Lil Paper Studio is the creative platform and outlet that Milan-based designer Margherita Dallaiti uses for her beautiful folded paper creations. While she writes ” It’s a paper studio based in my mind. Today I study paper, tomorrow who knows”, her insight and passion for discovering various techniques when working with paper are impressive. Having discovered the art of paper folding as a child, among Bruno Munari’s books and countless pop-up designs, and then growing up and being driven by the attraction to these mechanisms of movement simply created with paper, Dallaiti began experimenting.
Through experimenting and discovering the possibilities as well as the constraints of the art of origami — Dallaiti creates new designs that combine functionality with aesthetics
Guided by curiosity and an inner need to understand and create, the designer explored and experimented with numerous paper crafting techniques till she discovered the art of origami.
“Initially, the intent was not to give the paper the shape of something defined, but on the contrary, the interest was to discover fascinating volumes that come alive in the folding process. Transform and animate two-dimensionality. Complex volumes that arise from the folding of a single sheet”, Dallaiti writes on her website.
Each fold follows a rigid geometric order, a precise mathematical construction that leads to an exact shape. A rigorous succession of movements, which builds ambitious three-dimensional structures.
Experimenting further with the origami technique, she discovered the possibilities, as well as constraints, of the art form. But the nature of the disciplined technique, the precision, and the order required to finesse each design only further fascinated and fuelled the passion of Dallaiti, known as Lil Paper Studio. “Each fold follows a rigid geometric order, a precise mathematical construction that leads to an exact shape. A rigorous succession of movements, which builds ambitious three-dimensional structures”.
Now, under the Lil Paper Studio name, Dallaiti creates new designs that combine both functionality as well as aesthetics. “I am looking for a personal reinterpretation of traditional art, influenced by my interest in the world of design. The will is to use this technique as a design method, go beyond pure formal aesthetics, and be able to develop products with functional qualities.”
Below you can see some of Dallaiti’s designs, including paper sculptures, Fun Fan, Lil’s Cube, Starball, and the works she’s created in collaboration with Dondi Salotti, as well as Gervasoni 1882 during the Milan Design Week in 2021. But make sure to follow the creative on Instagram for more paper design inspiration.
