Grovemade launched its latest line of desk accessories in mid-July, and we’ve been testing them out ever since. This time around, shoppers are treated to new stands for notes, smartphones, and new notebooks, which are also making their debut in a set. There’s also a small vertical organizer, along with a notepad set to help keep documents and the like organized. All of these items, as anyone familiar with the brand will know, are carefully crafted from natural, high-quality materials, but do they actually work? To find out, check out the hands-on review in our ongoing 9to5Toys testing series.
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As you know from our launch coverage, the Grovemade Notebook Kit is a brand new set of desk accessories consisting of a display rail, notepad, and vertical organizer.
As you’ll know from our review of the rest of the Grovemade range, the brand has once again used high-quality natural materials to create a beautiful piece of furniture. Available in your choice of oak, walnut or maple, hand-sanded and finished with vegetable oil, each piece features a natural cork base for a soft landing wherever it’s placed, German merino wool felt on the display rails, and a thick ceramic-coated aluminium plate to keep your laptop stable. This is a well-made desk piece.
You can buy them individually, but the starting price for the set is still $270, rather than the usual $300.
Grovemade has a long history of creating beautiful desk accessories that will enhance your home office environment and add a touch of sophistication and beauty to your desk. Solid wood finishes with cork, leather, metal and wool accents are a hallmark of the brand, and this trend continues in the new notebook sets.
There is no denying the craftsmanship of the design and execution, which in my opinion is simply top notch. The decor, use of materials and overall aesthetics are absolutely superb.
First up is the display rail. With smartphone and tablet stands so popular, not to mention so many options on the market, where would an expensive, handcrafted model with no power supply really come in handy? Rail stands here don’t have charging capabilities and are significantly more expensive than the simple metal stands you’ll find on Amazon to prop up your device. Grovemade likes to put metal-mounted laptops on stands, so that’s an option. Some people might prefer to rest their phone on something like that on a desk. But it still feels like a niche product to me — there are other great wood and metal options, and it can also accommodate Apple’s MagSafe charger, which is arguably the premium option for keeping your phone on display while charging it at the same time.
I think the new Grovemade Display Rail is really cool for its form factor and how it fits into the brand’s wider accessory ecosystem. It can hold a bunch of different items neatly in a row, it looks great, and it pairs well with a lot of the brand’s other stuff. It’s really down to personal taste and whether you need to charge or not, but it’s certainly an expensive proposition for a device that can’t charge your smartphone. Maybe for those with more desk space, a stand and a separate phone charging pad might be useful in other ways, but I’m not one of them.
The same goes for notebooks and vertical notebooks, but to a much lesser extent. I still use old-fashioned notebooks and paper all the time, and this planner is simply stunning. The thick ceramic metal base with a thin cork backing is both beautiful and easy to take notes on, and the top tab can hold paper, which is a great design. It’s a joy to use and look at, but it uses a proprietary paper size/system — you’ll have to buy refills directly from Grovemade when the time comes — and not everyone takes notes by hand these days. But if you need it and can appreciate something a little fancier, this notebook is a great fit.
Vertical organizers aren’t for everyone either – they’re another beautifully designed, well-made item that you may not need. Unlike the notebooks I use regularly, I don’t know what to keep on the shelf other than a few loose sheets of paper that I always need and another thinner notebook. It’s great in every way if you’re going to use it, but I’m not sure I need it taking up space on my desk.
Finally, Grovemade has released another great set of desk accessories. The beautiful design and craftsmanship are a sight to behold at almost any workstation, but if you’re not sure it’ll be used for its intended purpose, it’s probably not worth the money.