What's in My Bag

What’s in my bag? — Nik Schulz

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What's in my bag? issue #49

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Nik Schulz is an illustrator and the furniture designer and maker behind Two Hands Furniture, a small-batch furniture and housewares workshop located on Orcas Island, WA that melds timeless design with lasting quality. You can find him on Instagram @twohandsfurniture.

About the bag
I got the bag when I subscribed to Monocle for a year. It’s made of sturdy canvas, has three interior pockets for things like pens and business cards, and a zippered side pocket that’s separate from the main compartment. It’s a nice, elegantly simple tote.

What’s inside the bag

Postalco A6 Notebook ($26)
Even though it’s a simple, paper notebook, it exudes a feeling of quality. The cover is made of starched cotton and the spiral binding is offset so that the spine can be labeled. I love the tiny, 1mm grid pattern on each page. Made in Japan.

Wooden Tape Measure ($23)
I originally found this tape measure at the old Curiosity Shop in San Francisco. It’s an elegant, compact object that has that rare quality of being simultaneously quite functional and quite beautiful. They’re apparently hard to find these days but I found a supplier in New Zealand.

Richelieu Hardware Cabinet Pulls
I’m using these cabinet pulls for my upcoming Deck Tray, a modern serving tray that takes its inspiration from old, wooden boats. They’re high-quality, look fantastic, feel amazing in the hand, and come in beautiful finishes like polished chrome and finely-brushed bronze.

Ryukakusan Herbal Drops ($20/5pk)
I found these cough drops randomly once in an Asian supermarket—that’s the best place to find them. They’re a fun, obscure—at least to me!—little treat, have a soothing effect, and are available in delicious flavors like yuzu and kumquat. Also from Japan.

More About Two Hands Furniture
For those in need of a solidly-built cutting board, orders are currently open for my Big Block Cutting Board. This is a full-size, edge-grain board made from white birch. Each of the joints in this board are splined, which makes them much stronger and helps prevent splitting. See the photo of the edge of the board in the link to see what a splined joint looks like.

-- Nik Schulz 05/13/20

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