Today we’re sharing a studio tour of the new Marissa Allie Designs studio in West Hollywood, California. Marissa runs a bi-coastal company out of her new studio, and when she’s not in LA she’s back in New York City. We’ll let Marissa take it from here!
Expanding Marissa Allie Designs to a bi-coastal company with roots in LA has been so exciting! Born and raised in New York, I never thought California was in the cards until last year when my family was given this amazing opportunity. So, we packed up and made the move. Although taking this leap has been a little overwhelming and scary at times, we decided to make the most of every experience and it has paid off. The past year has opened the door to more opportunities to meet creatives in the wedding space and has opened my eye, allowing me to appreciate and apply even more design styles. It has been truly interesting to observe the different wedding styles clients have from East Coast to West Coast — how their aesthetics vary and how their environments play a role in this. Having this dual perspective has helped me grow as both a designer and an art director.
Another exciting part about moving is decorating a new studio space! I really wanted to create an environment that spoke to effortless California lifestyle and natural beauty. I love decorating and finding unique pieces to work with our new studio vibe, and it’s all about the vibes here in LA. We kept it clean, bright and airy. Think-white wash walls, tons of floor to ceiling windows that spread the Cali sunshine throughout the day, oversized greenery and cool accent pieces from some of our faves. Our new artwork from These Fine Walls says it all-a large Palm Springs, blue wash, Marilyn Monroe-esque photograph that lives in the entryway. We’ve also taken advantage of the incredible vintage finds LA has to offer with unique new accent pieces from Sunbeam Vintage, an insanely amazing vintage furniture shop in Highland Park, CA.
One of my favorite features of the new studio is the outdoor rooftop space (sorry, East Coasters I have to brag a little). This is not only ideal for outdoor lunch breaks but will also serve as an intimate space to host Marissa Allie Designs events, which we plan to do in the near future. Look out for trunk show info!
While the space is important we really believe it’s what you fill it with that makes it special and for us, this includes one of the most important Marissa Allie Designs fixtures…Hudson Hoosier, our lovable Goldendoodle studio mascot. Similar to our New York days, those days spent designing Hudson is right beside my computer. He is also the official greeter when clients come by, offering no shortage of love and kisses. I am pretty sure most of my clients end up getting a Goldendoodle puppy after their wedding because Hudson wins them over!
Fave new LA spots:
- Bar Method West Hollywood
- Alfred Coffee & Tea
- Melrose Place Farmers Market
- Jon & Vinny’s Italian Food
- Coldwater Canyon Hiking Trail
- Venice Beach shopping on Abbot Kinney
Marissa Allie Designs still works and meets with clients on the East Coast, but when we are out of town we sure do miss these NYC staples:
- Paper Presentation
- ALL NY Italian food
- Speedy food delivery
- The MoMa NYC
- Walking everywhere, especially downtown
- And of course, our family and friends we grew up with!
Many thanks to Marissa for giving us a look inside the new space!
Photographs by Esther Lee Photography
Our friends at Invitations Etc. worked with Allison and Jeffrey to customize our Annalise design for their Washington, D.C. wedding. Sarah Hanna‘s Nautilus style hand calligraphy is elegantly modern in gold matte foil and charcoal letterpress while the metallic gold leaf envelope liner adds another pop of gold. They further customized their gray and gold wedding invitations by adding our Lincoln style diecut shape and a submitted crest that was personalized with a custom duogram in the same calligraphy style.
letterpress ink: charcoal | foil stamping: gold matte | hand calligraphy: nautilus style | paper: bella cotton ivory 2-ply | envelope: bella cotton ivory pointed flap | liner: metallic gold leaf | Invitations Etc. | customization #30911
We had the pleasure of working with our friend Kara at Magnificent Milestones on the letterpress birthday party invitations for her son Garrett’s birthday celebration. Kara submitted the race car artwork and we incorporated it into our Fanfare design. A brightly colored envelope liner featuring the Fanfare flag motif and digital guest addressing in a coordinating font and color tied everything together for a fun and festive way to celebrate Garrett’s third birthday.
Designer Andrea Streeter is August’s Designer of the Month – be sure and check out her other designs and save 10% through August 31st!
letterpress inks: prussian blue + papaya | fonts: pike + irene + carly | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | edge painting: papaya | envelope: bella cotton white | liner: custom fanfare pattern in yolk + prussian blue | Magnificent Milestones | customization #32093
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Our Adele invitations were recently spotted on Rocky Mountain Bride! Wedding planner Isabelle Kline selected romantic design elements with Spanish flair for this inspiration shoot at Rancho Ricardo Villa and Gardens. The rich red florals on the invitations were mimicked on the tall centerpieces, which were overflowing with lush greenery. Metallic accents were also sprinkled throughout, adding a glamorous touch to the rustic, Spanish-style villa. Head over to Rocky Mountain Bride to see more photos from the shoot!
