Before it is made,
it is understood.
Paper & Heart is a design studio in Mumbai. Families, brands and houses come to us for the pieces an occasion is remembered by.
The work begins long before anything is printed or cut. It begins in sketches, in prototypes and in the questions that decide everything else: Who is this for? How should it feel in the hand? What should it say the moment it is opened?
And one question stays after all the others: what it should still say when someone finds it in a drawer, years later.
What we make
Everything the studio makes falls into five disciplines, speaking one language. Most occasions call for more than one: the invitation that matches the box that matches the thali. Designed together, they turn together. Choose where to begin.
Five disciplines, one language.
You can already visualise it. The world is yet to see it.
You know how it should feel, who it is for, and what it can no longer look like. Turning that into something a customer recognises, and accepts, is the part we work in.
- Brand IdentityMarks, monograms, naming, positioning, identity direction
- Brand NarrativeStory, tone of voice, messaging, copy direction
- Visual SystemsColour, typography, pattern, graphic devices, guidelines
- Packaging IdentityStructure, labels, sleeves, inserts, tags, ribbons, seals
- Print & StationeryStationery, brochures, catalogues, menus, lookbooks
- Spatial GraphicsMurals, wallpapers, signage, branded spatial detail
- Carried through to launch, art direction included.
What we carry, from the brand you can describe to the one your customer recognises.
- Strategy & narrativeAudience, positioning, what the brand stands for, and the language that carries it.
- Identity & systemMark, type, colour, pattern, and the rules that hold as the range grows.
- Packaging, print & spaceEmboss, foil, engraving and rule, across every printed and spatial surface.
- Art direction & launchProduct and campaign photography, styling, set direction, launch assets.
Your brand narrative, carried through every surface your customer will meet.
Objects
Bespoke objects designed, developed or curated for a project. Each one is drawn, prototyped and finished for the occasion it serves, and made to be kept long after it.
- Bespoke ObjectsCustom décor, functional objects, keepsakes, commemorative pieces and made-to-order creations.
- Table & ServewareTableware, glassware, serveware, trays, vessels, dining accessories and hosting pieces.
- Decorative & Home ObjectsSculptural forms, decorative accents, vases, bowls, frames, desk objects and interior accessories.
- Textile & Paper ObjectsLinens, cushions, textile pieces, journals, stationery objects and crafted paper pieces.
- Ritual & Celebration ObjectsRitual pieces, ceremonial accessories, festive objects, favours and occasion-led pieces.
What we make, from the piece you can picture to the one you will hold.
- Concept & designThe occasion, the use, and the piece that answers both, drawn first.
- Material & prototypeMetal, cloth, ceramic and paper, trialled until the form is decided.
- Making & finishBuilt to order, finished by hand.
- The presentationThe monogram, the engraving, and the box it arrives in.
Made for one occasion, and kept long after it.
Experiences
Curated experiences designed to engage, delight and create memories. From the first welcome to the last favour, everything a guest meets is composed in one language.
- Weddings & CelebrationsWedding design, celebration concepts, guest touchpoints, welcome experiences, favours and personalised details.
- Gifting & ConciergeBespoke gifting, corporate gifting, hospitality gifting, curated hampers, sourcing, personalisation and fulfilment.
- Event StylingEditorial styling, ritual styling, spatial detailing, installations, décor and visual presentation.
- Tablescape StylingTable styling, florals, linens, menus, place settings, tabletop objects and hosting details.
- Experiential DesignGuest journeys, brand experiences, hospitality experiences, interactive touchpoints and immersive concepts.
What we stage, from the first welcome to the last favour a guest carries home.
- Narrative & conceptThe occasion’s story, decided before anything is styled.
- Setting & stylingSpaces, tables, florals and installations, composed in that language.
- Gifting & gesturesWelcomes, favours and hampers, personalised to each guest.
- The celebrationStyled in the room, for every moment the day holds.
An occasion your guest walks through, and then carries home.
Atelier
The making space. Where ideas take shape through craft, materials and innovation. Ceramic, textile and paper are each worked in their own room, alongside the artists we choose to work with.
- Artist CollaborationsArtist partnerships, collaborative collections, special projects and limited pieces.
- Ceramic StudioBespoke ceramics, vessels, table pieces, sculptural forms and custom finishes.
- Textile AtelierCustom textiles, embroidery, surface applications, soft furnishings and textile-led pieces.
- Paper AtelierPaper art, handcrafted paper pieces, sculptural paper, specialty printing and paper installations.
- Couture PackagingHandcrafted boxes, unusual structures, luxury finishes, presentation pieces and experimental packaging.
- Limited & Seasonal EditionsFestive capsules, collectible pieces, artist editions, seasonal releases and small-batch collections.
What we make by hand, from the raw material to a piece that is one of one.
- Collaboration & conceptThe artist, the material and the idea, chosen together.
- Material & trialTried, and tried again, until the material answers the idea.
- The makingFormed, fired, stitched or folded, one piece at a time.
- The editionEach piece numbered and signed.
Made in small numbers, by hands we know by name.
Signature Labels
The studio's own collections, released under its own name. What we make for others we also make for ourselves: the numbered series, the house pieces, the editions.
- Series 001 · Shubh AarambhThe first, released on Akshaya Tritiya, a day chosen for beginnings. It went out by hand, each one with a written note.
- The House PiecesRibbon, seals, matches, chocolate and paper goods, made under our own name and used across everything that leaves the studio.
- EditionsA label is a whole edition designed at once, down to the ribbon and the seal, released in its own season.
What we release under our own name, from Series 001 to the matchbox on your table.
- Occasion & ideaEach label begins with a day worth marking.
- Designed entireThe whole edition at once, down to the ribbon and the seal.
- Made & numberedMade in the studio, and numbered into its series.
- Out by handFrom our hands to yours.
Our own name, on everything that leaves the studio.
Weddings
A wedding gathers all five disciplines for one family: one language, several hundred pieces, and the same hand felt in every one of them.
The portfolio
It follows one wedding in the order a guest meets it, from the first envelope to the last thing left in the room.
- IAnnouncement
- IIInvitation
- IIIArrival
- IVWelcome
- VCeremony
- VITable
- VIICelebration
- VIIIFarewell
यत्करोषि यदश्नासि… तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ।
Bhagavad Gita 9.27 · whatever you do, offer it with intention
Paper & Heart has been built from a place of emotion, instinct and a deep love for creating things that feel truly meaningful.
Surbhi & Hitesh · Founders · Mumbai
The latest, as it leaves our hands
New pieces appear here as they are posted.
Come and see it in the room.
A photograph cannot tell you what a paper weighs, how deep a foil sits, or how a seal takes an impression. Those are the things that decide a project, and they are the reason we would rather meet.
Bring the occasion, the date and anything you have already fallen for. We will have the materials out.
- The studio
- Andheri West, Mumbai
By appointment only - Write to us
- [email protected]
- Elsewhere
- If you are not in Mumbai, we begin on a call.
To work with us, write to [email protected] with the subject line “Careers at Paper & Heart”.