Functional Form For Fiskars 

As a newly graduated designer I was bursting with ideas, so I contacted manufacturers whose design expression I admire. At Raadvad, owned by Fiskars, I was fortunate enough to meet Product Director Erik Thorø Lauridsen. The idea I presented to him was for kitchen scales. But when he heard that I am also a goldsmith he asked me: ‘Can you design cutlery?’ That led to the design of Functional Form. Any Fiskars design has its roots in the sublime orange scissors, which are so perfectly suited for the human hand. Similarly, the new cutlery had to balance ergonomic qualities with aesthetic lines and beauty. 

Using an old-school approach, I began by hand-forging pieces in brass and silver to be able to sense the weight of the pieces. We began with the knife and made some 11 or 12 different versions. Cutlery looks so simple that I had to impose limitations on my work, for example: what does it take for a spoon to taste good? Once we had the knife, fork and spoon ready, Fiskars said, ‘We have to make the full range – cheese slicer, pastry forks, a complete series’. It had to be a carnival of tools, an entire orchestra to perform, for example, on a cheese and olive platter with different knives for hard and soft cheeses. Every single piece had to be perfectly balanced and designed for the hand with room for the thumb and index finger and provide a pleasant ergonomic experience.

The Fiskars project was an eye-opener and taught me that cutlery design has similarities to font design. Both tasks are about lining up the elements, see how they go together, notice the space that arises between them. Do they complement each other every step of the way, should the neck be a little thicker or thinner? Lots of tiny details. Sometimes, the perfect solution comes down to a tenth of a millimetre. This collaboration with Fiskars strengthened my awareness that design is not just about the individual objects but also about the space that arises between them. A space in space. 

Functional Form became the best-selling cutlery pattern in its price range. I still rather like it and use it in my own home and in the countryside. I also often use it as a gift.