A design + analog printing studio in Los Angeles

journal

design + letterpress printing in Los Angeles, California

Posts tagged Presshaus LA
Keeping it simple : Henslin prints
PresshausLA_Henslin__40.jpg

Going inkless lets the impression of letterpress do all the heavy lifting.

Henslin, transforms vintage pieces into beautiful objects and gives them another life. Each piece is made is one-of-kind and with a life lived before. We had the pleasure of creating hangtags for these objects and business cards to jump start Henslin.

For this project, we gang printed on Reich Savoy 236# in Brilliant White, a favorite USA made paper. We mixed a dark grey ink for the information and punched a hole for the hang tags.

PresshausLA_Henslin__37.jpg
PresshausLA_Henslin__39.jpg
This is us on Loeffler Randall
 

 

It's rare we get photographed together.

I'm a letterpress printer.
He's a car designer.
I suppose you can call us a creative couple.

This past Valentine's Day Loeffler Randall featured us on their blog as a Creative Couple. I never really thought that we could be packaged together since our disciplines are like a Venn Diagram. Letterpress over here on the left. Industrial Design on the right and our personal lives are the blend of both circles in between.  

I work solo while his work requires an army of creative forces. I work in print and paper while he can observe designs created in VR environments. We're on complete opposites of the design spectrum. Analog here and digital over there. But at the end of the day, I show him prints I'm currently working and he shows me phone pics of automotive related designs his team are working on. We get excited about each other's work.

presshaus-la_kristine-arellano_loeffler-randall_nicki-sebastian-photography-6.jpg

I was going down memory lane while answering their questionnaire - we built a home together, a process that lasted five years; spent our engagement year living abroad in Germany; I started a small business (woohoo Presshaus LA!) and he's now heading up design at an automotive startup. Although we've been married for 5 years, a period of time that seemingly feels short and long at the same time, we've got a lot under our belts. 

The photos feature not just our story also LR's HEARTLA heart sandals. Although the pictures were taken on a rainy LA day, Nicki Sebastian the photographer behind these images,  did her magic to make these images bright and sunny No rain + puddles shown!

There are more pictures and more questions answered on the LR page. Take a look.

~K

And here are the HEARTLA Loeffler Randall shoes

And here are the HEARTLA Loeffler Randall shoes

Bagel, my camera-ready furry girl!

Bagel, my camera-ready furry girl!

The spread of prints in the studio

The spread of prints in the studio

Studio moodboard of inspiration + previous print projects

Studio moodboard of inspiration + previous print projects

Special thanks to Loeffler Randall + Alex Yeske
All photos by Nicki Sebastian


Thank you, Nicki, for making that rainy day look bright and for your ease of being in front of a camera.

Goodwin

One of the best parts of working with designers is getting to know them as a person first and to see them create a brand that is an organic extension of themselves. I met Elise Joseph, a stylist + tastemaker now based in Nashville, Tennessee, a few years ago and back then she had the vision to create Goodwin but it was a vision at the time. We shared a long coffee in Venice's Abbott Kinney area and even then she was longing to be in Nashville. She was outgrowing her blog Pennyweight and was looking ahead.

A few years later she reached out for some collateral for her new adventure, Goodwin, a curated capsule online shop based on the foundation of mindful women's wear. Her shop carries clothing from independent designers for a conscious buyer. I too have been trying to buy clothes with this ethos and ask myself "Where is this made? How and where was the fabric created?" As someone who works with my hands, I try to value the time and quality put into each garment. The effect of wearing a piece made with intention makes me feel beautiful and gives me a sense of pride knowing that I helped to support a fellow creative. I know the piece will last longer and plus there'll be no one else around wearing the same thing.

Elise partnered with Julia Kostreva to create her branding and logo. For her printing, we selected neutral toned papers milled in Germany. Her business cards are duplexed to about 200# and letterpress printed. The hangtags are also letterpress printed and triple-mounted with a black paper sandwiched in between for an extra thick tag. 

These projects are my favorite kind- there's fulfillment when unique prints are sent off to a place with heart.
I'm grateful to be a part of Goodwin's circle of designers even if it's only through paper. 

