Tuesday, December 16

Twig & Fig.

Berkeley's twig & fig opened in 2004 with the aim of making the most beautiful and original custom, couture invitations and they have not looked back since. It all began with the discovery of an 1890 letterpress in an old barn in the Napa Valley. As a great admirer and skilled technician of the letterpress, Serge Vigeant, one half of twig & fig, wasted no time in recovering this beautiful piece of machinery and set about mastering it's operation. twig & fig's other half and partner is graphic designer Suzie McKig, whose vision, artistic skill and ability to read and translate what her clients want, have drawn her great praise and a wide following from all over the world.




twig & fig's beautiful letterpressed invitations and personal stationary are stunning, and all have an amazing creativity to them. Heavenly to the touch, the paper is sourced from a 400 year old mill just outside Prague. One by one, the letterpress pushes the letters and designs into this exquisitely thick and textured paper with beautiful, colorful inks.




Clients usually arrive with tentative ideas, a color, a picture of a favorite flower or bird, and Suzie and her design team are able to translate these inspirations into themes with originality and beauty. twig & fig have become famous for their seemingly limitless and delicate finishing touches. Invitations could be placed into a voluptuously thick hand-lined envelopes with the address handwritten by their gifted calligrapher, and finished with an in-house designed stamp. Or perhaps you may prefer it simply wrapped with a strand of soft mohair thread adorned with a simple piece of silk cord, vintage ribbon or the thinnest wrap of Japanese rice paper bound with a wax seal. Or maybe imprinted onto one of the silk or leather boxes the invitations could arrive in…at twig & fig, the possibilities are endless, and truly original and beautifully creative.


The twig & fig shop also represents loads of local letterpress artisans, and carry their lines of cards, as well as beautiful gifts, candles, wrapping papers, ribbons, journals, and a beautiful collection of stationary and notebooks. The setting alone is a lovely place to hang out, set in a craftsman-like shop just off Shattuck on Vine Street (and just around the corner from the infamous Chez Panisse, so it even smells delicious!).



twig & fig
[fine paperie & custom letterpress]
2110 vine street • berkeley, ca 94709
direct 510 558 3303 • main 510.848.5599
store hours: monday–saturday 10-6






10 comments:

Kat said...

Beautiful Stationary. I especially love the peacock.

Melissa G said...

Their design is sensational and truly inspirational. Thanks for the share.

J Sav said...

Love, love, love heir graphic design, their sense of whimsy and their sweetness!

Anonymous said...

O to just *discover* an old letterpress...!

Jen Bradford said...

So sad to be on the wrong coast! Just gorgeous.

vicki archer said...

I would take one...or many, of everything. xv

Erin Gates said...

WOW is all I can say. Those letterpress maps??? Be still my heart.

Jamie Welsh Watson said...

This place looks amazing. The tree map with the hwy signs - incredible.

Anonymous said...

This is my dream to open a shop like this ! I LOVE it!!!

Sheryll said...

How beautiful is this store. I have never been to this store, but I'm so excited to check it out!