Desk Tour: Marta Carvalho

Desk Tour goes to Lisbon!

Welcome to Desk Tour, a series where I interview creative folks about their desks and workspaces. In case you missed it: Journaling Dan’s Desk Tour from last time. You can also browse the entire catalog of Desk Tours.

Today on DESK TOUR, we’re taking a trip to Lisbon, Portugal to get to know the colorful, inspiring workspace of

Marta Carvalho

. Marta creates thoughtful, bookish content over at her Substack Litulla, and I was delighted to (virtually) step into her home office. Every photo she sent over made me smile (and want to buy more books), and I have a feeling that you will probably feel the same. Let’s take a look…

OM: Describe your workspace.

MC: I have a tiny office in my Lisbon apartment. This is my first-ever home office—I had a desk in my bedroom for the last ten years—and I love it. It might be my favorite room ever! When my partner and I moved in, we bought large Ivar bookshelves for one of the walls and painted them pastel pink. Against the opposite wall—less than six feet away—is my desk. Above it, there’s a board filled with images and post-its related to the book I’m working on at the moment.

My desk was left behind by the previous tenants; I bought it for next to nothing along with the chair. I still want to replace both, but it hasn’t been a priority. The desk is spacious enough to hold my laptop, monitor, keyboard, and makeup stash, along with other office supplies. I always do my makeup at my desk because I have a tiny bathroom, and I like to sit down and watch YouTube videos while I get ready.

OM: What are your three favorite items on your desk right now?

MC: My pink MKultra Gaming Keyboard from Mars Gaming (I’m not a gamer, but I really wanted a pink raised keyboard!), a beautiful matcha candle my mother gave me, and this little plate I got from Zara Home years ago. It always holds tiny random things like SD cards, lip balms and adhesive tape.

OM: Do you keep anything specific at your desk that you use as inspiration to stay creative or positive?

MC: I go through phases; sometimes I write a quote on a post-it and stick it on my monitor until it falls down, but I don’t have one up right now. Some things that inspire me at the moment: The stickers on my laptop, which are from events I either planned or attended, or were were given to me by friends (I recently made one for my book club with Jennifer Coolidge’s face on it that says “don’t talk to me, I’m reading”); The illustrated postcard under my monitor is by a talented artist I worked with in the past. It reminds me of past collaborations and all the cool projects I’ve already worked on; My monthly issue of British Vogue. It’s the only print magazine I’m subscribed to right now, although I want to change that soon by adding an indie publication to my roster. Nothing beats print!; My Tamagotchi (about to come back to life as soon as I take time off for the holidays) always makes me smile. I like giving my spaces a sense of nostalgia because it makes my inner child happy.

OM: Is there anything you absolutely HAVE to have at your desk/workspace or you can't be productive?

MC: My planner(s). I’m a triple planner: I use Google Calendar, Notion, and a physical planner. I can’t live with anything less than all three; take one of them away from me, and I’ll be lost. I use them for different purposes: Google Calendar shows me the rough structure of the day and week ahead, Notion is for long-term goals and projects, and the physical planner is where I jot down all the daily minutiae. I also need drinks and snacks at all times—I can’t think if I’m hungry! I usually have a cup of tea in the mornings, homemade iced matcha in the afternoons, and fruit and chocolate throughout the day.

OM: Is there anything you'd change about your workspace? If so, what?

MC: A little more natural light would be nice, but I’m pretty happy with it as it is. When we moved, I wasn’t expecting to have space for an office, so I’m still enjoying the high of having something that feels like such a luxury to me. It’s perfect! I can’t fault it.

OM: Describe your ideal work day at your desk.

MC: I start work at nine after waking up early to journal and read (if I don’t do these two things before starting work, I’ll be in a bad mood all day). I like to write in the mornings, so I stay away from social media until noon and focus on getting words down—whether I’m working on my book, Substack, or other writing projects for clients. After lunch, I grab a matcha and return to my desk to handle quick admin work, plan new events and content for Litulla, and maybe work on graphics or photography for social media. I wrap up by five or six (which never happens) and head out for dinner with friends.

OM: Where can people find you on the internet?

MC: You can find me writing about books on Substack, and posting lists and memes on Instagram. I also have a Discord book club with monthly irl meetups and events in Lisbon.

---

Note from Olivia: And with that, we officially have our first European edition of DESK TOUR on the books! I was so thrilled to feature Marta’s stunning space. All! That! Color! I understand the appeal of the all-beige workspace, but Marta’s workspace reminded me that that could simply never be me. Give me all the pink. My favorite detail of her home (other than the pink keyboard, of course) is how full of life and detail it felt without seeming cluttered or overwhelming. This is the vibe I am always trying to achieve in my own home, so I am feeling quite inspired right now.

Be sure to check out all the past editions of Desk Tour!

---

PS: One last thing before I go… you can order my first novel NOW! If you’ve already read and enjoyed, I would be honored if you would leave a kind review or rating on Goodreads or Amazon. It makes a world of difference. I appreciate your consideration, time, and support immensely.

A portion of Decembers’s subscriber proceeds will go toward the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is currently working to build, enforce, protect and defend legal protections for reproductive rights around the world.