The mechanical properties of nanostructured materials are of considerable interest at present. For applications, it is imperative to design nanostructures that deliver not only high strength, but also adequate ductility at the same time. In this talk, we show that with nanostructuring, one has now extra room to tailor the microstructure in favor of high strength, or ductility, or a combination of both. We discuss strategies that can result in a much better trade-off between strength and ductility, than that possible in a typical conventional metal. Cu will be used as an example to demonstrate the various strength and ductility combinations that can be derived. In addition to thermo-mechanical treatments that create a bimodal distribution of grain sizes, we also show that one can produce a distribution of lamella thicknesses of growth twins, that are “built in” during deposition of Cu. By mixing up the characteristic length scales, extraordinary mechanical properties can be achieved that would give designers more “knobs to turn” to meet engineering needs.