About
Elbel Libro is a hand bookbindery established in 2012 and now based in Lembach, France.
Our mission is to create exceptional presentation solutions.
Whether it is a guest book for a hotel, a box for a precious book, a menu for a restaurant or a portfolio for a photographer, we put our expertise in bookbinding, box making, foil blocking, and our flair for design at your service, to protect and enhance your individual stories.
Everything we do is custom-made. There is no such such thing as 'standard', and nothing is too exclusive to achieve the results worthy of you. Naturally this approach is most effective with one-off items or very limited editions.
Our clients are local as well as international (we speak English, French, Dutch and German).
We are highly diversified however it is worth noting a few of the things we do NOT do:
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notebooks
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restoration
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dummies for the industry
If unsure just give us a call and we'll be delighted to advise you and invite you for a consultation.
Meet the team
Benjamin Elbel
(1983) has an artistic background and trained as a bookbinder in the internationally renowned school of bookbinding 'Centro del bel libro' in Ascona (Switzerland), and at the bench of various fine bookbinding firms in Germany and England, before starting his own bindery in 2012.
Benjamin is the head craftsman at Elbel Libro and in charge of marketing and strategic development.
Next to Elbel Libro Benjamin also runs bookbinding out of the box, a project devoted to sharing some of Benjamin's personal ideas on innovative bookbinding techniques. His work has been awarded on several occasions, among which the 2009 Designer Bookbinders International Competition (distinguished winner) and more recently in the international competition 'Open Set' (third price). He has taught workshops in Europe and the USA and is regularly invited to give lectures.
Kieke Schaaper
(1985) grew up in a bookbinders environment with her mum having her own bindery. Kieke loves handmade design, paper, textile, textures, patterns, colours, has a great eye for details and is multi-disciplined. She studied Design & Styling at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) and graduated Cum Laude in 2006. After her study she worked for several creative brands and magazines.
Kieke pretty much does everything at Elbel Libro that is not hands-on bookbinding. Her job is to make sure that it is a pleasure working with us.
To see our work in progress and a peek inside the studio check out our Instagram page: @ben.elbel