NM07 by NM3: a steel stool design locked by laser-cut precision
The NM07 is a steel stool design that holds itself together through geometry alone. Two intersecting steel plates, a cross-shaped base, a square top, and a set of laser-cut incisions that lock every component into place without a single weld. The object weighs 11 kg and costs €500. It is also, depending on how you use it, a side table.
This article is about how that kind of precision works, why it matters, and what it means to own a piece of seating that is structurally inseparable from the method used to make it.
Two plates, one object
The construction of the NM07 is direct enough to describe in a sentence: two intersecting steel plates form a cross-shaped base that supports a square top, and the whole assembly is locked into place through precise laser-cut incisions in the metal itself. There is no welding, no additional hardware visible on the surface, and no connector that requires a tool to operate. The geometry is the joint.
What makes this interesting is not the simplicity of the description but the precision required to make it work. Laser-cut stainless steel tolerances are measured in fractions of a millimetre. For an interlocking system to function without welding or mechanical fasteners, every incision has to be cut to exactly the right depth and width, and every plate has to meet every other plate at exactly the right angle. A concealed connector system integrated within the structure ensures stability once assembled, but the logic that makes the object coherent is already present in the geometry of the cut.
The result is a steel stool design where the method of construction is fully visible in the final form. You can look at the NM07 and understand, without needing any explanation, how it was made. That legibility is not incidental. It is the formal identity of the object.
Stool and side table, the same object
NM3 describes the NM07 as a dual-use object from its inaugural collection, functioning as both a stool and a side table. That description tends to be read as a practical note about versatility, but it is actually a structural observation.
The dimensions of the NM07, W 32 cm, D 32 cm, H 40.5 cm, are calibrated to work in both roles simultaneously. The height of 40.5 cm places the square top just below standard sofa arm height, which means it can sit beside a sofa or an armchair as a surface for a drink or a book without any modification or repositioning. When you need seating, it holds 11 kg of its own weight plus a person without movement or instability. When you do not, it holds a glass.
This is a different kind of dual use from objects that are designed with a primary function and a secondary one that works in a pinch. The NM07 has no primary function. It is what you need it to be at the moment you need it, and then it is the other thing. The square top and the structural geometry work for both without compromise.
The material: 3 mm Mirror stainless steel
At 3 mm thickness, the Mirror stainless steel used in the NM07 is substantially heavier gauge than the 1.0 mm or 1.5 mm used in lighter NM3 pieces like the NM28 lamp or the NM05 small objects. This is a choice driven by the structural requirements of a piece that needs to support the full weight of a seated person through an interlocking geometry rather than through welded joints.
The stainless steel here is bright-annealed, which means its surface comes directly from the industrial process without any applied finish. It has a naturally reflective quality that sits between brushed and mirror steel, precise enough to catch light clearly but not so reflective that it reads as decorative.
Like every other piece in the NM3 collection, the NM07 carries no surface treatment. Natural wear over time is built into the ownership model: the micro-scratches and surface shifts that accumulate through use and handling are understood as an inherent characteristic of the material, not as deterioration. A stainless steel stool used daily in a domestic setting will develop a surface history that is specific to that context. The object becomes particular to the person and place that have used it.
For those who prefer a more uniform surface, the NM07 is also available in powder-coated steel in NM3's standard RAL selection. The geometry and the construction logic are identical; only the surface changes.
Demountable by design
The NM07 is fully demountable and can be reduced to flat metal components. This is a consequence of the dry-assembly construction rather than a feature added to it. Because nothing is welded, the object can always be taken apart in the same sequence it was assembled, and the components can be stored flat or shipped without the volume penalty of a fully assembled piece.
At W 32 cm and 11 kg, the NM07 is not a heavy or unwieldy object in its assembled state. But the ability to reduce it to flat sheets means it can be transported, stored, or reconfigured without any loss of material integrity. At the end of its life as a stool, the components go back into the metal supply chain without requiring any separation of materials or stripping of coatings. Full material reuse is available from the beginning because the construction never foreclosed it.
The NM07 alongside the NM06
The NM07 is one of two stool designs in NM3's inaugural collection. The NM06 uses a similar laser-cut intersecting geometry but produces a circular top and a slightly different base configuration, making the two pieces formally related but visually distinct. Where the NM07 has a square top and a clean cross-shaped base, the NM06 reads as slightly more circular in its silhouette.
Both pieces are priced at €500 and share the same material, the same construction method, and the same range of finishes. The choice between them is formal rather than functional: the NM07 suits environments with a stronger orthogonal geometry, while the NM06 introduces a circular element that can mediate between different formal languages in a room.
Both stools appear in NM3's project portfolio across a wide range of contexts, from the Inter Football Club VIP Lounge at San Siro, where NM06 and NM07 were deployed alongside custom bottle displays and counters, to residential interiors in Milan and Bonassola, to retail setups for clients like Mirko Borsche and Miss Sixty. The stool format is one of the most frequently deployed objects in the NM3 collection precisely because its scale and dual function make it adaptable across contexts that have very little else in common.
A note on the step stool reading
Some searches for step stool aluminium or step stool design land on objects like the NM07 because the geometry of a compact, low-profile steel platform with a flat top reads similarly across different functional categories. The NM07 is not a step stool in the utilitarian sense, it is not designed to be climbed on and carries no certification for that purpose, but the formal logic it shares with that typology is not accidental. The cross-base and square top configuration is one of the most structurally efficient ways to create a compact, stable elevated surface, which is why it appears in functional contexts well beyond furniture design.
NM07 at a glance
Material: 3 mm Mirror stainless steel, powder-coated RAL available
Dimensions: W 32 cm, D 32 cm, H 40.5 cm
Weight: 11 kg
Construction: Laser-cut, interlocking geometry, no welding
Function: Stool and side table
Use: Indoor and outdoor
Price: €500
Lead time: 4 to 6 weeks
Availability: Add to cart
Shop the NM07 steel stool
The NM07 is available for direct purchase through the NM3 online store at €500. Lead time is between 4 to 6 weeks. The NM06 stool, sharing the same construction logic with a circular top, is also available at the same price.