If you are searching for unique prints for your home, then you have definitely a big chance to find one by Paper Ministry in Denmark.

Paper Ministry aims to discover and convert hidden gems from rare books and archives, into beautiful art prints for a stylish home. The images are restored, printed and hand trimmed at their studio in Denmark. You can find a nice collections in different themes like flowers, botanical art, fruits, animals, maps  and Japanese Ukiyo-e art. And be sure that each of them presents high level of originality and beauty.
The posters are printed using the Giclée method on museum quality, FSC certified paper. The printing machines with 12 colors giving the prints vivid colors and longer durability. 

I have a great pleasure to introduce you today some of my favorite prints and the owner of Paper Ministry Selma S.

Dear Selma, it is so nice having you here today. Please tell us some facts about you.

Age: I’m 27 years old.
Education: Masters degree in law
Hobbies: Interior design, exploring art and baking
What makes you smile: I’m generality a very positive person and I smile often 🙂 Currently I smile every morning going to work, as I really love what I’m doing and I enjoy every second of it.
What do you like most: Besides working at Paper Ministry, I really like long walks with my boyfriend talking about our future goals, but I’m also a huge fan of slow Sunday mornings with great coffee.
Absolutely no go: Bad coffee
Favourite place in your city: Besides my office and studio it has to be our lovely beach and the surrounding woods.
Favorite vacation country: Japan absolutely! And Croatia, I love to spend my summers in Croatia.
Favorite song and band: Right now my favorite song is Love to go by Lost Frequencies
Favorite designer: When it comes to fashion, I don’t think that I have a favorite, I just find something I think is pretty. Regarding interior designers, then I have to stick to danish such as Børge Mogensen and Hans J. Wegner. Absolutely love their classic and simple designs.
Favorite piece of furniture: It must be my chairs by Hans J. Wegner.

Photo credit: @Paper Ministry ~ Selma S., founder and owner of Paper Ministry

How did you get the idea of creating your own company? Please tell us more about the story behind Paper Ministry.
The idea of creating Paper Ministry came while my boyfriend and I was in Japan. I found a small shop in Kyoto selling ceramics, but I also noticed that they ha a small department with Japanese art prints. I was in love at the spot, and I got more interested in Japanese art prints. I found out that the prints were from old Japanese archives and I started exploring the archives. My boyfriend was already working in the industry and he helped me in the begging. Since then I’ve been exploring a lot of archives and books to find beautiful art pieces from a distant time. I absolutely love the idea of giving life to old illustrations, that otherwise might be forgotten.

Could you please describe us the whole process of your work, from finding an old illustration till the final high quality print? What are the challenges?
The process begins with finding the right art prints – depending on the source, the art can be in a very good high-res condition, or it can be a real mess with dirt on the paper, marks and low-res quality. We import the files to our machines and start working on them, based on their condition. We correct colors, remove marks, increase sharpness and so on until we think that we have a satisfying image. Afterwords, we then create the print files in different sizes and make sure that every aspect of the image is clearly visible when the image is printed and framed. We then make test prints to ensure the quality, before we release the art print at our website. We print and hand trim every piece of art individually – then we make the final inspection before the prints get packet in our protective packaging. We also offer to frame the prints for our customer prior to the shipping.

What is the most beautiful or important moment in the whole process?
The most beautiful moment in the process is discovering new beautiful images, and the second most beautiful is seeing that exact image come alive out of the machines, when we to our initial checks.

Could you please describe your brand in only few words?
At Paper Ministry we combine the perfect blend of rare old illustrations and modern Scandinavian interior design.

 

Which of your beautiful prints you don’t want to miss in your own home?
I still have the first print that I made, hanging in our living room, and it’s the Blue Japanese Vintage – I really love the calmness and simplicity it brings to our home. It’s also a perfect fit to our Scandinavian interior.  It is is one of the few, but meaningful items in our home.

Is there any story connected with Paper Ministry you would like to share with us?
I get a lot of lovely messages from people who has been looking for a specific Japanese print for a while, and then they found it on Paperministry.com – these stories are always touching, and I really love helping people create their dream interior with unique and rare prints.

What do you wish for Paper Ministry in the coming years?
I’m dreaming of expanding our collections and bringing a lot of new lovely illustrations to the site and at some point in time, to have the greatest collection of beautiful vintage art prints. In the future we would love to be more present in different interior shops across the world as well.

Thank you for this interesting interview dear Selma. All the best wishes for you and Paper Ministry from France.

Sunny greetings,

Arminka aka Petit Sourire

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In collaboration with Paper Ministry.