material

Apuntes, Lomo

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Oh man, Apuntes got it right with this notebook. This young, Mexico City-based brand has these “Lomo” notebooks that are so smartly designed, the color combination of azul/blue with its bright pink binding is currently sold out. It is hard not to be taken by this particular version, but I am equally taken with their more subdued beiges and browns as well, reminiscent of Muji’s thin lined five-pack. I found this one a bit tucked away in Charlottesville’s Rock Paper Scissors shop, in the back with a bunch of their more global selections. I was easily drawn to them, and was genuinely thrilled to see a brand that both had a fresh take on the contemporary notebook form and was based outside of the usual global stationery hubs.

The matte cover and its contrasting binding are absolutely perfect, and the selection online shows their darker and lighter varieties, as well as other various notebooks with striking shots and close-ups that remain stylishly streamlined. By including these details of the interior on the exterior–page numbers, base, size, and so forth–Apuntes’s Lomo notebook is a lil bit perfect, setting themselves apart in a way that doesn’t feel excessive or akin to anything else. While I usually prefer dots or lines for my pages, this blank version is still so lovely, lays perfectly flat, and has a handy back pocket for any ephemera that finds it way inside. As it is with any stationery brand I find myself drawn to, I have a few more of these to share in the coming weeks and months, so look out for those posts.

Mishmash, Spiral Notebook

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There is something so practical about a spiral-bound notebook. It is nostalgic in the way many of us may have grown up using Mead college-ruled notebooks for our high school or college classes, maybe Five Star if we were feeling particularly flushed with cash. Even with a stationery obsession, I depended on these trustworthy albeit plain single-colored, simply hued books. But after many years of experimenting with notebooks, enjoying all that my graduate school bookstore (shout out to Seattle’s hidden stationery gem, the basement of the University of Washington bookstore) had to offer for both my many seminars and my quarterly teaching, I returned to the dependable spiral when it came to the culmination of my graduate study. I used a spiral notebook, buried somewhere in this home, to start thinking about my many ideas for my project. This long preamble is to say that I fell in love with the spiral notebook again thanks to the minimalist beauty that is mishmash’s Easy Breezy notebook.

Portuguese brand mishmash specializes in “everyday tools” that are first and foremost minimalist, but they capture a minimalism that is still playful and never boring. Like most of my new favorites, I found this through Greer, though this was an online purchase I made in the haze of pre-pandemic life. What is so lovely about this this wide-spiraled notebook is yes, of course, it’s perfect pastel-y hues, a lavender that is subtly bluish as well, with these life-giving bright mint spirals, with a substantial 180 pages. In its lavender version, the pages come in dots, for all my #bujo people; but, in a different color, it might come lined, or in boxes, or blank, offering all the forms for all the preferences. And to top it off, the spirals allow for 360 degree rotation. A pretty impressive, potentially perfect, and definitely useful spiral for any project on the horizon.

Kartotek Notebook, Everyday Notes.

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Danish brand Kartotek does Scandinavian design proper, and these grid-exterior, lined interior soft covered notebooks are ideal for short-term projects given their slim size. They come in a variety of colors, and are striking in their simplicity. “Everyday Notes” are 40 sheets, or 80 pages, and irresistible in person. I found my first one in the beloved lil stationery spot Little Otsu, formerly of the Bay area and now in a prime location in SE Portland. I picked up a rust colored version these, and had to get more as they became available on Little Otsu’s site not too long ago, and went wild with arranging to get the various shades of burgundy and mint, and the above navy version.

These particular notebooks reflect a modernist and minimalist sensibility. They feel light and quite ideal for note-taking, both serious study and jotting down meeting notes, versatile in their usage. The color palette of the notebooks is one that proves perfect in its fall and wintery hues. And writing them certainly feels right, especially with a beloved gel or rollerball pen or, perhaps, a vintage mechanical pencil. We will be sure to feature the other shades of the Kartotek soon, as they are too lovely to not share.