Owolabi Letters Project

Custom Design Binding and Clamshell Enclosure

About the Project

In early October 2025 I was contacted by The Nicest Space, a personal and business concierge, with a project for one of their clients. They asked if I’d be able to make a 3-volume set of the scanned letters from the client’s father and I was more than happy to help. While it is not often people ask me to make more than one book at a time, I am always excited to do this kind of work.

I set to work right away, having the pages printed on acid-free/archival paper with great resolution. You can really see every detail of the letters, even if they’re smaller than the originals. When I asked them about the design they’d like me to draft for them, all they said was “the family likes tiger lilies”, which was all I needed. I made a few drafts for them to review and we selected the one that resonated with them the most, which also happened to be my favorite, too.

Later in the process, they asked if there was anything I could do for the originals. To which I suggested we make a custom clamshell box for them, keeping with the color scheme of the 3-volumes and working with bookcloth instead of leather. Since the letters were considerably large, using bookcloth is a more practical approach – and more cost effective.

The result is something I am quite proud of. This project really encapsulated all the aspects of my daily bookbinding practice – gold/silver tooling, custom design, clamshell boxes, and just a good quality book that will last for many years.

The Process

In all honesty, the process for this project was fairly straightforward. Beginning with the binding of the books and creating the text-block. The cases came next with a red title panel on the spine. With darker leather, I always enjoy working with silver type, as opposed to gold. While gold is always lovely, there’s something about silver that catches my eye, especially with black leather as the backdrop. Once all that was finished, I focused on the front cover designs, with each one being subtly different and distinct. Since the design was quite ambitious, I opted to execute the tooling before joining the cases to the text-blocks. It all went without issue and the process was incredibly fun.

Wedding Album

About the Project

I was excited when this project came across my table and eager to further my skills my custom tools I’d commissioned from Dimitri, a bookbinder in Greece. He and I have become fast friends over the years and it’s quite fun to trade notes with him and discuss topics specific to bookbinding.

This project was a gift, so the amount of time/money it would have taken in reality is unknown to me. My younger brother and his then-fiancé were preparing for their wedding and this idea popped into my head. I personally enjoy making books as gifts. I feel it puts me back in touch with my roots, as I began bookbinding as a hobby and would often make gifts for people as a surprise. To see people light up is one of the purest forms of joy one can experience. Gift-projects also give me a certain latitude of expression. It feels freeing in a way, allowing me to step into the realm of creation to see what surprises are in store for me. Sometimes I fail and need to start over, other times I am amazed at what comes forward. Either way I enjoy it.

The idea for the design sprouted from the wedding theme itself. Often weddings have a floral motif and their wedding was no exception to that. So I leaned into it and asked the two what their favorite flowers were. “Orchid and Peony” was their answer, so I immediately set to work. I found two designs that I felt would be suitable for the plan I’d devised and I began my preparations.

The Process

These are the designs I came up with for this project. The first draft is on leftover leather I always keep in the bindery for just such a purpose.

Once I felt confident on the design’s execution, I readied myself for the actual project.

The work on the book went in phases, breaking the designs down into their essential components. This helped me organize my thoughts while I worked on the leather. Alternating between gold and silver was a fun way to make each design pop, with opposing elements showcased on each. I only took a couple of photos during the process, unfortunately.