if you work in a modern lifestyle office or learn in a contemporary classroom setting.
You don’t have to look far – the shops are overflowing with stationery options and new online stationery brands are continually popping up. All the major supermarkets have their own-brand stationery department. From high street to high fashion labels, stationery is even making its way on to the catwalk!
According to Retail Gazette research in this article, the UK stationery market is set to rise by 2.4 per cent in five years, from £2.06 billion in 2016 to around £2.1 billion by 2021. With many people obsessed with all-singing, all-dancing phones and tablets nowadays, these figures may surprise you. Even more surprising is that stationery is still so popular that it even has its own national week in April!
What’s on the stationery trend list?
Your job probably won’t require you to go rushing out for a new pencil case or plethora of erasers that you’ll never actually use, but there are some important and useful essentials that you may want to double-check:
- Diary
- Notepad
- Sticky notes
- Writing pens
- Highlighters
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Sellotape
- Calculator
- Desk organisor and files
- Chargers (phone, tablet, laptop, camera etc.) – if taking anything electrical in to work, remember to always get it PAT tested before using it
Top three stationery trends for 2017
- Monogram and personalised – a great way to stop your stuff going walkies, it’s now very popular to personalise stationery with your initials or name. This adds a touch of extra luxury
- Metallic and iridescent – think unicorns, mermaids and fairies. Shimmering, dreamy colour palettes will really put a smile on your face
- Crazy prints – you may not be able to change the magnolia walls or the grey ceiling tiles, but you can brighten up the office with some fun, bold, printed stationery. Fruit is a big trend this summer
The bigger picture
Once you have ticked off the essential stationery items on your list, it’s time to think about the bigger picture – storage, desks and seating. If you don’t own or run the business then the last two may not be on your radar, but storage is a biggie. Cluttered workspaces = cluttered minds, so it’s always good to have systems in place to stay organised.
We offer a variety of storage options at Vale Office Interiors including lateral and suspension filing, personal storage such as mobile pedestal and individual workspace filing solutions, available in both metal and wood options and in a variety of colours and finishes, so there’s something to suit everyone and every environment.
Did you know we even offer filing audits to help consolidate your current office filing into a more space efficient filing medium?
Once you’ve decided whether to go for monogram, metallic or melon, contact us to discuss how you can update and improve your storage and workspace!
