Nook – the Esterbrook home for the beloved

A nook is a corner, a recess, especially one that offers seclusion or security. A nook is the favourite corner where one retires, perhaps to nurse a drink, to read a book, to be one with one’s thoughts, to contemplate, meditate even – most often than not, with an Esterbrook in the hand. It is such a human thing.

That is why, Esterbrook christening its pen-holders “Nook”, rings in the ears, the first time one hears the term. But that is just the first time, for it is not even a split second, before the realisation dawns – Esterbrook considers its creations, no less human that we humans are. Besides, a nook is also one that provides security, and priceless as the Esterbrook pens are to the owner, it is natural for him or her to ensure that they are provided with all the creature comforts they need, apart from being secure. The naming could not have been more apt. Form a “pen holder”, or a “pen case” in comparison, would have sounded so kitsch, so impersonal, so bereft of the love with which we nurture our prized family members, our Esterbrooks. Naturally, for an entity that has been known for its obsessive attention to details, even as it has continued its search for perfection since it was established in 1858, the naming is perfect!

The obsessive attention to details and the obvious thoughts that have gone into the creation of the Nook are written all over the pieces. Take the latest collection for example, in which the Nook has got a summer makeover.  The look is sleek and classic, with detailing that suggests smooth speed – reminiscent of hot-rods, be that race cars or sailboats.

Subtle navy leatherette with contrast red stitching have been offset by silver hardware and while the interior has been lined with the ever-luminescent Esterbrook Eternity symbol. The choice of the material – leatherette, is also, methinks conscious, aimed at pandering to the sentiments of the growing vegan community. The pull–out drawer of earlier versions has been traded for a flap that easily snaps and unsnaps to reveal one’s collection, which is housed in individual, cushioned sections and secured with elastic for safekeeping. The Navy Nooks come in one, three, six or twelve pen holder sizes and oozes of an appeal that is so “here and now” that the look itself is enough to gussy up one’s everyday carry for the season. The fact that the Nooks are extremely sturdy and are created to keep the pens secure inside even when exposed to the elements (or a tumble or two) are like the proverbial icing on the cake.

It will not be out of place to mention here the fact that so often, the difference between the good and the great is in the quality of the stitching, an area where the Nook scores heavily. The overall finishing adorning it, with a look and feel that immediately elevates into a class of its own.

 

From a purely aesthetic point of view, the bright hue of the Navy Blue is brilliantly offset by the scarlet of the red, which surprisingly does not rob the Esterbrooks that are housed in the Nook of their natural lustre. Quite on the contrary, the colours of the pens are complemented and heightened, adding to the almost ethereal experience of ogling at one’s collection of Esterbrooks, even as they bask in the Nook that is their very own. Whether one is carrying a single Esterbrook to work, encased in its Nook or is carrying a dozen damsels for a show and tell, the full Nook is much more than a holder to carry pens, it is more like the entire ecosystem that has evolved into perfection of a kind that is synonymous with the Esterbrook name.

Esterbrook was once one of the biggest and most loved pen companies in the world, patronised by successive Presidents of the United States, cartoonists who fired the imagination of generations and toppers from every conceivable field of excellence. American to the core, the Esterbrook name symbolised all that is good in America and was known for a value system that exuded honesty, self-esteem, optimism and a belief that nothing is beyond the realm of achievement.

For More information about Esterbrook visit: https://www.esterbrookpens.com/