London stationers Present and Correct just opened a shop in Bloomsbury, with an interior project by Architecture for London. A one-stop-shop for all things stationery, the location features Present and Correct's curated selection of vintage stationery, covering writing essentials, iconic calendars, desk accessories and organisers and the odd oddity (think graph paper socks and crayon flasks).
Present and Correct: new shop design by Architecture for London
Set in a heritage unit in Bloomsbury, the shop's redesign was led by Alastair Selven at Architecture For London, who was tasked to create a flexible and demountable interior that would extend the displays' lifespan beyond the specific location.
The design is inspired by museum displays, the British Museum being just down the road, and is imagined as a sequence of wunderkammers that showcase Present and Correct's diverse offering as a journey of discovery.
The design is very minimally based on a simple material palette, defined by maple plywood and ash timber combined with a quarry tile floor and Vitsœ shelving. The interiors' grid like arrangement nods to the ISO 216 A chart, an international standard for paper sizes that 'influences the perception of nearly all the printed images in Europe: this grid traverses the surface of the shop cabinetry,' reads a note introducing the project.
Present and Correct started as an online stationery shop in 2009, with a first physical store in Clerkenwell opened 2012 until it closed its doors earlier this year. The new Bloomsbury space brings the stationery curators at the forefront of London's cultural hub, and expands its reach to an international audience.
'With new and vintage stationery from 18+ different countries Present & Correct is a showcase for the things we have enjoyed since school,' says founder Neal Whittington. 'Our long-term obsession has culminated in a constantly evolving store; paper and office objects which are inspired by homework, the post office, modernism and a love of type and language.'
Present and Correct, 12 Bury Place, WC1A 2JL
