Kitchen Shears — Sehyoung Hamjong

Shared design foundation

Tesoura and Pro Line were two separate efforts — one for the home kitchen, one for commercial use — but they needed to look and feel like they belonged to the same family. Both share three core design moves:

Bump rest — a consistent bump pattern provides tactile feedback and brand recognition across both products.
Carved thumb rest — a sculpted indentation on the handle creates a natural resting point for the thumb, improving control and comfort.
Single-material overmold — both are molded as one piece, eliminating seams, improving durability, and simplifying cleaning, critical in kitchen environments.

Product design, ergonomic research, market analysis, CAD modeling

Tesoura — for home kitchens

Challenge & insight

Tesoura was an effort to create a new design for home kitchen use that would stand out from the competition: a design that was both ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing, not just another pair of shears on the shelf.

I analyzed what was already in the market and broke down the design language of the competition to find a unique aesthetic for a new kitchen shear. The design needed to sit comfortably in the hand even while cooking, when your hands tend to get wet or greasy — so the shape and texture had to stay functional, keeping a strong grip and control. Constraint for the design: the hardware had to stay the same, so only the handles could be redesigned.

Competitive market study of kitchen shears — Zwilling, Wusthof, William Sonoma, Silvermark, Claus, KitchenAid — Comp study to establish a brand language unique to Tesoura, differentiating it from competitors on the market.

Design development

Starting with sketches, I explored form variations — blade angles, handle curves, grip points — aiming for a shape that felt modern yet functional. Handle shape, texture, and ease of use were the focus.

Form and usability sketches — handle shape exploration for optimal thumb and finger placement — Form & usability — a more organic, comfortable handle shaped for optimal thumb and forefinger placement.

Ergonomic refinement

Prototypes were tested in real conditions: cutting herbs, trimming poultry, breaking down seafood. The texture needed to grip without feeling abrasive. The blade geometry needed to feel balanced in the hand. The handle curves needed to work across different hand sizes.

Through iteration, the design converged on a form that felt right: organic without being decorative, textured for function rather than ornament, and comfortable in both resting and active grips.

Tesoura prototype evolution — sanded and hand-finished 3D-printed handles, compared side by side — Prototype iterations — sanded, finished, and compared by hand at every stage.

Annotated diagram of final Tesoura design — curved thumb rest, bumpstops, single blade stamping, separates for cleaning — The finished design — curved thumb and finger placement, bumpstops to prevent pinching, and a single-blade stamp that separates for easy cleaning.

Pro Line — for professional kitchens

Pro Line — next generation shears for Tramontina's Pro Line

Challenge & context

Pro Line was a refresh of the existing Pro Line shears, marketed toward serious chefs and commercial kitchens. The same aesthetic and design-language challenges from Tesoura applied here, with two additions: making sure there was enough space to use comfortably with gloved hands, and building in the durability to hold up to repeated, all-day use in a commercial kitchen.

Pro Line handle sketch exploration — hand sketches compared against cleaned-up form studies

Design development

The same texture treatment from Tesoura was carried over here, adapted for gloved hands and a more commercial look. Sketches explored proportions, finger holes, and blade profiles, aiming for a shear that felt lighter and more agile than the original while keeping the strength needed for high-volume use.

Pro Line prototype process — designed around existing components, with cavities for the original hardware still in place — Designed around Pro Line's existing hardware: the cavities for the original pieces stayed in place, keeping the update within the line's established design language.

Commercial durability

The same overmold strategy that benefits home cooks matters even more here: one material, no seams, easier to clean, more durable. Prototypes were tested against the demands of professional kitchens.

The result performs under real commercial conditions: balanced, durable, and carrying the texture and thumb rest of the broader product family.

Annotated diagram of final Pro Line design — larger radius, bumpstops, curved thumb rest, single blade stamping — The finished design — a larger radius to fit more fingers and reduce fatigue, plus the same bumpstops and curved thumb rest as Tesoura.

Design language as family tie

To tie them together as a recognizable Tramontina product, Tesoura and Pro Line share the same texture and bump pattern, along with the carved-out space for the thumb to rest on. Both are also overmolded in one material, which minimizes seams and keeps them durable and easy to clean.