Stylish stationery: prettify your desk and make your life admin that little bit more aesthetic this March with these six chic notebook brands
Words Joy Montgomery
Stylish Stationery
PAPIER
Founded in 2015, Papier is the stationery brand cashing in on the current trend for Insta-perfect desk accessories. Partnering with the industry’s leading artists and illustrators, Papier creates diaries and notepads (alongside invitations and cards) in a stunning array of original prints. Their products can also be personalised so are perfect as thoughtful gifts. Our favourite print for this year? The swirling Marble Sea print (top right).
OHH DEER
For notepads with personality, look no further than Ohh Deer. Originally conceived as a platform for illustrators to find an audience for their work and showcase their designs, the brand now works with over 100 creatives to produce their impressive array of stationery, home wear and fashion. You’ll spot their designs in countless stores, including Paperchase, Urban Outfitters and ASOS.
THE SCHOOL OF LIFE
You might know The School of Life from their eclectic offering of classes – everything from building good relationships to nailing your career – but you might not have seen their selection of chic stationery. We can’t get enough of their Writing as Therapy journals, which are linen-bound notebooks designed to accommodate ideas, aspirations and worries in the therapeutic activity of writing down your thoughts.
PAPIER TIGRE
Born in 2012, this Paris-based design brand conceives, manufactures and retails stylish items for your desk and home. Their notebooks eschew the minimalist aesthetic loved by most modern stationery brands and instead embrace bold, painterly and graphic prints. The cheap and easy way to add a piece of modern art to your coffee table.
SMYTHSON
If you crave something a little more classic, then you can’t go wrong with Smythson. Classic needn’t mean stuffy, however, and this century-old brand is known for being a go-to for fashion editors (see their fashion week diaries), loved for their lush leather binding and gilt-edge paper. Dreamy.
LIBERTY LONDON
There’s nothing we love more than wandering round Liberty’s wood-beamed corridors on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, picking up pretty knick-knacks we don’t really need. We particularly love the store’s own-brand pieces, like these chic notepads covered in the store’s signature Morris prints.
