MY COUNTRY BUSINESS
Stationery makers Trudi Savin and Sophie Morton
Trudi Savin and Sophie Morton print stationery in Surrey
‘Our business was born out of a shared passion for the art of block printing,’ says Trudi Savin of the artisan stationery company Yateley Papers, which she runs with her business partner, Sophie Morton. ‘Sophie and I came together because of our appreciation of craftsmanship and our passion for quality. We wanted to provide an alternative to the mass market throwaway items that have swamped the shops in recent years.’
Trudi and Sophie met while working for Angel Hughes at Tobias and the Angel in Barnes, London, around 20 years ago. Angel had a printing studio in Lingfield, Surrey, and employed Trudi to hand-block print textiles for the shop and to run printing workshops using 3,000 printing blocks, which she had bought from a company called Yateley Industries when it closed its printing section. The vintage blocks, in fact, were what inspired Trudi and Sophie to come up with the name Yateley Papers.
Sophie, meanwhile, worked in the shop and learned to print in her spare time at the studio. ‘I relished the days printing alongside Trudi, seeking her guidance on how to lay down and arrange the blocks and experimenting with colours and patterns on offer,’ says Sophie. She and Trudi particularly loved the charm and quirkiness of hand-block printing. ‘It is quite imperfect – the appeal is that it is not at all mechanised,’ says Trudi.
Having created some of their own block designs, about 10 years ago Trudi and Sophie began to cover things with their block-printed paper and fabric – and the idea of creating their own range of stationery gradually formed. ‘Our kitchen tables became a hothouse of activity – as they still are today,’ adds Sophie.
The enterprise was something of a slow burner, however. ‘Two years ago we finally thought we would try and turn it into a business,’ says Trudi. ‘It was an obvious thing for us to do – and we’ve done it in tandem with our day jobs.’ Nowadays, Trudi runs block-printing workshops, using Yateley Papers printing blocks, at
What we love most... ‘creating new block patterns, and oohing and aahing over colours. the feeling when we get it right more than makes up for any disappointments’
interiors shop Meldon House & Home and through Selvedge magazine in both London and France, while Sophie works in project management, fitting it around bringing up her two children, Charlie, 10, and Issy, nine.
Yateley Papers designs are inspired by the vintage blocks that Trudi and Sophie love – Sophie creates the designs, Trudi’s daughter Daisy cuts the blocks and Trudi prints them. The blocks are first printed on fabric and then on paper to check the outline and, most importantly, how the repeat lines up. Once Trudi and Sophie are happy with everything, the hand-blocked prints are digitally produced – with careful attention paid to retaining the natural nuances. ‘The digital world is about neatness and clarity, and block printing is not, so we had to work hard to make sure the translation was not lost,’ says Trudi.
Much thought has gone into the range. ‘Lots of people have open-plan living nowadays so we wanted to make lovely storage options and desk stationery that people would be proud to display,’ says Trudi. ‘Block-printed designs can sit comfortably in a traditional or contemporary home. We like to use colours that are strong and earthy and that will blend easily into any scheme.
‘Many people are now working from home or they have a partner who works from home, and a room often serves a multitude of functions. Office and desk stationery can be just horrible so we wanted to make stationery and accessories that look pretty and add to the surroundings, as well as being a pleasure to use. We want to make things that complement their environment, enhancing it, not detracting from it.’
All Yateley Papers products are handmade in England. ‘Supporting British industry is extremely important to us. It has taken us a long time to find the right people to make our products, as we are such sticklers for detail,’ says Sophie.
The current range includes magazine files, lever-arch files, ring binders, hinged storage boxes, portfolios, wrapping papers and cards. Lampshades have recently been introduced, too. ‘Good patterned lampshades are not easy to find,’ says Trudi. A gentlemen’s range, Yateley Chrome, is about to be launched, as well as luxurious journals and an inventive take on the paper chain for Christmas.
In addition to looking after online sales, weekends are often spent selling their products at country fairs, such as The Country Brocante. ‘We’re all about colour and pattern,’ says Trudi. ‘We stand out.’