Accent
#3d3935
potloodgrijs · warm charcoal · --color-accent
A Pimpelmees brand book — Utrecht, est. 2009
Warm, magical, never corporate.
Pimpelmees is a Dutch wallpaper brand for children's rooms, founded by sisters Marieke and Ingeborg — both members of the BNO. Behang, behangcirkels, muurstickers, behangbogen, drieluiken and behangrand, hand-illustrated, nature-inspired, printed in Utrecht.
"Tover de kinderkamer om tot het fijnste plekje in huis met ons magische behang."
Identity
kraft · printed-paper warm tan · #e8dec8
Logos & marks
Primary wordmark, monograms, square mark and faviconography — eight files for the right surface. Inherit colour where possible (terracotta / cream / dark variants); use the open / frameless wordmark on kraft footers.
01
Primary mark
framed · canonical
02
Anatomy
five elements, exact widthsFive elements, no more
Five elements, no more. Outer rule at 1.5 pt, inner hairline at 0.5 pt, the bold wordmark (glyph-1-*), a 0.5 pt separator whose length equals the wordmark's exact width, and the italic tagline (glyph-0-*). All measurements are lifted from the canonical SVG — no approximations.
Clear space
Keep x of empty space on every side, where x equals the cap-height of the wordmark. No type, image, edge or fold should encroach.
03
Surfaces
how it sits on colourDefault · eierschaal#fafaf6
On kraft#e8dec8
Reversed#1f1b18
On terracotta#c96a38
On oudroze#fdeee9
On sage#5a6b5d
04
Open variant
when the frame doesn't belongFor invoices, packing slips, e-mail signatures and any context where the framed mark feels heavy or competes with surrounding rules, drop the outer borders. Wordmark, separator and tagline remain unchanged.
Openno frame
Open · kraftno frame
Open · reversedno frame
05
Lockups
format-specificHorizontalframed
Openno frame
Monogramframed P
Wordmark onlyno frame, no tag
06
Favicon & app icon
scale-down behaviour16 px
24 px
32 px
48 px
64 px
96 px
128 px
Below 64 px the full lockup
becomes a single capital P inside the frame.
becomes a single capital P inside the frame.
07
Don'ts
things that break the mark× rotatethe frame is the mark
× stretchpreserve aspect
× on gradientuse flat fields only
PIMPELMEES
× wrong typefaceuse the canonical glyphs
- Don't substitute Montserrat (or any other typeface) for the canonical wordmark — use the SVG glyphs.
- Don't recolour the frame and the wordmark separately — both move together.
- Don't fill the inner frame with imagery or texture.
- Don't apply drop shadows, glows, bevels or filters.
Imagery
Lifestyle photography
Nursery context in soft natural light. Botanical / woodland motifs (birds, branches, deer, hedgehogs, foxes). Child + room context preferred over isolated wallpaper rolls. Warm terracotta / cream undertones — occasionally cool for nighttime designs. Never desaturated, never punchy.
Voice & tone
oudroze · soft pink · #fdeee9
Warm. Verwonderend. Compact.
Speak as two sisters sharing what they love, not as a company. Always informal Dutch je / jij / jouw — never u / uw. Sensory scene-painting, child-centred discovery, never feature lists.
Address & person
Informal Dutch je / jij / jouw. English market: "your little one", British spelling (colour, cosy). German market: du, not Sie — compound nouns welcome (Waldabenteuer). Gender-neutral always — "je kindje", never "voor meisjes / jongens".
Hoor je de Cheetah ritselen door het gras?
Dit behang bevat een afbeelding van een cheetah.
Rhythm
2–4 sentences max per creative paragraph. 80 words max. One exclamation mark per sentence, max. Rhetorical questions are an active tool — they invite the reader to look closer at hidden details.
"Hoor je de Cheetah ritselen door het gras? En de wind waaien door de tropische bomen? Laat je meevoeren door deze prachtige palmentuin en kom helemaal tot rust."
