A Berlin-based boutique stationery company, Karte Design Fabrik is the brainchild of Liz McKeown and Gareth Reardon, who moved over from Sydney in 2011. Selling gift wrap, greeting cards, and mounted prints, the styles are delicate yet decisive; the Between Days greetings cards are a dreamy haze of pastels balanced in a simple circle, and the more geometric designs, such as the Tannenbaum gift wrap, features bold patterns with a pop of yellow. Our favorite, however, is the selection of gold foil products – in particular, the Shaking Through design of offbeat, gold triangles. The stationery is simple enough to be useful for any occasion, and beautiful enough to want to keep for yourself. For last minute shoppers: select products are also available at Modulor. (Text: Antonia Harris)

Back in Fukuoka, Japan, Tomomi and Yasuhiro Tadamatsu owned a little paper shop that only opened its doors on weekends. At the same time, both had full-time jobs. Visiting Berlin, they instantly fell in love with the city. Several years of preparation and planning later, the couple decided to take the leap and launch their stationery boutique. Since June 2016, visitors can find a curated selection of paper and prints in their Helmholtzkiez store. The collection includes Sowale notebooks, sketchbooks, envelopes, and cards made of high-end paper. Yasuhiro is the creative force behind the paper-loving company; Many of the products sold here are based on his own sketches and are printed in Japan. Products designed by other Japanese artists have also found their place in the lovingly-styled shop, alongside paintings by the owner’s artsy friends. (Text: Ferdinand Hamsch / Photos: Anne Freitag)

Sowale, Stargarderstr.16, 10437 Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg; map
Mon-Sat 11-18h