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It’s back-to-school shopping season! And why should kids have all the fun?
Sure, you may no longer need twin extra-long sheets, and shower caddies are a thing of your past. But that doesn’t mean you can’t tap into the playful energy of back to school supply shopping.
Ready for a refresh? Trade in your standard office supplies and embrace a splash of color. After all, who said productivity couldn’t be playful? In true colorful minimalist fashion, I’ve curated a vibrant list of school supplies perfect for freshening up your home office. Class is in session. Take notes!
Colorful Desk Organization
I want to be the person who can expertly colorize my keyboard with a rainbow keyboard skin. However, let’s get real—I’d probably have to hire a TaskRabbit to avoid totally f*cking it up. Then again, maybe the key is to buy three so I can try multiple times and hope for the best. Truthfully, I’m highly skilled in internet research, but when it comes to sticky tech stuff? Not so much.
There is no truer home office supply than pens and pencils, and you can never own too many! These colorful pens and pencils would absolutely be the first ones “borrowed” if you brought them into your office. Meetings that should have been emails are made less painful with these pens and pencils; at the very least, you may finish your grocery list.
You can always tell where I’ve forgotten my iced latte by the condensation rings around my house. Save your furniture! Whether it’s your office desk, side table, or coffee table, these coasters will get talked about. They are so blingy, you won’t believe your eyes.
Joyful Office Paper Supplies
My favorite thing to do with a to-do list is cross things off! Surely my fellow list obsessed can relate. This undated checklist weekly planner helps you organize your daily and weekly tasks with room to check them off as you go.
Second to pens and pencils, no home office supply is more colorful than notebooks. We get to ditch the college-ruled paper and composition notebooks for glossy covers with gold foil and witty sayings. Truly, one can not have too many blank notebooks. Save me from myself because I’ll die with a box of beautiful empty notebooks that I’ll have to leave to my dog. The notebooks I love the most? The pretty colored ones that I can personalize. Other colorful options available from WTF Notebooks and Meriwether.
Every home office needs a calendar. Whether it’s a paper planner with spaces to track girlfriend getaways and hair appointments, or these arty small desk calendars. Best part of these desk calendars is that each month can be repurposed as frameable art. One year, I thought I’d scrapbook a mini calendar, but I’m fairly positive it’s still taped shut in a desk drawer. Best intentions, I tell you.
Zoom Ready Home Office Background Essentials
Nothing worse than a bare wall during Zoom meetings. Show who you are with colorful background items that inspire you, but are also work appropriate. Need a dose of good luck when conducting virtual training? Add a yarn wrapped horseshoe on your wall. Perhaps untraditional in the school supply category, but colorful art in your home office is always a great idea.
A calendar that doubles as wall art? Yes, please! This giant wall calendar is bold and vividly colorful. With this 2027 calendar, you can easily navigate the year by keeping plans, holidays, and events organized with a clear month-by-month view. It gives you a quick overview of the full month and is designed to hang on your wall.
If you haven’t filled up your bookshelves just yet, consider this a cheat code. Tiff, the owner of Curated Collective US hand-selects book collections designed with an aesthetic color scheme in mind, but they are also real hardcover books which can be opened and read. Adds a fun pop of color to your space, along with a functional design element.
Both of these book-end options are handmade and extraordinarily unique. Whether you’re displaying your favorite art books, using them as shelf bookends, or propping up a cookery book, they’re a multi-purpose, colorful addition to any shelf or table.
Colorful Supplies for Home Office Happiness
So, why go colorfully minimal? Because even the simplest swaps can instantly brighten your workspace and your mood. Plus, this curated collection keeps clutter at bay while letting your desk shine—form and function, yes please.
After all, if you’re going to spend hours at your desk, why not make it a place filled with color, creativity—a space that sparks joy, keeps you focused, and maybe even makes Monday mornings a little more bearable? Because Mondays deserve just as much joy as any other day.
After all, if you’re going to spend hours at your desk, why not make it a place that makes you smile?