Power words — use freely
- prachtig
- oogstrelend
- sfeervol
- betoverend
- tijdloos
- magisch
- sprookjesachtig
- dromerig
- wonderlijk
- fijn
- gezellig
- warm
- knus
- ontdekken
- ontdekkingstocht
- avontuur
- meevoeren
- waan je
- ritselen
- fladderen
- dobberen
- schitteren
Dutch colour vocabulary — never just "brown"
- potloodgrijs
- terracotta
- oudroze
- mosterd
- zeegroen
- nachtblauw
- olijfgroen
- zand
- goud
- koper
- zilver
Forbidden — never
- bestel nu
- alleen vandaag
- op=op
- must-have
- limited edition
- de nummer 1
- assortiment
- aanbod
- portfolio
- gamma
- u / uw
- voor meisjes
- voor jongens
No hard-sell, no urgency, no superlative claims, no competitor comparisons, no formal address. Emoji rarely; never in body copy or product descriptions. Diminutives (-je / -tje) are fine in moderation — overusing them becomes saccharine.
Foundation · 01
Colour
Warm neutrals with a terracotta pop. Never pure black, never pure white, never cool blues as primary. The brand should read like a sun-warmed nursery, not a tech product.
Accent hover
#2a2723
darkened accent · --color-accent-hover
Secondary
#c96a38
terracotta · the pop · --color-secondary
Secondary hover
#a85628
deeper terra · --color-secondary-hover
Light
#fdeee9
oudroze · soft pink card bg · --color-light
Lighter / page bg
#fdfaf6
off-white · never pure white · --color-lighter, --bg
Card bg
#ffffff
true white · product cards · --bg-card
Heading text
#2a2a2a
slightly darker for hierarchy · --fg-1
Body text
#333333
readable, not harsh black · --fg-2
Muted text
#666666
captions, meta · --fg-3
Hint / disabled
#999999
placeholders, disabled · --fg-4
Border
#e5e5e5
dividers, input borders · --border
Inner-border ink
rgba(0,0,0,.08)
signature 8px inset · --border-inner
Foundation · 02
Six themes
Original Charcoal is the default. Five additional explorations — sage, desert, plum, coastal, autumn — swap via [data-theme="…"] on the page root. All maintain the warm-artisanal feel.
Original Charcoal
[default]Sage
[data-theme="sage"]Desert
[data-theme="desert"]Plum
[data-theme="plum"]Coastal
[data-theme="coastal"]Autumn
[data-theme="autumn"]Foundation · 03
potloodgrijs · warm charcoal · #3d3935
Typography
Lora serif at weight 400 for headings — never bold display text, quality over loudness. Karla sans for body, labels, buttons. Both load from Google Fonts. Display sizes get tight leading; body line-height is 1.6.
Scale
Magisch behang
Tover de kinderkamer om
Hoor je de Cheetah ritselen?
Een ontdekkingstocht in de bossen
Wat zit er in deze collectie?
Laat je meevoeren door deze prachtige palmentuin en kom helemaal tot rust. Hier ritselt het gras, fladderen de vlinders en dobberen kleine bootjes op de wind.
Vliesbehang, in oplage gedrukt in Utrecht. 200 × 280 cm.
Levertijd 3–5 werkdagen · gratis verzending vanaf €75
№ 17 · Voorjaarscollectie
Line-heights
Tover de kinderkamer om tot het fijnste plekje
in huis met ons magische behang.
in huis met ons magische behang.
Korte regels die dicht op elkaar mogen staan — labels, captions, micro-copy.
Voor lopende tekst geeft 1.6 lucht zonder de regels uit elkaar te trekken. Goed voor lange beschrijvingen en blogposts.
Foundation · 04
Spacing
Strict 8px grid. Do not improvise off-grid values. Container max width 1200px; gutter --space-md (24px) desktop, --space-sm (16px) mobile.
Radius, layout, motion
Radius
3px
universal corner · --radius
Radius pill
999px
round-ended only · --radius-pill
Container
1200px
desktop max width · --container
Transition
all 0.3s ease
single curve · --transition
Foundation · 05
Shadows
Subtle. 0 2px 5px rgba(0,0,0,.05) at rest, 0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,.10) on hover. No deep drop shadows. The signature elevation effect is the inner-border ink — not weight.
