LETTER POINT

HIGH-END STATIONERY FROM AROUND THE WORLD

The fine art of letter writing is making a resurgence, with elegant paper products providing competition for the few brand-name presses that have been in business for centuries.

From cardstock quality to artistic design, stationery tells the story of your personal aesthetic and affinity for the handwritten word. Artisans and paper aficionados from around the world have created these top brands to make sharing a personal note an elegant and stylish affair.

FROM NEW YORK: MRS. JOHN L. STRONG The classic heavyweight paper and hand-painted designs of Mrs. John L. Strong have served the stationery needs of U.S. presidents and celebrities alike, from Marilyn Monroe to Sofia Coppola. The brand was first created by Flora Strong in 1929, and Mrs. John L. Strong prides itself on continuing to uphold the tradition of handwritten notes despite the speed of the digital era.

The stationery—ranging from elegant wedding invitations

to holiday-card sets—are created using old world techniques such as hand-lining the envelopes and hand-engraving the cards. Its custom stationery, which comes in sets of 100, costs $1,150.

FROM CANADA: MAURÈLE Although a newcomer on the stationery scene, Montreal’s Maurèle creates custom letter paper, note cards, and leather goods from the consciously sourced recycled pulp of North American mills.

The Maurèle aesthetic is simple and clean, created by husband-and-wife team Nick D’Urbano and Cece de la Montagne, who fell in love with classic pen-and-paper correspondence. Maurèle products come in a wide range of colors and fonts, some inspired by historical figures such as Salvador Dalí. A 48-pack of the simple house stationery costs $50.

FROM BRITAIN: SMYTHSON Smythson is a long-tenured name in stationery, dating all the way back to 1887. Known for its luxury leather goods as well as stationery, this British company’s client list has included everyone from England’s queens to Grace Kelly.

Frank Smythson originally created the brand to sell the first portable diary, and now the company’s luxury paper products range from business cards to customized wedding invitations to leather journals. A box of correspondence cards with playful motifs—such as a swan, palm tree, or British teapot—starts at $39.

FROM FLORIDA: RIFLE PAPER If a pop of color is more your stationery style, Rifle Paper’s hand-painted greeting cards, social-stationery sets, and personalized flat notes offer a certain degree of flair. Artist and co-creator Anna Bond’s vibrant, floral illustrations first hit the market in 2009.

Together with her husband, the two have expanded the brand to include home decor, shoes, and more. From a whimsical llama birthday card to pug-adorned note cards, Rifle Paper’s stationery offerings are bold and beautiful. A box of 20 personalized flat notes with a lively, floral border starts at $69.

FROM IRELAND: THE CHAIN PRESS In an effort to resurrect the simple, thoughtful gesture of a handwritten letter, Ireland’s Naoise McGee created The Chain Press in 2015. Now located in Los Angeles, this stationery brand offers custom wedding invitations and greeting-card box sets.

Each personalized piece of letter-pressed stationery is individually made by Naoise McGee using an antiquarian process of pressing paper onto inked plates to create impressions using a mid-century Vandercook cylinder press. A luxe letterpress greeting-card box set starts at $24.

FROM ITALY: PINEIDER Pineider stationery is another European relic dating back to 1774. Located in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria, what started as a small workshop by Francesco Pineider eventually grew into a full-fledged stationery company. The handmade papers are known for their Italian city scenes, animals, and limited- edition designs from naturally made pigments.

In addition to stationery, Pineider has dipped into writing instruments, as well as notebooks and leather goods. The high-quality fountain, rollerball, and ballpoint pens are a nice match for the brand’s unique stationery. A set of 50 personalized cards starts at US$145.

Opposite page: Stationery from Maurèle. This page: Rifle Paper cards, shown at bottom. A note card from British company Smythson, shown at top right.