Leah Spiros’ favorite definition of interior design is “an informed understanding of people and their spaces.” Understanding is what the designer-turned-calligrapher tries to incorporate into everything she does for her business, Wrapped + Written, whether she’s personalizing an ornament or layering hand-painted embellishments, gold leaf, and calligraphy on a Champagne bottle. Spiros launched Wrapped + Written in 2018 so she could pursue her passion while making more time for her family, and now you can find her at events around town, where she provides on-site personalization services that add beauty and meaning to the everyday.
How did you get started with calligraphy? My mom has really gorgeous cursive, and I was always so fascinated with how to make my words look like that. I believe that my first calligraphy set was a birthday gift from my parents at age 9, but it was never on my radar as a career. … [In 2017,] I took a calligraphy class that was taught by a full-time lettering artist. That’s when it hit me that this was a job-job.
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What services do you offer? Calligraphy, hand-engraving, bottle-painting, and live-event artistry. For example, I did a Mother’s Day gift event at Nordstrom where customers could purchase their bottles of fragrance and have it personalized on the spot with hand engraving. I was in the fragrance department and did bottle after bottle of names, messages, and sketches.
Are live events popular? Yes, and growing in popularity… It gives the client who is hiring me the opportunity to have a live engagement for their guests or their clients, and it also [provides] a take-home—something very distinct and one-of-a-kind that is just for them.
Why is this type of art still so in demand? I think people want something authentic and real. Whereas we can appreciate the easy-order mass-production companies, there’s something about knowing that something was specially made for you by a person… With my work, each piece communicates to that recipient that someone thought of them. That’s the impetus behind my designs and why I offer personalization and in-person engagements.
Do your hands get tired? Yes, my hands do get tired—especially with the engraving because I grip that [implement] a lot harder. I try to squeeze a squishy ball or a racket ball to help strengthen the muscles in my hand… I’ve learned there are some restorative practices that I have to be intentional about to stay healthy and able.
What would you like the average person to know about calligraphy? It’s not cursive.… Calligraphy is putting together a series of strokes to create your letter and word forms. We craft those pieces together to look like one continuous line. But there’s a lot of pen-lifting… Also, the variety of applications: It translates into what’s on your water bottle and your mirror and your Woodford Reserve whiskey.
What’s most rewarding about your work? The joy on people’s faces. It’s so endlessly exciting to see when someone gets their reveal or [to hear about it] when they email me… It’s not always happy joy. For example, the person who received the memoriam ornament, that’s a different kind of joy. Those tears of joy are the thankfulness to be able to remember someone and be reminded in a beautiful way. That one is huge for me, too. They are both essences of joy. One might not have the same buoyancy, but it is so meaningful.