Bridal Dress and Tux: Dora Grace // Cake: Sweet B’s Bakery // Florals: Nature’s Grace Design // Hair & Makeup: Carly Ackerman // Invitations: Bella Figura // Menu Calligraphy: Ink & Root // Photography: Danielle DeFiore // Styling and Planning: Isabelle Kline // Venue: Rancho Ricardo Gardens
Our Tristan design from Andrea Streeter inspired this rustic floral wedding invitation inspiration. Romantic jewel tones highlight the vintage botanical motif while the square shape adds a less formal, more provincial feel.
Designer Andrea Streeter is August’s Designer of the Month – be sure and check out her other designs and save 10% through August 31st!
tristan customization | letterpress ink: prussian blue | digital inks: coral + camel | fonts: marine + conqueror | invite size: sq-7 | liner: diego pattern in coral + prussian blue | original design + customization by Andrea Streeter
cake | rings | table
Laura and Robert worked with our friends at Sincerely Yours to customize our Astoria design for their Washington, D.C. wedding. We digitally printed the floral watercolor pattern on the invitations in pale pink and used navy on the text and additional cards. Nicole Black‘s brushstroke hand calligraphy was a whimsical addition and was used to highlight important text like their names, date and time and heading text on the additional cards. The Astoria design was repeated in navy ink on the envelope liners, adding yet another colorful touch to these watercolor wedding invitations.
digital inks: cmyk + navy | font: frost | hand calligraphy: samantha style | paper: bella smooth cotton ivory 1-ply | envelope: bella cotton ivory | liner: astoria pattern in navy | Sincerely Yours | customization #32128
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We’re excited to announce our in-house designer Andrea Streeter as our August Designer of the Month. Andrea’s designs feature unique motifs and strong typography – her gorgeous new Tristan invitation is one of our best-selling designs from our 2016 collection, and it’s easy to see why! During the month of August, you’ll save 10% on any order featuring one of Andrea’s designs. You can save an additional 10% when you combine this offer with our popular ongoing promotion and order any 6 printed pieces or more – whether it’s save the dates, invitations, day of-pieces, or anything else you can dream up. Shop Andrea’s collection today!
The fine print: this offer is exclusive to designs by Andrea Streeter and does not apply towards the purchase of other designs. Discount is applied automatically – no code required. Orders must be placed by 11:59pm Eastern on August 31, 2016 in order to receive this offer.
Our friends at Papery & Cakery helped Jenna and Bryan create wedding programs and menus inspired by our Istanbul Lace design for their Key Largo wedding. They chose the popular combination of gold shine foil and charcoal letterpress ink and highlighted their names in Debi Zeinert’s hand calligraphy. In lieu of favors, Jenna and Bryan made a donation to a cherished cause. They took advantage of our free favor card promotion and printed cards for each guest detailing the donation in their honor.
letterpress ink: charcoal | foil stamping: gold shine | font: jubilant | hand calligraphy: copperplate style | paper: bella cotton white 1-ply | Papery & Cakery | customization #32555
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Meaghan and Benjamin infused many personal details – like personalized vows and a hometown venue – into their timeless San Francisco wedding at the Fairmont Hotel. To set the tone for their big day, they customized our Roosevelt design with classic black letterpress ink and gold matte foil stamped accents. The bride’s nickname for her groom – “B” – inspired the petite golden bumblebee motif that was used on many of the design elements throughout the wedding, including the programs and menus that we printed, as well as their cocktail napkins, welcome basket goodies, and even the cake! Style Me Pretty has even more photos from their big day, but here are a few of our favorites – take a look!
Photography: Sylvie Gil Photography | Event Planning: Kate Siegel Fine Events | Floral Design: Cherries| Wedding Dress: La Sposa By Pronovias | Wedding Dress: Casablanca Couture | Cake: Inticing Creations| Invitations: Bella Figura | Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade | Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dessy Collection | Catering: San Francisco Fairmont | Makeup: Chloe Ray | Hair: David Yepremian | Calligraphy: Barbara Callow | Lighting: Impact Lighting | DJ: Boutique DJs | Groomsmen Attire: Joseph A. Bank | Ceremony Music: An Elegant Touch of Strings | Venue: Fairmont San Francisco | Bride’s Ring: David Clay Jewelers| Flower Girl Dresses: Little Dreamers Tutus | Groom’s Attire + Shoes: Joseph A. Bank | Groom’s Ring:Tiffany | Linen Rentals: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental | Place Card Holders: Theoni Collection | Rentals:Designer 8 | Rentals: Standard Party Rentals | Rentals: Classic Party Rentals | Rentals: Barker Decor Service | Ring Bearer Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Signage: Paper Tangent
We were lucky enough to work with Joanna of Smudge Designs on these hand lettered foil and letterpress birth announcements introducing her son Abraham. Based on Joanna’s vision, Patricia Mumau created custom lettering styles and sweet motifs that we then printed in lime-aid letterpress and blue shine foil. Using baby Abe’s crib sheets as inspiration, we designed a custom envelope liner using animal motifs from our library.
letterpress ink: line-aid | foil stamping: blue shine | hand calligraphy: custom style | paper: bella cotton white 2-ply | envelope: bella cotton white | liner: custom pattern in prussian blue + cerulean + cobalt + navy | Smudge Designs | customization #31366
Today we’re introducing the staff at the Bella Figura flagship store — a talented duo with over 30 years of combined experience when it comes to custom stationery. Find out what they’re loving for current wedding trends, their favorite place to grab lunch on the Upper East Side, and their favorite ways to spend free time in the city!
