Color & paper guide
Our colors are not paint. They are the papers themselves — washi and yuzen sheets made in limited runs, which is why our palette shifts a little from season to season. Here is what we have now, and how to choose.
Find your palette
Start with your palette.
Every crane is folded from a different Japanese paper. Pick the color that sits with your linen, your flowers and your invitations — then choose how many.
Washi
Washi is made from long plant fibers rather than wood pulp. It folds without cracking along the crease, holds a sharp wing, and does not go brittle in the months between an order arriving and the wedding day.
That is the practical reason. The other reason is how it takes light — slightly uneven, never flat, which is what makes a table of one hundred cranes look handmade rather than printed.
Yuzen
Yuzen papers carry the small florals, waves and seasonal motifs of a dyeing tradition much older than the weddings we make them for. They are printed in short runs, so a pattern we have this season may not return next year.
If you want everything to match exactly, order it all at once. If you like the variation, our assorted sets mix several patterned papers in one order — yuzen alongside other Japanese patterned sheets.
From the way you went out of your way to get special patterns to match her wedding theme colors — flawless!!
Wendy · Etsy review, September 2026Long-fibered Japanese paper. Folds cleanly and holds its shape.
Patterned sheets printed in limited seasonal runs.
Cord tied into knots that traditionally carry a wish.
Choosing
Most couples decide their palette long before the wedding. These four steps are what we suggest.
The cranes sit on the table, not against a screen. Match the cloth first.
Free, sent worldwide. Screens shift these colors more than you would expect.
A sample set shows the folded shape and how the pattern reads at table distance.
Papers are made in limited runs, so a single order keeps the shade consistent.
Paper questions
Not exactly. Washi is textured and slightly translucent, so it reads warmer in person than on a display. If a color is critical, message us and we will describe the difference honestly before you order.
Send a photo of your invitation, linen or a palette reference. We will tell you which of our papers comes closest, or whether we can source something nearer. Custom colors are quoted individually.
Yes, in places. Our Gold & Ivory papers carry gold printed on an ivory ground, and a number of the yuzen papers have fine gold detailing worked into the pattern. What we hold changes with each run, so tell us what you are picturing and we will tell you what is on the shelf right now.
The shade will be consistent within one order. Between orders, and between seasons, papers shift slightly. If you are ordering in stages, tell us and we will set aside paper from the same run where we can.
A mix of several Japanese patterned papers in a shared color family, chosen so they sit together on one table rather than competing. Some are yuzen; others are Japanese patterned washi carrying the same kind of motifs. We mix them at random unless you ask for a palette.
Looking for something we do not have?
Ask about a custom color