Don’t know about you, but I wake up to over a hundred emails on my personal phone every morning. It ranges from ads, business email, and personal email. My house also has four laptop computers, two iPads, two Amazon Kindles, five Large Screen TV’s, four gaming systems, two work computers, two printers/scanners, and a cable system that can access every channel you can think of. Data….Data….Data…. It is almost like you are surrounded by everything you can think of to waste your precious time on this planet. The reason I’m so attracted to antiques in the first place, is the connection to history where times were not easier, but more simplistic. When trying to write now, I have phones going off (regular and cells), texts ringing, emails coming, dogs barking (she’s a Beagle and she howls as well), kids talking loud (both are quiet kids until they talk to each other) – alright, the last two always existed.
Firstly, Slopes to me offer beauty to the eye – they are decorative in nature. They are often made of fine woods, leathers, and brass. The boxes come in many shapes and sizes, with distinctive features. They can be put in any home office, library, living room, bookshelf, and basement to add eye-catching detail. They are also great storage vehicles for your personal objects. In some cases, they double as personal boxes – not only for those things you hold most dear, but also for things you don’t use every day but want to keep in safe place. These boxes also in many cases come with stunningly designed antique locks and keys.
These writing desks also force you to detach from the modern world when writing. They force you to use old ways to write. YES people, get a fine pen or pencil and start writing. It’s “slope” or writing area allows to write comfortably while having a nice writing surface to lean on. When you write, you need old fashioned paper (preferably luxury, high quality paper). If you want to do it right, use a fountain pen with ink well and use candles to light your desk area. If you take the time, you can separate yourself from the everyday “grind”. If you don’t want to write on individual paper, use a journal to note your thoughts, ideas, and wish lists. It clears your mind so you can better focus on what is important: Your time.
Did I mention these antiques also have “secret compartments”? They have over the years astounded me with their cleverness, ingenuity, and craftsmanship. They hide things so carefully, that to the passing eye, it appears normal. They often have multiple hidden draws for anything your mind can think of. Many of my favorite boxes where ones that have these features. In some cases when I purchased them, dealers didn’t even know they had these compartments. It comes with careful examination once I get home that I find these features. In the past I have found pens, papers, and basic historical information in these compartments. It is always “treasure” for me – what is better than finding things in a secret compartment?
These boxes are also, in some cases, in need of minor repair. If you like fixing things, it is the perfect pastime to restore something that has been around hundreds of years. In my blog I try and help those brave enough to try their hand at it. There are many repair hacks that I try to pass on. It has taken me years to learn, but happy to pass on knowledge because these desks deserve an awful lot of respect. They have been thru wars, business deals, travel (by horse, train, or boat), and generations of people have owned them. Each box is unique and tells a story!!!
Money, silver, gold, diamonds, stocks, bonds, etc. – all are precious, but time is, and always will be, the most precious commodity you have…use it to write for pleasure or just to keep organized (up to you and what you see fit).
