Pa(i)ring knives

My mental pictures of everyday product design often leans heavily on what has already been created - design, materials and function based on pre-established designs using available technology to solve a problem or perform a task. Take the humble kitchen knife for example - I've said before that I'm a big fan, but my 'ideal' knife definitely falls into the 'traditional' design category. In-depth kitchen knife history aside, I think it would be fair to say that the iteration and replication of tried and tested solutions has led to the well-recognised designs we see today.But as technology advances, it can allow design paradigms to be challenged and new solutions to be created - enter the Pair Knife by Hofer Studio. A pair of nested knives 3D printed in stainless steel - a process 'often reserved for modern jet engine innovations' - the smaller paring knife sits inside the larger chef's knife producing a beautiful yet highly functional product. Whilst the minimalist design definitely panders to my design aesthetics, the resulting beautiful form and challenge on traditional design really made me look - what's next for 3D printing? Lovely.via treehugger