Most pencil cases enter your life through a back-to-school aisle and leave it through a broken zipper. This aluminum artist pencil case appears to have arrived with its own security detail. Open it, and two tiers of color unfold like your doodles have finally secured serious institutional backing.
The RIMOWA × Faber-Castell Artist Case is a limited-edition collaboration that puts an artist’s drawing kit inside a silver luggage-style shell. It is extravagantly committed to the proposition that pencils deserve nice accommodation. Frankly, after years of living beside a leaking pen and a fossilized mint, they have a point.
The appeal is immediate: orderly rows of color, a proper opening ritual, and a container you might actually want to leave on display. You could use it to sketch a magnificent landscape. You could also use it to draw the same wonky dog you have been drawing since fourth grade. The case does not administer an entrance exam.
A pencil box with an architectural entrance
The two-level tray system is the central attraction. Instead of rummaging through a pouch, you open the case and bring the tools into view. It makes choosing a color feel rather more deliberate than shaking a tin until something vaguely orange falls out.
There is a pleasing bit of theater here, but also an understandable practical idea. Seeing your supplies can make it easier to settle into a drawing session. That matters if your usual creative process involves twenty minutes of searching for a pencil followed by a brief, refreshing decision to do something else.
It is worth distinguishing a beautifully arranged drawing kit from a desk. The trays organize the tools; you still need somewhere to put your paper and somewhere suitable to set the case. A small cafe table already occupied by two coffees may not be the ideal venue for this particular grand opening.
Color gets the penthouse
Inside are 120 Polychromos colored pencils, along with co-branded 2B graphite pencils and a platinum-plated sharpener and eraser. Faber-Castell’s Polychromos range uses oil-based cores. The graphite pencils give you a separate option for the sketch beneath all that color.
That assortment invites a familiar and very enjoyable kind of indecision. You came to draw one leaf. Suddenly you are holding a small committee meeting about which green best expresses its personality. There are worse ways to spend an afternoon, particularly if your phone is somewhere out of reach.
The shiny tools are the funniest part of the package. An eraser is normally an object you discover under furniture. Here it gets the treatment usually reserved for something presented in a velvet box. Mistakes, apparently, can be corrected with considerable ceremony.
For anyone wondering what the different pieces are doing in there:
- The colored pencils provide the broad palette for finished color work.
- The 2B graphite pencils handle initial sketches and pencil drawing.
- The sharpener and eraser cover the less glamorous but essential maintenance jobs.
- The unfolding trays keep the collection visible while you work.
Nothing about owning a luxurious kit obliges you to produce luxurious art. Use the good pencils. Make a strange postcard. Draw a bowl of fruit that looks faintly suspicious. An immaculate set that never touches paper is essentially a very elaborate color chart.
Beautifully built, noticeably substantial
The case is made in Cologne from anodized aluminum, with a dark green leather handle and the grooved exterior associated with RIMOWA. It has the visual confidence of something that expects to be placed carefully on a table before a meeting begins.
Its published dimensions and weight deserve a look before you imagine slipping it into a shoulder bag:
| Detail | Published specification |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 35 × 67 × 8 cm |
| Weight | 6.8 kg / 15 lb |
| Exterior and handle | Aluminum; leather handle |
| Interior materials | Microfiber, metal and plastic |
| Product warranty | Two years |
Fifteen pounds is a substantial commitment to carrying pencils. For a studio, that may be entirely acceptable. For a long walk to a favorite sketching spot, it is a detail your arm will eventually raise with management. Decide where you expect to use it before falling completely under the spell of the rainbow.
Measure the space you have available, too. The closed dimensions help you judge storage, while the photographs show why you will want comfortable working room around the open case. A lovely object becomes considerably less lovely when you have to move the toaster every time inspiration arrives.
Who will actually enjoy this?
This makes the most sense for someone who enjoys drawing and also enjoys the objects surrounding that habit. A serious pencil enthusiast might appreciate the presentation; a design collector might enjoy having a display piece that can earn its keep. Neither person needs a sales pitch about becoming instantly more talented.
As a gift, it requires knowing the recipient rather well. Some artists adore carefully arranged equipment. Others have a favorite battered tin and regard anything more formal as a personal accusation. The right present supports the way someone works, even when the wrapping suggests an international jewel transfer.
It could also suit a shared creative space where getting the supplies out is part of the pleasure. There is something inviting about laying everything in view and allowing an afternoon to develop around it. Just establish where things go afterward, unless you enjoy conducting a small census of pencils.
For a beginner, the sensible question is whether the case itself is a major part of the attraction. You can enjoy drawing without turning storage into a collector’s purchase. This is an indulgence for people who actively want the indulgence, and it looks much more charming when treated honestly that way.
Product photography: Faber-Castell and RIMOWA, with additional RIMOWA press photographs via Wallpaper.
The details before you clear a shelf
- Limited-edition RIMOWA × Faber-Castell Artist Case in silver.
- Two-level opening tray system and 120 Polychromos colored pencils.
- Additional graphite pencils, sharpener and eraser.
- A substantial carrying case intended to organize and display drawing tools.
- A collector-minded gift for someone who loves both drawing and design.
RIMOWA announced a €2,400 recommended retail price and a September 17, 2026 launch. The linked Polish store lists 10,900 zł; pricing and availability depend on your region. The official announcement identifies RIMOWA stores and selected Faber-Castell channels as sellers.
That is an enormous upgrade from a pencil pouch. It is also a wonderfully specific kind of extravagance: no notifications, no charging cable, just a very handsome invitation to sit down and make something. Whether that something deserves framing remains between you and the wonky dog.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A broad colored-pencil selection in an organized display | A large collector-level purchase |
| Unfolding trays make tools easy to see | Needs suitable room on a table |
| Distinctive aluminum case with a carrying handle | Listed weight is 15 lb |
| Drawing tools and accessories are included | Paper and drawing skill remain your department |
Where to find This Aluminum Artist Pencil Case Unfolds Into Two Tiers of Color
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