OUR STORY
Botanica Paper Co. is an independent, family-run studio making hand-illustrated paper goods meant to be kept. Each piece begins with original illustration, painted in our studio, rooted in the natural world, and made with the quiet conviction that beautiful, well-crafted things deserve a place in everyday life.
Drawing from botanicals, folk motifs, and a slower approach to design, our work is rooted in time-honored craft. Made without shortcuts, and offered without apology for how long it takes to do things well.
Each piece is produced using carefully selected materials, in close collaboration with skilled local and international printers. Every order is inspected by hand, thoughtfully wrapped, and shipped directly from our studio.
Our deepest hope is that what you find here will be used, kept, and returned to over time.
OUR FOUNDER
Meet Oana
I don't remember a time before making things. As a child, I painted on whatever was within reach: paper scraps, spare cardboard, the backs of envelopes. Creativity wasn't something I discovered; it was simply the way I moved through the world.
Growing up, I collected greeting cards sent by family members living abroad and began painting cards of my own for friends and loved ones on special occasions. That early relationship with illustration and correspondence continues to shape my work today, drawing the personal and the painted into everything I make.
After completing my Master's in graphic design, I stepped away from a full-time role and began sharing my illustration work online in 2010. It was a small, uncertain step that turned into something I hadn't quite allowed myself to imagine. Over the years, the work grew slowly and on its own terms, leading to collaborations and, eventually, to the business I always wanted to build.
In January 2023, I officially rebranded the collection as Botanica Paper Co. The name is derived from the Romanian term for botanical garden, Grădina Botanică, and reflects a long-held fascination with these spaces.
Botanical gardens have always inspired me. They are places of beauty, detail, and quiet wonder, where nature is observed, tended, and allowed to unfold slowly. That same spirit guides my work today, drawing from botanicals, nostalgia, and the folk motifs of my Romanian heritage.
My hope is that each piece can be enjoyed slowly, treasured, and shared, becoming a small but meaningful part of everyday life.
Warmly,
Oana Befort
Founder, Botanica Paper Co.
Behind the Work
Every piece has a long before. There is the first sketch, the painted original, the back-and-forth with printers, the paper samples, the moments of starting over. If you would like to see how the work actually comes together, from the first mark on paper to what arrives on your doorstep, we would love to show you.
