Playful Desk & Office Companions
These aren't just pen stands, they are little desk companions. Handcrafted using 200-year-old Channapatna techniques, our collection brings a touch of color, personality, and genuine craft to your everyday workspace.
For the desk that’s anything but boring, meet our Channapatna pen stand gang. Featuring Flappy the Elephant, Buzzwing the Dragonfly, and Hootley the Night Writer, these handmade and handy companions are perfect for holding pens and personality.
They may be tiny, but our Memory Mates have a big job. These little wooden animals, handcrafted in Channapatna, hold more than just notes. They hold memories, to-do lists, and love notes, making them one of our most loved classics.
The Gubbis, or sparrows, are available in different colours and forms, making them beautiful festive gifts. They are functional as paperweights and also serve as quirky message boards or photo holders for your desk.
These note holders, featuring our Bumbledore bee, Flappy elephant, and Oinkston pig, are perfect for keeping your to-do lists and reminders in sight. Handcrafted with dangling legs, they add a playful touch to any workspace.
Our Gyaani Goobes, or wise owls, series of pen stands is one of our most popular designs. They make perfect gifts for any occasion, and the colours are derived from natural, non-toxic dyes.
Help us name our owl family, the Goobes! This video shows our wise and wonderful wooden owl money banks, which are part of a larger series that includes pen stands and other desk accessories.
These cute Gubbi photo and note holders have been part of the Varnam family since the beginning. Colourful and quirky, they function as both paperweights and message boards, making them a popular and versatile gift.
This Flappy the Elephant piggy bank is a charming way to save your coins. Handcrafted in Channapatna, it's a functional piece of art that brings a smile to your face, whether on a desk or a child's shelf.
This playful Bumbledore note holder brings joy to any workstation. Handcrafted in the Channapatna style, it serves as a perfect corporate gift, adding a touch of childlike wonder to the office.
We created this special gift box for the speakers at the DesignUp conference. It celebrates local craft with a hamper of our tabletop accents, showing how timeless design principles from craft can inspire modern solutions.
About Desk & Office Companions
These aren't mass-produced plastic organizers. Each pen stand is hand-turned using Aale Mara wood and finished with a high-gloss, non-toxic lacquer applied while the wood is still spinning on the lathe. It is a slow, tactile process that you can actually feel the moment you pick one up.
When we first started working with Channapatna artisans, the craft was almost exclusively known for toys. I wanted to see if we could take that same language of glossy colors and rounded forms and give it a second life on your work desk.
Take our 'Gubbis' (sparrows), for example. They started as simple paperweights, but people quickly found they were the perfect size to hold a photo or a to-do list. I remember a couple years ago, a bride and groom bought a batch of these to give away as wedding favors. The next day, half their guests showed up at our store because they wanted to know the story behind them. That is the kind of connection we aim for.
Whether it is our 'Gyaani Goobes' (wise owls) or the 'Bumbledore' note holders, every piece is designed to be a conversation starter. We work with artisans like Pallavi, who leads her own unit in Channapatna, to ensure the finish and proportions are just right. When you place one of these on your desk, you aren't just buying an organizer. You are bringing a bit of Hameed or Pallavi's 'lagav' (attachment) into your daily routine. It is a small, quiet rebellion against the mass-produced, soul-less stationery that fills most modern offices.
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