Most of us rarely pay attention to a pen once we set it down. We grab it, write, and go about our day. Designer Leila Ensaniat aims to change that with her creation called Pulse , a pen that feels more like a small sculpture than an ordinary writing tool.
Pulse won a prestigious design award for its form and execution. It is described as a “floating pen” because of how its shape and surface interact with light and touch in a way that evokes the effortless drift of clouds. The overall effect makes the object seem light, almost hovering above the surface of the desk, inviting a second look.
The design itself brings together traditional metalworking and modern creative thinking. Ensaniat used lost-wax casting, a technique usually associated with jewelry and artistry, to produce organic, biomorphic patterns in metals like aluminum, silver, bronze, and gold. These patterns look as if they grew naturally, giving the pen a soft, living quality despite its solid materials.
Ensaniat has a background in industrial design and has worked on consumer electronics, so her approach to objects like this comes from thinking deeply about how people actually use and feel about the tools in their hands. With Pulse, that means creating something that feels natural to hold and pleasant to touch, while remaining purposeful as a writing instrument.
The textured surface of the pen does more than decorate it. It enhances tactile feedback, so the simple act of gripping the pen feels intentional and enjoyable. This attention to touch and weight encourages people to leave the pen on display rather than hide it away. It changes our relationship with a tool we normally treat as disposable into something worth cherishing.
What stands out about Pulse is its balance between art and function. Many designer pens lean too far toward luxury and become impractical, or they focus only on writing and feel forgettable. Pulse manages to integrate both qualities so that its appearance and its use support each other.
The design project also broadened Ensaniat’s understanding of material behavior and finishing techniques, which are essential to making an object both beautiful and lasting. A pen that looks amazing but tarnishes quickly or feels unbalanced when writing wouldn’t really be good design. Pulse aims to avoid those pitfalls by combining thoughtful aesthetics with robust functionality.
Produced under Ensaniat’s brand N I L A, Pulse reflects a broader philosophy of embedding technology and thoughtful design into everyday objects. It doesn’t claim to reinvent writing, but it suggests that even the most familiar things in our lives can still be improved with fresh thinking and careful craft.
