Paper engineering

Sarah Louise Matthews is a British paper engineer and paper-cut designer. She discovered a passion for paper while studying Textile Surface design at university, and soon realised that she preferred paper to fabric for her creative experiments. ‘I started spending my evenings experimenting with paper and developing my style,’ says Matthews, ‘seeing how far I could push it as a material.’

Matthews now creates paper projects for a wide range of brands and clients that include: The Natural History Museum; British department store and gourmet food producer Fortnum and Mason; luxury perfume house Clive Christian; and skincare brand Elemis. Her studio is based in South Yorkshire, England where she works on bespoke projects that range from window displays, via props for photoshoots, to event décor.

She experiments with materials, for instance using Sirio White White and Sirio Color 170g/m² for a 3D paper swan based on the Sipsmith gin logo. One recent brief came from luxury jewellery brand, Garrard, who requested an oversized paper model of Princess Diana’s Sapphire engagement ring. Garrard, who had created the original ring decades earlier, requested additional props for their photoshoot and exhibition, which also included a model of Buckingham Palace.

After a period of intense research, Matthews uses Adobe Illustrator to create a template that is cut using a plotter. Then, after stages of trial and error, she folds and assembles the project by hand. She says, ‘To make the final model I carefully select my papers based on colour, finish, weight and other factors – like how well a particular paper cuts, creases or curls – depending on the form I will be creating.’