Hafod Grange’s Botanical Taxidermy
Perfectly preserved flowers that are simultaneously curious and beautiful
The Welsh company Hafod Grange (named after the estate in which it resides) has been making paperweights—and only paperweights—for the past three decades, and photos do not do their results justice. Their botanical paperweights in particular are what caught us off guard: daffodils, open thistles, nigella, heather, orchids and more, caught in their blooms and preserved perfectly in an orb.
“Don’t ask how we do it,” they write on their site—but they do reveal that most of the flowers and seedheads grow nearby on the neighboring mountains or tended gardens, which are then picked and dried. (It’s marvelous how well the vibrant colors are retained.) These dried botanicals are then cast in clear polyester resin—with the addition of a UV filter to prevent fading—and then turned and polished into a smooth globe. As they start off in nature, no two paperweights end up the same.
Our favorite is the dandelion clock: giving us a glimpse into our childhoods, when a full-headed puff represented a potential wish, something magical—not a weed—and they never lasted long after being discovered. These Hafod Grange paperweights preserve unspoken wishes forever.
Peruse the wide variety of paperweights, available directly from Hafod Grange as well as other online stockists such as Trunk. Hafod Grange also offers custom orders, if you’ve been looking for a way to preserve your baby’s first lock of hair or flowers from a wedding—they even admit to immortalizing kidney stones and glass eyes, so don’t be shy with requests.
Photos by Nara Shin
