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You’re never too old for a really good pencil
So upgrade your desk with fresh stationery and an excellent Anglepoise. Plus, autumn’s coolest new recipe books 
 
The daily planner

It’s New Term Week at Stylist Loves, but since we’re no longer at school, we have no need for those academic diaries that start in September and end in July. It’s still worth investing in a paper planner, though – not least because a bunch of research suggests actually writing things down helps us retain information more effectively. This thick, date-less daily planner by indie London stationery brand The Completist is both very practical and very cool. £32.50, The Completist

 
The perfect pencils

If you let out a little gasp of delight-meets-lust at the very sight of these pencils, you’re not alone. Katie Leamon is another independent English stationery brand creating things so beautiful they’ll make you ache: personally, we love her luxury Pick ‘n’ Mix Pencils (choose your preferred grades and colours from a palette of rich, muted pastels). To semi-paraphrase Agnes from Despicable Me: THEY’RE SO PRETTY WE’RE GONNA DIE. £17.50, Katie Leamon

 
The aspirational notebooks

Look. We all have at least one unused notebook at home. Yet that does nothing – nothing! – to dampen our desire for a blank page, especially when September arrives. These chunky notebooks are bound in mock leather (in pink, khaki, navy, sky and grey), embossed in black and gold text that evokes antique novels and retro exercise books, and contain both ruled and blank pages. We are, as the kids say, obsessed. £11.50, Present & Correct 

 
The elegant pencil case

Once upon a time, the pencil case you chose before going back to school in September was a Very Important Statement about who you planned to be that year. Nowadays, we don’t imbue our stationery pouches with so much significance, but it’s still nice to have somewhere to stash your pens/pencils/lip balm. These sleek cases in coral, slate grey and American-mustard yellow are the chicest options we’ve found for under £20. £15 (was £18), PrintWorks

 
The very pleasing pens

Stylist Loves’ editor Kat and deputy editor Moya both own many multi-coloured fineliner pens. Why? Kat: “I love having loads to choose from – like at school when you’d pick the gel pen that most suited your mood.” Moya: “Black biro is bleak! It makes me happy to see rainbow notes jumping out of my diary, even if they’re just reminding me about a meeting.” Want to bring more joy to your notetaking game? Start with these Uni Emott fineliners. £9.99, London Graphics Centre

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We’re itching to get our hands on an upcoming collaboration between Anglepoise and Paul Smith
 

Anglepoise lamps are up there with Eames chairs and Noguchi coffee tables when it comes to much-imitated design classics. Considering investing in the real deal? Check out the company’s upcoming collaboration with Paul Smith, launching next Monday. There are 10 desk and floor lamps in unexpected but never overpowering colour combinations: we can’t decide if we like this Mondrian-inspired lamp or its vintage Land Rover-influenced cousin best. From £165, pre-order now

Now your desk is looking swish, reward yourself by making something deliciously different in the kitchen, says Stylist’s food editor Jenny Tregoning
 

If you’ve ever promised yourself you will memorise a repertoire of diverse, crowd-pleasing recipes – then found yourself cursing Ottolenghi as you frantically google ‘substitute for barberries’ – we hear you. But this week sees the release of three cookbooks that might just encourage you back into the kitchen.

Dishoom’s first cookbook will guide you through making the restaurant’s legendary dishes, from luxurious black daal to breakfast of champions, the bacon naan roll. For a straightforward vegan take on Indian cooking, go for Zaika by Romy Gill. And if you’ve ever dreamed of quitting your job to set up a restaurant, take inspiration from Anna Hedworth, who did just that, and writes about it in Cook House. Read, learn, never order takeaway again.

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