Over the holidays, I recieved a Kindle 4 and have been really happy with it. It’s the first time I’ve owned an E-ink device, and I find reading on it to be a pleasure, particularly for long-form content like books or my Instapaper feed. One area where I found it to be lacking, however, was its absence of a cover or sleeve. You don’t put it on a shelf like a regular book, and it didn’t feel right to just toss the naked Kindle on the desk when I wasn’t using it, so I looked for something to cover it up.
Since receiving it, I’ve been spending a good deal of time with the device, and have been growing fond of it—attached to it, if you will. I felt I wanted something comfortable, something natural—something organic—to be its home when I wasn’t using it. Perusing the offerings on Amazon left me unsatisfied, as everything on there was too plasticy, too cheap looking, too mass-produced looking or just plain ugly. I started searching elsewhere, and soon came across the site for Byrd & Belle, a small studio in Minneapolis run by one person—Angie Davis—who hand crafts a series of fabulous looking, minimialist device covers in wool felt and leather. When I saw her offerings, I knew immediately that I had found what I was looking for.
Before long, I had the new cover in my hands. It is a thing of beauty, impeccably crafted. The felted wool and leather strap, while a bit stiff at first, will soften and settle into their roles, becoming supple and even more lovely over time. The Kindle fits in there perfectly snug, even tight at first, but it’s bound to give a bit of slack as the felt softens. Now, when I’m not using my new friend Kindle, I can leave it on my desk or in my bag knowing that it’ll be well looked after.
The juxtaposition of a plastic and silicon or metal and glass device being housed in a wool and leather sleeve may seem a bit strange at first blush, but it’s something which I find deeply satisfying, especially as we spend more and more time with these gadgets and they become so important to us on a personal level. Angie clearly feels the same way, and obviously puts a lot of love into these covers. Even the package she mails them in had some touches which made me smile—a handwritten thank you inside, and an address label printed in lovely typeface (the name of which I don’t know), worlds better than the Times New Roman or utilitarian sans-serif you normally see printed on address labels. Yes, this sort of thing pleases me.
I should say that my recommendation here is unsolicited—I didn’t recieve any sort of compensation for it. I just think these covers are top rate, and wanted to spread the word about them. So, if you have devices that you’re fond of and you need a warm, cozy place for them to live in, I highly recommend considering Angie’s offerings over at Byrd & Belle.