Dwell Magazine, the cherry on top

This truly is like the cherry on top! We had no idea we still have a chance to get into Dwell Magazine, the coveted magazine for architecture and design. It's been a few years since our home was completed in August of 2013 and as time passed, we were able to slowly acquire furniture and fixtures we wanted and were able to dial in the house to our liking. Living in the space made us aware of how we were using spaces and how the flow felt as we made it into our home. Our house is like an evolving work in progress always and we haven't even touched the landscaping our outdoor spaces yet.

Our living room in print in Dwell Magazine, Jul/Aug issue

Our living room in print in Dwell Magazine, Jul/Aug issue

The article talks about our journey of building a custom home during a recession. We started this project while we were still in our late 20s. What were we thinking? At the start we were brimming with ambition but as construction goes we were scraping by after we saw a good chunk of savings poured into concrete and casings. We didn't even have framing to show for yet! We were dragging to the "half a decade saga" as Dwell mentioned and took a year off during that time. During that year, we lived abroad in Munich, Germany. Richard was working on designs BMWi cars, an almost top secret project at the time, and I honed my printing skills in the motherland of printing. The time away from LA helped us to recoup finances and allowed to step away from a project we were deep into. We got married 2 months after moving back to LA and even have wedding photos of us in front of our construction site.

Editorial spread of the article 

Editorial spread of the article 

While telling our story during the interview for this article, it made me nostalgic. Like any challenge overcome, it's that much sweeter in hindsight. Goodbye to the days of panic floods whenever it rained, frantically getting dressed because of construction workers stomping the grounds at 7:30am, a makeshift kitchen, intermittent periods with no water, annoyed and angry neighbors, endless dust, stressful inspections and stacks of invoices. I can go on and on.

It felt good writing a note to mom to insert into a copy of Dwell then sending it off in the mail. We heard back from her as soon as she got it. 

In case you don't get Dwell in print, the folks over at the magazine were polite to send us a digital version of the article.
Check out the link below to see the article and for more photos.

Special Thank You to
Michael Friberg for the photos and spending the entire day with us from first to last light
Jessica Comingore for house styling the night before until 10:30p
DevCon Construction for building our home and putting up with us
 

Click here for the full PDF of the editorial spread

 

Kyly and Ryan's weekend of paperie

We did it all!

I love it when a bride is just as excited about paper as I am!

For Kyly and Ryan wedding in Johannesburg, South Africa, one of the few personal touches that could fit into a luggage was the wedding paper.  Earlier in the year, we designed and printed their wedding invitations far in advance for their guests to attend this once-in-a-lifetime safari wedding. As the wedding weekend neared we worked on various pieces to make each guest's experience extra special for making the long trip.

Throughout the design process, I kept the palette neutral in a "safari chic" style. To add texture, we played with different papers and mixed letterpress printed pieces with digital flat prints.  Each guest received a special note handwritten by the bride and groom upon their arrival on letterpressed stationery enclosed with a wax seal. The personal touches, all ideas from the bride, really made each guest feel the warmest welcome.

Keep scrolling to see paper details from rehearsal dinner, wedding program + menu and even down to the napkins.

This is a first for so much paper to go quite the distance from Los Angeles to Johannesburg.
I'm so honored to have been a huge part of their wedding in a paper kind of way. Thank you Kyly and Ryan!

 

Design, printing and calligraphy by Presshaus LA

PresshausLA for Kyly and Ryan
Wax sealed

Wax sealed

Pressed quote on envelope flap

Pressed quote on envelope flap

Custom letterpress printed stationery

Custom letterpress printed stationery

Foil stamped detail on natural napkins

Foil stamped detail on natural napkins

PresshausLA-02090.jpg
Wedding menu + place card

Wedding menu + place card

Wedding dinner menu + place card

Wedding dinner menu + place card

Wedding program (letterpress)  / front and back

Wedding program (letterpress)  / front and back

Rehearsal dinner paper setup

Rehearsal dinner paper setup