Exhibitor’s Stories

Tsaoao Design aspires to reintergrate traditional crafts into the digital age. These papercuttings were first drawn and cut by hand, then digitised to be reproduced one-by-one using a Cricut blade-cutting machine.

They are made with traditional Chinese red paper, maintaining its authentic texture and unmistakable colour. Part of the charm of this material lies in its small imperfections, variegated colour, and the way it fades over the course of the year.

The traditional red paper is very delicate, so you won’t find it on any mass-produced products. A bespoke process was developed to handle the material in a small-batched production at home. The paper is reinforced with a recycled card backing, made from 80% post-consumer waste, to improve its durability.

Nicholas Tsao, founder of Tsaoao Design, is a practicing Hong Kong architect and the recipient of DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award 2015 and 2016. He currently lives in the historic Bluehouse, where all of the papercuttings are made.