How it started
Thibault Studio began in 2021 in a former typesetter's flat near the cathedral, with a stack of paper samples and one second-hand sewing frame. Aleksandra had spent eight years editing books for a Sofia publisher, and Marin had been turning pens out of brass and resin in his father's metal shop in Provadia. We met at a small craft fair and decided, more or less on the same evening, that we wanted to make objects to write with — not to write about.
What we make
We bind notebooks and journals in linen and cotton thread, in batches of forty to fifty at a time. We turn fountain pens from solid brass with German-made nibs. We cut letter paper from a 120gsm cotton stock that an Italian mill still presses on slow machines. We commission botanical drawings from an illustrator in Burgas and print them on folded cards. And we ask a furniture maker in Veliko Tarnovo for trays in walnut, when we want them.
How we test paper
Before any new paper goes into a notebook, we run a wet medium nib across both sides of three sheets, leave it to dry for a week, then test how it takes a marker, a pencil, and a damp sponge. If it ghosts, we don't buy it. If it bleeds, we don't buy it. If the pencil eraser tears the surface, we don't buy it. The list of papers we like is small — and it has not changed much since we started.
Where we ship
We post within Bulgaria via Speedy or Econt, usually next-day; to the rest of the European Union via Bulgarian Posts and a partner courier in the destination country. Every parcel is wrapped in waxed kraft paper and tied with cotton twine, the way we would want a gift to arrive. If something does not suit you, you have thirty days to send it back unused for a full refund.
Where to find us
The studio is at 14 Knyaz Boris I Boulevard, Floor 2, Studio 7, 9000 Varna. We are open to visitors Tue–Sat, 10:00–18:00 EET — please email [email protected] first if you would like to come by, so the kettle is on.