Mishmash is a dream come true for a young girl who used to spend her free time around old paper and vintage office supplies in her grandfather’s office supply store. These roots have made Beatriz Barros a design and stationery enthusiast, and helped create the spirit of mishmash.
Hailing from Portugal, mishmash is an office supply brand that was born from the nostalgia of its founder. The inspiration came from Beatriz Barros‘ grandfather’s old stationery store, where all of her childhood, she was surrounded by the smell of paper. From an old love story to lost pieces of paper and vintage envelopes, mishmash came along to change the world of stationery by giving design enthusiasts the unique products they have always wanted.
As a consequence of years of research and knowledge of editorial design, mishmash aims to fill a gap in the exploration of concepts related to stationery. With limitless innovation in a stagnant market, they’re always trying to trigger the creativity in every soulful mind.
With the contributions of Ricardo Barbosa, a marketeer who deeply understands how social media buzz works and how a brand should communicate with its customers, both of them together were able to found mishmash based on everything they believe a brand should be.
We took ten with the lovely lady herself, Beatriz Barros.
1. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an architect. My dad has a construction company and my mum is a civil engineer so, I just made the math.
2. When and what was the moment that prompted you to start your own brand?
The moment was when I was just preparing to start my Master Degree Project. I wanted to do something real and meaningful to me, not just study some random specific topic.
3. In 3 words, describe your occupation.
Fun, dream, free.
4. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Not to leave for tomorrow what you can do today.
5. What is your favourite creative outlet to get the juices flowing?
Probably real life, being with people and talking to them. Going to inspiring places and travel is also a very important one. On the more digital note, certainly Pinterest is a creative life savior.
6. Where do you see yourself and the brand in 10 years time?
In ten years, I see the brand all over the place creating meaningful and creative products that bring something different to our community. I see myself focusing on developing them.
7. If you could invite any five celebrities to dinner, who would be on the guest list?
That’s very easy. Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Lena Dunham, Hillary Clinton and Sophia Amoruso.
8. What was the last rule you broke?
Bad car parking.
9. Do you have any hidden talents?
Not that I have noticed yet.
10. What was the last movie you saw and was it any good?
Boss Baby. I don’t know because I fell asleep (Friday night at 10pm)…
If you’re anything like us, you know there’s nothing better than a fresh notepad. Don’t worry, your obsession with stationery is completely normal… the power of a new pen or an untarnished diary is second to none! We’re even bigger fans of beautiful stationery and that’s where mishmash comes into the picture, bring soulful brightness into your life with the help of their fun loving notebooks. Mismash indulges our love of crisp, minimal stationery. With a fine eye for detail, beautiful finishes and a hint of nostalgia these notebooks and pads belong on any paper aficionados desk.
There’s a lot of thought that goes into the product design at mishmash, from considering a product’s performance in terms of its functionality and capacity, to keeping products attractive to minimalist enthusiasts. We love their visionary way of looking at product design, breaking down any barriers that might get in their way. The possibilities are endless for this creative duo.
It’s the tiny details that won us over like the 30º inclined lines in the I Am Learning Notebook, for those who fight every day against getting into the most uncomfortable position while writing. Or the five different colour tabs on The Notebook that make it a user-friendly notebook, more functional than ever. If you’re up for a little bit of fun, with a slight touch of uniqueness, then mishmash’s quirky products are for you!
“Slowmo”
“This playlist represents my day to day sounds. It’s relaxed yet with something mysterious.”
Need to refresh your stationery supplies with the latest and greatest? Check out the collection of Mishmash notebooks online at Hunting for George.