The system rests on paper, not glass. Most surfaces sit flush with the page — separation is drawn with hairlines, not depth. Shadow is reserved for the few places where one piece of paper truly lifts above another.
00
rest
— flush —
Flush
The default. No shadow. Edges via hairline rules of rgba(31,27,24,.10).
box-shadow: none
01
held
— held —
Held
A single sheet of paper resting on the table. Cards, tooltips, hover state.
0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.08){'\n'}0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,.04)
02
lifted
— lifted —
Lifted
The cart drawer, the active modal. One layer above everything else. Rare.
0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.10){'\n'}0 6px 14px -4px rgba(0,0,0,.08)
In context — flush, held, lifted
Flush
— hairline only —
Held
— a single sheet —
Lifted
— above the page —
Do
- Prefer hairlines over shadow. A 1 px rgba(31,27,24,.10) border does most of the work.
- Reserve lifted for the cart drawer, modals, and the one piece of paper that should feel "above".
- Layer hairline + soft shadow together — the hairline draws the edge, the shadow gives it weight.
Don't
- No drop shadows on buttons, inputs, badges or icons.
- No coloured shadows, no glow, no blur radius above 14 px.
- Never stack three shadow levels — there are only ever two.
Foundation · 06
Iconography
Line-art SVG. Single-colour. Inherits currentColor. ~1.5px stroke at 24×24 nominal. No emoji in product copy or UI labels. No unicode symbols as icons. Lucide is allowed as a flagged fallback if a needed icon is not in the set.
Component · signature
oudroze · soft pink · highlights the ink
The inner border
The brand's visual fingerprint. Every card and section gets a subtle 1px inset border at rgba(0,0,0,.08), drawn 8px from the edge with ::before, pointer-events:none. It is the one thing that makes the brand recognisable on a fast scroll.
Inner-border
The signature. 8px inset, rgba(0,0,0,.08).
Applied via
::before on every card, panel and section. pointer-events:none so it never blocks clicks. This is the brand's visual fingerprint.Component
Buttons
Primary (accent fill), secondary (ghost, fills on hover), text-only. Radius 3px across the board. Hover darkens primary or fills ghosts — no scale, no lift, no rotation. Focus is a 2px outline at accent with 2px offset.
Component
Badges
Pills for tags, status and price stickers. border-radius: 999px for round-ended pills; otherwise the universal 3px. Use terracotta sparingly — it's the pop, not the default.
editorial label
Nieuwvoorjaar№ 17
Bestselleral 14 jaar№ 03
Pas geleverdvanmiddag
cataloging chip
Vliesbehangmat
Ø 100 cmcirkel
Mosgroenkleur 04
crop-mark tag
200 × 280 cm
4 banen
8 kleurwegen
prijsticket
Bosdieren69,00eur · per cirkel
Walviswereld89,00eur
prijsticket · stacked
Bosdieren behang€69per cirkel · ø 100
Walviswereld€89vliesbehang · 200×280
Heidehertjes€129drieluik · 3×80×120
status · state
op voorraad
nog 2 op rol
op aanvraag gedrukt
pill · attribute
200 × 280
terracotta
mosgroen
vlies · mat
techniek
Vliesbehang · 156 g/m²
Geprint in Utrecht
FSC papier
brackets
met de hand getekend
op aanvraag gedrukt
geleverd binnen 2–4 dagen
card-tag
Bosdierenpmb-001
Heidehertjespmb-031
Walviswereldpmb-014
zegels
Met liefde
gemaakt Atelier
Utrecht Nº 17
voorjaar
gemaakt Atelier
Utrecht Nº 17
voorjaar
signature
×Marieke & Ingeborg
×Utrecht, 2026
prijs-callout
vanaf€89vliesbehang · incl. btw
cirkel · ø 100€69per stuk · incl. btw
callout · in use
Bosdieren behang
Vliesbehang · 200 × 280 cm · 4 banen · direct uit voorraad leverbaar.
€89
vanaf
Component
Forms
1px solid #e5e5e5 border on inputs, dividers. 3px radius. Focus is the standard 2px accent outline at 2px offset. No tinted backgrounds; inputs sit on the off-white page directly.
