NM05.1: the steel podium defined by clean edges and exposed fasteners
At W 13 cm, D 13 cm and H 50 cm, the NM05.1 is one of the most proportionally unusual objects in the NM3 collection. The base is smaller than a sheet of paper. The height is half a metre. The ratio between those two dimensions produces something that reads less like a riser and more like a column, a thin vertical element with strong spatial presence and very little physical footprint.
This is a modern steel podium design that begins with a formal decision and follows it through without compromise. This article is about where that decision comes from, what it produces, and why the NM05 series represents one of the more conceptually coherent approaches to small-format design objects currently available.
From NM03 to NM05.1: what the translation preserves
The NM05 series is built on a single principle: take the structural logic of an existing architectural piece from the NM3 collection, reduce it to a fraction of its original scale, and see what survives the translation. NM05.1 derives from the NM03 podium, one of the foundational pieces of NM3's inaugural collection.
The NM03 is a full-scale steel podium with an X-shaped structural core formed by two intersecting elements supporting a square top, locked into place through laser-cut incisions without welding. At its original scale, it is a display and exhibition tool used by clients including Adidas, ECCO, and Boysloft for retail and event environments.
At the scale of the NM05.1, that same X-shaped logic produces something formally different in character but structurally identical in logic. The cross section is 13 by 13 cm. The height is 50 cm. The wall thickness is 1.5 mm Mirror stainless steel. The construction maintains the same material clarity and geometric precision as the original, condensed into a format that sits on a shelf or a tabletop rather than on a floor.
What the translation preserves is not just the shape but the attitude. The steel podium design of the NM05.1 does not round its edges or soften its geometry to make it feel more domestic. It is a precise industrial object at a small scale, and it makes no apology for that.
The proportions and what they do
The proportions of the NM05.1 are worth dwelling on because they are genuinely unusual for an object of this type. Most display risers and small podiums are horizontal objects: wide and low, designed to elevate something by a small amount and keep the visual focus on what is placed on top. The NM05.1 does something different.
At 50 cm tall with a 13 by 13 cm footprint, the NM05.1 is a steel podium that competes for attention with whatever is placed on it. The object placed at the top of the column is elevated to eye level when seated, which changes the viewing relationship entirely. A vase, a small sculpture, a plant, a speaker — anything placed on the NM05.1 becomes a formal statement rather than a surface detail.
This vertical proportion also means the NM05.1 works as a spatial marker within a composition of objects. On a long shelf or a wide surface, a column of this height introduces a vertical rhythm that breaks the horizontal reading of the surface. It is the kind of formal decision that takes a considered arrangement and makes it into something that has been thought through.
Mirror stainless steel at a vertical scale
The mirror stainless steel finish used across the NM05 series behaves differently depending on the orientation and proportion of the object it covers. On a horizontal object like the NM05.5, the mirror surface mainly reflects what is above it — light sources, the ceiling, whatever is placed on top. On a vertical object like the NM05.1, the mirror surface reflects the room horizontally, catching the environment at eye level and introducing a small but active reflection into the composition.
At 1.5 mm Mirror stainless steel, the surface of the NM05.1 is precisely flat and continuous from edge to edge. The laser-cut edges of the intersecting components are clean and sharp, without any applied finishing or softening. This sharpness is part of what gives the object its presence at a scale where less precise manufacturing would produce something that simply looked small and thin.
The exposed construction logic, the visible joints and precise edges, is consistent with NM3's broader approach across the Small Objects collection. The NM31 and NM32 ashtrays use visible screws as explicit fasteners. The NM05 series uses the same legible construction philosophy through its interlocking geometry, where the method of assembly is readable from the outside without requiring explanation.
Like all NM3 products, the NM05.1 carries no surface treatment. Natural wear accumulates on mirror stainless steel in ways that are specific to how and where the object is used. Handling marks, proximity to other surfaces, shifts in ambient light: these change the surface over time in ways that make each piece individual. The object you own after three years will not look identical to the one you received, and that is intentional.
Podium design ideas: what the NM05.1 works with
The NM05.1 is described by NM3 as suitable for use as an ornamental element, a riser, a display base, or a support in both domestic and professional contexts. In practice, the vertical proportion of this particular model opens up podium design ideas that the wider and lower NM05 variants do not.
In a domestic setting, the NM05.1 works well as a single vertical element within a shelf composition or beside a larger piece of furniture. Its 13 cm footprint is small enough to sit on a bookshelf without consuming significant space, while its 50 cm height means it reads clearly even within a densely composed arrangement. It pairs naturally with the NM26 bookshelf, which operates through a similar logic of repeated vertical intervals.
In a professional or retail context, the NM05.1 functions as a column-style display support, elevating a single object to a height that draws the eye without requiring a dedicated display cabinet. The mirror surface is particularly effective in environments where it can catch and multiply existing light sources, adding visual activity without adding complexity.
As a pair, two NM05.1 units placed at equal intervals introduce a regular rhythm that transforms a surface from a collection of objects into a structured composition. The same formal move that NM3 uses at full scale with repeated NM03 podiums in client retail environments works at this scale with proportionally identical results.
The NM05.1 within the series
The five objects in the NM05 series each derive from a different source and produce a different formal character at small scale. The NM05.1 from the NM03 podium is the tallest and most column-like. The NM05.5 from the NM01 console is the widest and most horizontal. The NM05.2, NM05.3, and NM05.4 sit between those two extremes, each with a different plan geometry inherited from its source object.
Together the five function as a steel podium designs system that can be used individually or in combination, each bringing a different proportion and silhouette to a composition. The coherence of the series comes from the shared material, the shared surface finish, and the shared construction logic, not from formal similarity. They look different from each other because they come from different sources, and they work together because the methodology behind them is identical.
NM05.1 at a glance
Material: 1.5 mm Mirror stainless steel, mirror finish
Dimensions: W 13 cm, D 13 cm, H 50 cm
Weight: 2.5 kg
Derived from: NM03 podium
Construction: Laser-cut, industrial processes, no surface treatment
Use: Indoor and outdoor
Price: €105
Lead time: 4 to 6 weeks
Availability: Add to cart
Shop the NM05.1 steel podium
The NM05.1 is available for direct purchase through the NM3 online store at €105. The complete NM05 series, five miniaturised steel podium designs derived from the NM3 architectural collection, is available in the Small Objects section of the catalogue.