Goods for the Study: McNally Jackson Store in New York

All bookstores stand at the ready with reading suggestions. Soho independent bookseller McNally Jackson goes a step further: it fully imagines the perfect setting for getting work done.

Goods for the Study, McNally Jackson’s satellite store in Nolita is a few blocks from its main location (which has a nice-looking cafe and a bookbinding machine for self publishers). “As booksellers, we knew we wanted a store that would support a life of learning,” explains partner and main buyer Sandeep Salter, who designed and created the shop with McNally Jackson Books owner Sarah McNally. It’s located in one of Nolita’s narrow storefronts that retains its romantic tenement feel, complete with wood-beamed ceiling and deep cast-iron sink by the register. Reading is not the focus here, but perusing its fully accessorized desks, stitched notebooks, tapered steel scissors, and wood-capped erasers is every bit as enthralling as getting lost in a great book. 

Photographs by David Brandon Geeting, unless noted.

Above: McNally Jackson is located at 234 Mulberry Street, just below Houston in New York. Photograph by Driely S. via Melting Butter.

Above: “We wanted a shop where everything would be useful and beautiful,” says Salter who researched and traveled to workshops the world over. Her choice for the ideal desk light? The classic French Jielde SI333 (which we also happen to love), handmade in Lyons and available in several colors; $550. (Read more about the lamp here.) It’s shown on the Country Desk One by UK furniture and ceramics studio Another Country; $1,870. 
49 140

Above R: A desk vignette with palest pink deckled edge paper card by Arpa of Spain. Above L: Perfect for a small desk, the body-hugging Discipline Pocket Chair is made of soft leather stretched over a wood frame.

Above: Japanese Birdie Paper Knife letter openers and German Worther Wood Mechanical Pencils made of plum, cherry, and maple. The light is a 1960s Tensor; $95.

Carl Aubock Studio of Vienna, founded by Bauhaus designer Carl Aubock and now run by his great grandson, Carl Aubock IV, makes sculptural metal objects. Above L: The Carl Aubock Studio Brass Egg, $150 for large (shown) and $125 for small. Above R: The Carl Aubock Studio Brass Square Paperweight, also useful as a drafting tool.

Above L: Plants, including epiphytes, are a crucial ingredient of the McNally Jackson study. Above R: Kraft paper envelopes from Japanese company Midori.

Above: Round sticky notes and notebooks with stitched bindings, both by Danish company Hay, are arranged alongside Japanese Craft Design Stainless Steel Scissors, $64, made to the same exacting standards as samurai swords. 

Above: Arpa Handmade Card Sets in gray (L) and lavender (R); six for $14, 

Above: The Jielde Lamp in shiny black.

Above: Antiques are also part of the well-considered study; shown here, a vintage drafting table. The tied notebooks in the back are the Midori Traveler’s Notebooks with leather covers and notebook inserts; $60 each. The zippered cases are Invite.L Seven Dials Pencil Pouches, $35 each. In the foreground the waxed canvas Winter Session Roll-up is for toting writing implements and tools; $65.

Above: McNally Jackson’s other favorite desk light? The British Original BTC Hector Dome Table Lamp, $350 each and available in light blue, bone, and turquoise. Read about the design on page 297 of the Remodelista Book and have a look at our post on the Hector Pendant Light. 

Above: Every study needs some art. Shown here, Jason Fulford’s framed shark’s jaw print and limited-edition book, The Mushroom Collector; $500 for the two.

Above: Botanical prints, a classic stapler, and tinware mug. The brass square is the Carl Aubock paper weight shown above.

Above: A selection of McNally Jackson’s greatest hits. The vintage Mies Van Der Rohe MR Chair with original leather is $900.

Another stationery store that makes us swoon? Have a look at Present and Correct: Now Present in London. And for our favorite desk lights, see 10 Easy Pieces: Task Lamps. Something more affordable? Go to 5 Favorites: Cheerful Desk Lamps.