I briefly introduced this lovely French brand in my round-up of finds from the northmodern furniture fair in Copenhagen. And couldn’t wait to dedicate a whole post to their stunning imagery. As some of you may know, I’m a bit of a francophile as well as a scandiphile (no idea if that’s a word, but it should be?) so as soon as I saw their beautifully curated stationery embossed with little French words, AND simply styled, I fell a little bit in love.
La Petite Papeterie Française (which translates as The Little French Stationer’s) was founded by Sylvie Bétard, a lover of all things paper, in 2012. She creates beautiful objects produced in France that also respect the environment – most of the items are made from recyclable materials and use solvent-free glues. Who knew you could make pages out of recycled almonds and olives?
Following a successful collection designed by illustrator Anaïs Génot for the home, La Petite Papeterie Française has now released a collection for the office created by Elsa Le Saux, as seen in the images here.
The theme of the collection is Slow Office, I love the ethos behind it. Inspired by the ‘slow living’ movement, La Petite Papeterie Française are inviting us to stop, take a break and savour time thinking, reading, drawing, organising and producing, instead of rushing through activities, barely having a moment to breathe. Most importantly, they’re encouraging people to find pleasure in those rituals, from drinking your coffee in a beautiful cup to writing a few lines on a nice piece of paper or lovely notebook.
They say: ‘As we considered everyday paper objects, it became clear to us that the functional office was becoming a privileged place where people should stop, breathe, enjoy, reflect, eliminate the shock caused by our hyper-activity, and slow down – fast.
But in order to slow down in the office, you need to appreciate your environment and tools. “Living and thinking” Slow Office means taking the time to understand and control your own personal pace; it means being aware of the here and now so that you are able to accommodate all contingencies with serenity. In fact, what results is a functional work environment of beautiful materials, soft colours and inspiring items that will amaze you, your customers, your colleagues and partners. Slow down, breathe, feel, create with pleasure and receive with generosity.’
I know we should all try and take a break and slow down, but it’s sometimes harder in practice, right? But even if we have lots of to-do lists, information overload and a life that needs to be multi-tasked, at least we can take a little pleasure in our daily routines by appreciating where we are and what we’re working with. I always find I work better with a clean desk, even better if I have a nice new notebook and a freshly sharpened pencil to start afresh. We spend hours considering how we might design and arrange our home interior, so doesn’t the office, whether it’s at home or at work, deserve more care and attention?
Has La Petite Papeterie Française inspired you to slow down a little bit?
All images: Marie-Pierre Morel / DA : Elsa Le Saux