Su-Queen Teo
As a paper lover, you can usually find me perusing the aisles of local art stores looking for the latest craft products. As an avid cardmaker and rubberstamper, I love making handmade cards, and my home can only be described as a mini arts and crafts store. My artwork has been featured in The Stamper’s Sampler, Take Ten, 1000 Handmade Greetings Cards and NY Japion Newspaper. I received my Bachelor’s Degree from New York University in Graphic Communications. After completing my tenure at NYU, my love for paper grew and I worked at some of the top paper stores in the city before joining the Bella Figura team. During my downtime, I love to travel to Disney World and create fun toddler activities for my nieces and nephew.
Su-Queen’s 5 Favorites
- Favorite part of working at the Bella Figura flagship store: Working with clients to help them create their invitation suite and seeing the finished product.
- Favorite Bella Figura design: Stardust
- Favorite wedding trend: Printed patterns for bridesmaid dresses.
- Favorite spot to grab lunch on the Upper East Side: Flex Mussels
- Favorite thing to do in the city: Rubber stamp shopping at The Ink Pad.
Mariana Stein
I have enjoyed a long time romance with beautiful fine papers and the printed word. I might like to attribute my long stay in the industry due to a background in the fine and performing arts. I have worked at many memorable stops along the way, including the iconic Kate’s Paperie. When I am not at Bella Figura, you might find me in a deluge of gemstones that evoke the sea, stars and sand. My unending passion for found objects, vintage beads, and talismans has inspired me to create jewelry, and explore the different cultures they reflect. At times, I have had to become a bona fide sleuth in search of the perfect piece. And then the adventure becomes part of the experience. Currently living in Brooklyn where I was born, I have enjoyed being a part of the Brooklyn Museum’s seasonal pop-up shops and selling to other artisan brick-and-mortar shops.
Mariana’s 5 Favorites
- Favorite part of working at the Bella Figura flagship store: My favorite part of work is our customers, I love hearing the love stories of our brides and grooms. And then, the happy ever after is when we receive their wedding invitation samples.
- Favorite Bella Figura design: Give me a Tristan invitation with a twist of customization in it.
- Favorite wedding trend: My new color trend is copper with marsala.
- Favorite spot to grab lunch on the Upper East Side: Chicken and rice from Mohammed’s Food Truck.
- Favorite thing to do in the city: I am always up to explore any new neighborhood or curiosity I have not known. Escape is the key here.
Nancy hill
Typography, paper and print. It doesn’t get any better than that. Before joining Bella Figura I spent many years in advertising as a designer and production artist, where the digital world rules. It’s wonderful to get back in touch with the basics of printing on paper and the thing I love most – stationery. One of the perks of living in New York is the wealth of inspiration that surrounds you. One of those things that interest me the most are objects that are handmade – and the people that make them. I love to talk to artisans and hear their story or discuss their process. They inspire me to create something by hand. So in my free time, I like to make hand printed gift tags and gift wrap. I also like to experiment with silk-screen printing on fabric. It’s exciting to create something and good for the soul – whatever that creation might be.
nancy’s 5 favorites
- Favorite part of working at the Bella Figura flagship store: Sharing the joy with the bride and groom when we see the printed invitations for the first time.
- Favorite Bella Figura design: Oh – I can’t pick just one!
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Favorite wedding color palette: I like neutral shades with a touch of something unexpected.
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Favorite spot to grab lunch on the Upper East Side: A slice at Little Vincent’s Pizza is always good.
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Favorite thing to do in the city: I love to browse around different neighborhoods – then find a good spot to have a cup of coffee and people watch.
If you’re planning a visit to New York City (or perhaps you’re a local), stop by and meet our team! The Bella Figura flagship store is located at 1031 Lexington Avenue (at 74th Street) on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and is open every day at 11am. Walk-ins are welcome, or you can make an appointment on our website today.
Lauren and her family worked with our friends at Brenda Himmel Stationery to customize our Josephine design for Lauren’s floral Bat Mitzvah invitations. They chose to keep the ladylike florals, elegant diecut shape and gold matte foil and added an events card, program cover and folded place card.
foil stamping: gold matte | digital printing: cmyk | paper: bella smooth cotton 1-ply white | diecut: lincoln style | Brenda Himmel Stationery | customization #32547
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