Component
kraft · cards float warmer on warmth
Product cards
The workhorse. White background, subtle shadow, inner 8px-inset border. --space-lg (32px) inner padding. Title in Lora; price in Karla 700 + terracotta. Three variants: scale-indicator, dimension-overlay, and circular image.
The product card is the smallest editorial surface we make. Treat it like a specimen page, not a shopping tile — one image with the inverted hairline that runs through the rest of the system, one italic name, the specs whispered in monospace, and the price set in oldstyle figures so it reads made, not marketed.
01
Canonical · 4 / 5 plate
the default — catalogue, search, related
nieuw
pmb-001 · № 17
Vliesbehang · bosdieren
Bosdieren behang
200 × 280 cm4 banenvlies · mat
€89vanaf
Bekijken→
in voorraad
pmb-007
Vliesbehang · woudreuzen
Woudreuzen, taupe
200 × 280 cm4 banenvlies · mat
€89vanaf
Bekijken→
bestseller
pmb-014 · al 14 jaar
Vliesbehang · grote beer
Bosdieren, klassiek
200 × 280 cm4 banenvlies · mat
€89vanaf
Bekijken→
02
Feature · 5 / 4 plate
hero placement, paired with stack
campagne · voorjaar
pmb-001 · № 17 · voorjaar
Voorjaar 2026 · uitgelicht
Bosdieren, in de slaapkamer
Hele wand · 280 × 380 cmop maat geprint in UtrechtFSC vlies
€129op maat
Op maat samenstellen→
stl-001
Staal · gratis
A4 papierstaal
21 × 30 cmvlies · mat
€0gratis
Aanvragen→
cir-014
Behangcirkel · ø 100
Walviswereld
ø 100 cmzelfklevend
€69
Bekijken→
03
Swatch · 1 / 1 plate
colour-way picker, related variants
kl-01
Kleur 01
Potloodgrijs
€89
Kies→
kl-02
Kleur 02
Eierschaal
€89
Kies→
kl-03
Kleur 03
Mosgroen
€89
Kies→
kl-04
Kleur 04
Avondblauw
€89
Kies→
Component
Circle system
A four-step circular scale — avatar (80px), button (56px), icon (48px), badge (24px). Anything circular uses border-radius: 50%. No mixed-radius compositions.
MI
Avatar · 80
Button · 56
Icon · 48
3
Badge · 24
In situ
UI kits
Full assemblies — components composed into real surfaces. The consumer-web kit is the canonical reference for the customer storefront (Header w/ tuned mega menu, hero, product grid, product detail, cart drawer, footer). The wallgen kit is intentionally off-brand.
Rules
potloodgrijs · rule-of-the-brand
Foundation rules
Cross-cutting rules that govern motion, interaction, and structure. Apply everywhere unless a specific component explicitly overrides them.
Transitions
Single shared value: all 0.3s ease. Apply everywhere. No bounce, no overshoot, no spring physics — the brand is gentle.
Hover
Primary buttons darken to --color-accent-hover. Ghost buttons fill with accent. Links underline and shift toward accent. Cards deepen shadow from subtle → hover. No scale, no lift, no rotation.
Focus
2px outline at --color-accent, 2px offset. Always visible. Never outline:none.
Backgrounds
Page background is off-white #fdfaf6, never bright #fff and never grey. No abstract gradients, no glassmorphism, no tech-product mood.
Borders & radii
Universal 3px for buttons, inputs, cards. 50% for any circle element. 999px for pills. No mixed-radius compositions.
Layout
Container max width 1200px. Product grid repeat(auto-fill, minmax(250px, 1fr)), gap 24px. Breakpoints: 768 (tablet), 992 (desktop).
Transparency
Used sparingly. Scale indicators on product imagery use rgba(255,255,255,.9). No backdrop-filter blur — this brand is natural, not glassy.
Fixed elements
Site header is fixed at top with a subtle bottom shadow. No floating bars, no banners, no urgency timers, no parallax stunts, no scroll-jacking.
Capsules vs gradients
No protection gradients. The brand prefers solid colour fields and inner borders over gradient overlays. Pills are used for tags, status, and price stickers.