We've been working on a new project in for Wallpaper* as part of their Handmade Issue; our third with them following Moving Wallpaper and our optical illusion project.

The issue features all kinds of handmade projects, and for our contribution we made a pair of wallpaper scissors. One blade was handcrafted by Sheffield scissormakers Ernest Wright & Son, and its twin was 3-D printed by a rapid prototyping machine. 

One of the interesting things about scissors is that their structure represents a complementary duo, and making a pair gave us the opportunity to explore the idea of haitsu in practice with the collision of old-style craftsmanship and future-facing innovation in a single product.

For us, it has been a great opportunity in pure product design. We worked with Jamie McLellan to design the 3-D printed side as a complement its sister-blade; geometric and minimal. He gave the scissors a sculptural feel by angling the finger hole to make the scissors more ergonomic. According to Jamie, one of the interesting things about one-off digitally manufactured scissors is that they can be made to measure any person's unique hand shape, and the handle he designed reflects that in its specifically angled finger hole, meant for a thumb of a certain size.

Once the design was complete, one blade was 3-D printed with a rapid prototyping machine using the 3-D design file, which is a fascinating and beautiful process in itself. Thin powder-layers of material were laid down by a machine, and a computer-guided laser formed the shape of the blade and handle, sending sparks flying in a sort of automated forging process.

There have been loads of interesting applications of rapid prototyping, from digital pottery wheels to developments in 3-D printing organic material. What's great about the process, though, is the possibility it allows for people with ideas to actually bring them into physical existence. 3-D printing is amazing technology, but it's mainly just about making.

We didn't realise quite how rich an object scissors are until we started making a pair. Ernest Wright & Son have been making scissors and shears since 1902. Each pair—from bird-shaped nail scissors to giant ribbon cutters—is handled, shaped and sharpened by the "scissor putter-togetherers" (their actual title) who work in the Sheffield workshop. Scissor putter-togetherers go through an apprenticeship of around five years before they master the trade of scissor-making because it's such an involved process to create and assemble two blades that fit together with such precision.

Nick Wright, director of Ernest Wright and Son, pointed out that there are loads of old traditions around scissors. They often sell beautiful kitchen scissors to be given as wedding gifts, but the recipent of the gift must pay the giver a penny or else the relationship will be "severed".

Nick says about their scissors that "every single pair is unique. That's the beauty of handmade items." There's something lovely about that way of thinking and something extra-human and unique about an object you know has been made with care.

For us it's a project that fits in nicely with our philosophy of Making Future Magic; working with collaborators to create something new, placing an importance on craftmanship. It was an opportunity to explore interesting working processes and unexpected collisions of materials.

You can check out our handmade wallpaper scissors in the Wallpaper* Handmade Issue, which is on sale from today.

More photos here.