We gave Nik Bentel, designer of our Moon Chalk and Doodle Crayons, a list of things to search for in his studio just because we thought it would be fun—and it was! Keep reading to see what he found.

Something that was given to you

A Lampadina, designed by Achille Castiglioni, one of my favorite designers. It was given to me by my brother as a holiday gift. It is now my desk lamp.

  

Something alive

A holly branch that was given to me during the past holiday. I wanted to preserve it by attempting to press the branch in my sketchbook.

Something new

A gazing ball for your garden.  I have no plans for it but I just could not stop staring at it in the hardware store. So I had to get it.
 

Something green

500 green marbles that were left over from an older project. I needed something that looked like gumballs. These glass marbles did the trick. But be careful, I slipped on them while taking this image!

Something discarded

A Olivetti Underwood Prima Electric Add-Listing Machine. It is basically an early electric calculator, which weighs a ton! Since it was an early version, it only had an adding function. I kept it because the knobs and buttons are so satisfying to press.

Something that smells

A repurposed wooden box that once held Cuban Cigars many years ago. The box still smells like cigars but I now use it to hold a bunch of wooden blocks.