Motoyama Maho’s Favorite Tools for Crafting Beautiful Paper Worlds
For Motoyama Maho, creativity begins with a sheet of paper — a flat plane waiting to unfold into shape. Born in Tokyo and now based in Los Angeles, Maho pursues design where the two-dimensional transforms into three-dimensional forms. Her work spans window displays, paper structures, and a personal practice of crafting intricate paper boxes from flat patterns.
On her desk, every tool has a familiar purpose: cutting, folding, shaping, or helping ideas take form. Today, she shares the stationery and craft items that support her quiet, precise world of paper making.
Meet Maho Motoyama (本山 真帆)
Name
- Maho Motoyama (本山 真帆)
-
Main instagram account: @mahomotoyama
-
Paper box instagram account: @hakoyamaho
About
- A designer who works at the intersection of flat surfaces and three-dimensional form. She creates window displays, paper structures, and hand-crafted paper boxes from net layouts.
Style
- Clean, intentional, minimal yet warm — always rooted in precision
Motoyama’s Top 8 Favorite Items
1. PENCO Tape Dispenser
What I use it for
- For cutting tape
Why it’s special
“It’s compact, but being metal, it has a solid, heavy feel that gives real confidence as a tape cutter. It cuts masking tape beautifully. I love how sharp it is. I keep two rolls of masking tape in it and switch as needed: green for low tack, yellow for regular tack.
I discovered it with my old boss at a stationery store and bought it right away. My boss had the larger version; the weight looked so cool that sometimes I think I should’ve gone big too.”
2. KONISHI Woodworking Glue
What I use it for
- For assembling paper boxes
Why it’s special
“I use it when assembling my paper boxes. The drying time is just right, which I really like. (If it bonds instantly or takes forever to dry, it doesn’t work for box assembly.) After trying all sorts of adhesives, this is the one I finally settled on.”
3. LAMY Safari Fountain Pen
What I use it for
- For writing letters and thinking of ideas
Why it’s special
“The yellow one was a graduation gift from my professor; the navy one was a birthday present from a coworker. Yellow holds black ink, navy holds red ink.
The writing feel is wonderful, and even though it’s a fountain pen, changing ink is surprisingly simple—I love that.”
4. PLATINUM Pressman Mechanical Pencil
What I use it for
- For writing letters and thinking of ideas
Why it’s special
“It is always in my pen case. The Pressman uses 0.9 mm lead, so it has that soft, pencil-like writing feel I adore. Even with heavy pressure the lead doesn’t break, and it never digs into the paper, which is perfect. I love the utterly minimal, no-nonsense design. base as well.”
5. OLFA Compass Circle Cutter
What I use it for
- For cutting paper into circles
Why it’s special
“I use it whenever I need to cut perfect circles. There are lots of circle cutters out there, but OLFA’s is simple, compact, and easy to handle; that’s why it’s my favorite.”
6. TAIYO ELECTRIC IND. Precision Tweezers
What I use it for
- For precise work when assembling paper boxes
Why it’s special
“It’s for detailed work. The tips are thin and long, super easy to use. They’re a lifesaver when assembling paper boxes and I need to reach inside where fingers can’t go.”
7. Embossing Stylus (brand unknown)
What I use it for
- For scoring fold lines before assembling paper boxes
Why it’s special
“Bought about 10 years ago (probably at Yuzawaya, might not be available anymore).
I use it to score paper before folding. Compared to other scoring tools, the tip is thinner, so I can make very delicate, precise lines. I wrote my name in the middle so I’ll never lose it.”
8. Little Cup with Dog Illustration (brand unknown)
What I use it for
- For holding small desk items
Why it’s special
“A cute little cup my best friend brought me from Czech Republic about 10 years ago. I keep memory cards, erasers, adapters, and other small bits in it.
Having it on my desk is adorable and instantly lifts my motivation to work.”
Reflections from Motoyama’s Desk
Motoyama’s tools tell the story of a designer who listens carefully to the material in front of her. Each item — from a simple tape dispenser to an old embossing stylus — supports her hands as they guide paper into new shapes. Her choices reveal a love of precision, but also a deep sense of warmth and memory.
In Motoyama’s world, creativity begins with touch: the weight of metal, the softness of pencil lead, the gentle pressure of scoring paper. These small moments of connection give life to the intricate paper structures she makes. Her desk isn’t just a workspace — it’s the starting point of countless little transformations.
If you’d like to discover more creators and the tools they love, take a quiet stroll through our Stationery Stories corner.
Join the Conversation
Which item on your desk makes writing a little more enjoyable? Share your favorite stationery story with us in the comments—or join our ZenPop community on Discord, where fans like Motoyama share their daily writing inspiration and creative setups.
Interested in sharing your own favorite stationery selection or setup? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected] to be featured in a future story.
Next month, we’ll visit another creator and see how they bring inspiration to their desk. Stay tuned!
