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As summer melts away and fall begins to blow in, the moment feels ripe for an organizational refresh. Show your home workspace a little love, even if you don't work from home full time (because it's just bad feng shui to send late night work e-mails from bed).
Here we've gathered the 20 best shops on the Internet for furnishing the perfect home office, whether your workspace is a sliver of the hallway or a dedicated room unto itself. We've included what to buy from the usual suspects (there is such a thing as a beautiful filing cabinet, and it's at Crate & Barrel), the brands you didn't realize did home, and under-the-radar hits that are just as easy to shop as the megastores. (Need more? Check out our list of the 38 best home goods stores online and the 15 stores that'll solve all of your organizational issues.)
Blu Dot: For modernist office furniture that isn't afraid of color, look no further than this Minnesota-based company. Desks that fit small spaces without skimping on style are in good supply here, as are cool non-wheely—but still office-appropriate—chairs.
The Primary Essentials: As the name suggests, basics of the well-designed kind are in stock at this Brooklyn-based shop: In the office arena, this means pens, notecards, and stickies that should please the less-is-more seeking aesthete, at fair prices to boot.
Crate & Barrel: Furniture at this mega home store is of the pared-down mid-century modern ethos. You can certainly pick up desks and chairs, but the real find is their selection of handsome filing cabinets ($110 to $1,000), which put your metal monstrosity to shame.
Ikea: Your favorite build-it-yourself Swedish megastore excels in the world of desks, where they offer a wide selection of tabletops and legs to mix and match for a nearly-custom fit. It wouldn't be hard to outfit an entire office—big or small—with their wares, which includes a wide selection of task lighting and modular storage solutions. Racked LA Editor Natalie Alcala loves the unfortunately named Snile chair ($18), assuring that it "not only looks clean and cool, it's also incredibly comfortable."
CB2: Congrats—you've graduated from Ikea! Crate & Barrel's stylish little brother can suit you up with all the furniture you need for your social media consultancy start-up without totally depleting mom and dad round one funding. CB2 gives good accessory, too.
Goods For the Study: Suit your desk up with worldy treasures just by clicking over to the e-comm of this downtown NYC shop, an extension of McNally Jackson Bookstore. Leather pencil cases from Tel Aviv, Japanese pens, and so many gorgeous planners it ought to be impossible to miss an appointment again are among the scores inside.
West Elm: Mid-century modern with warmth—and none of that pesky consignment store browsing. Desks, chairs, and bookshelves that pack a design punch will run you more than an Ikea, but aren't astronomical.
Anthropologie: Your lead source for twee home accents also stocks pretty, design-y takes on overlooked necessities like staplers and tape dispensers in their revolving door of home offerings.
Zara Home: Much like their clothes, this Spanish fast-fashion retailer is best for those nonessential but pretty little extras. In the office, this translates to precious boxes, artful vases, and surprisingly stately lamps.
Knoll: There is a world where ergonomic and beautiful collide, and it happens in the form of desk chairs from this Pennsylvania-based design brand.
Muji: At the intersection of price, variety, and versatility, you'd be hard-pressed to beat this Japanese retailer in terms of stationery. Find the perfect notebook and stock up (perhaps with the aid of their robust—and elegant—storage solutions). Racked Editorial Directior Izzy Grinspan suggests you scoop up their cardboard speakers ($38) while you're at it, noting that "the sound is shockingly good considering they're made out of cardboard and cost under $40."
Urban Outfitters: You know UO stocks inexpensive, cheery home goods like bright pen cups and so-ridiculous-it's-good novelty items like Emoji sticker sets, but they do some awesome (and affordable) storage furniture, too (this metal bookcase comes in four color options and will only set you back $79, for instance).
Present & Correct: A UK-based shop with gratuitously good looking paper goods, writing utensils, and vintage finds like 1960s stamps.
Container Store: When you're ready to drill a few holes in the wall, create a near-custom office set-up with the Elfa system, then fill those shelves with the huge assortment of colorful, coordinated storage boxes on offer.
MoMA Store: Literally museum quality furniture and decor, reproduced from the Museum of Modern Art's own collection. For the office, find desks, lighting, and accessories spanning from artful clocks to spendy Eames pieces produced by the original manufacturer, Herman Miller.
Omoi Zakka Shop: Paper things and pens for people who find grids comforting. Great planners including this monthly scheduler by Paperways, which Racked Managing Editor Tiffany Yannetta loves because it's "tear off and not tied to specific dates, so I can break down my to-do lists in whatever way makes sense for that month."
Poppin: Shop by color for coordinating staplers, pen cups, and notebooks in a rainbow from coral to silver. Visualize the end result with their Design a Desk tool.
Pulp: Paper for days, from notebooks (an entire section of "dream journals") to paper blocks, which you didn't know you needed 'til you saw the image above.
ABC Carpet & Home: Outrageously gorgeous desks and chairs for creating the magazine editor/interior design powerhouse corner-office of your stylish, stylish dreams.
Room & Board: Customizable desks, a wide selection of work chairs that won't kill your back (or cramp your style), and a solid range of Herman Miller products are among the hits here (fair warning: all this good design will cost ya).
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