NM28: dry-assembled stainless steel lamp by NM3
There is a category of objects that stops being furniture the moment you look at it long enough and becomes something closer to drawing. The NM28 is in that category. A stainless steel lamp reduced to a single graphic line, thin enough to read as a mark in space, precise enough to hold its presence from across a room.
This article is about what the NM28 is, how it is made, where it works, and why its construction method is inseparable from what it looks like.
A lamp designed as a structural element
Most lamps are designed from the light source outward: you decide what kind of light you want, then you build an armature to hold it, then you design a shade or diffuser to shape it. The object you end up with is a consequence of those decisions, layered on top of each other.
The NM28 works from a different direction. The starting point is form, geometry, and material logic. The lamp is defined as a linear architectural configuration first, and the light is what happens within that configuration.
The result is a lamp design with dimensions of W 170 cm, D 16 cm, H 5.5 cm, and a weight of 7 kg. These are the proportions of something that behaves like a ceiling element rather than a light fitting: a horizontal line suspended in space, thin and flat, with a presence that extends well beyond its physical mass.
How the NM28 is built
The structure of the NM28 is based on a dry-assembled metal system developed around folded planes and precise joints. The material is 1.0 mm Mirror stainless steel, the same bright-annealed industrial finish used across the NM3 collection, here taken to an extreme of thinness that makes the folded planes seem almost weightless.
There is no welding in the NM28. The joints are mechanical and precise. The folding of the metal plates generates the geometry of the lamp through the material itself rather than through added components. What you see is what is holding the object together.
This dry-assembly method is not simply a philosophical position. At 1.0 mm thickness, welding would introduce heat distortion that would be immediately visible in a surface this thin and this reflective. The folded and jointed construction avoids that problem entirely, producing a surface that is consistent, flat, and continuous from end to end.
The stainless steel lamp can also be specified in zinc-plated iron or powder-coated steel in NM3's standard RAL selection, which shifts the surface behaviour while keeping the construction logic and formal identity identical.
The graphic line as spatial element
NM3's own description of the NM28 is precise: the lamp reads as a structural component in space rather than a decorative object. That distinction is worth unpacking.
A decorative lamp is an object you notice because it is attractive or unusual. A structural lamp is an object you notice because it organises the space around it. The NM28 does the second thing. Its 170 cm span is long enough to establish a horizontal datum within a room, a line of reference that the eye uses to read the space, similar to the way an exposed beam or a long shelf changes how a ceiling or a wall is perceived.
This is why the NM28 works particularly well in environments where architectural precision already exists: industrial spaces, minimal interiors, rooms with exposed concrete or raw plaster, and high-ceiling spaces where a standard light fitting would disappear into the volume above. It is also why it is one of the more demanding pieces in the NM3 collection to install well. The lamp does not blend in. It draws a line.
Modular configurations and the double module
One of the less immediately obvious qualities of the NM28 is that it is designed to connect with itself. The slots positioned along the perimeter of the structure allow modules to be joined both longitudinally and laterally, enabling extended configurations that read as a single continuous lamp design rather than a row of separate fittings.
NM3 has used this logic in several project contexts. At Studio Vlora in Milan, the NM28 appears in a double-module configuration composed of two connected units aligned above a dining surface. At Galleria Montegani, also in Milan, a double NM28 module was installed in mirrored stainless steel above the counter as the only reflective element within the space, creating a deliberate material contrast with the surrounding galvanized steel furniture.
The modular logic also means the NM28 can be scaled to a space without changing anything structural. Two modules cover 340 cm. Three cover 510 cm. The formal identity of the single graphic line is maintained regardless of how many units are joined, because the connection between them is seamless.
How to clean a stainless steel lamp
For those wondering how to care for a stainless steel lamp in daily use, the NM28 follows the same care logic as every other untreated metal piece in the NM3 collection.
Because Mirror stainless steel carries no surface coating, there is no finish to protect or avoid damaging. The surface can be cleaned with a soft cloth and a mild, non-abrasive cleaner. Scouring pads, aggressive chemical products, and acidic substances should be avoided as they can alter the surface of the steel at a microscopic level. After cleaning, always dry the surface thoroughly.
Micro-scratches and subtle marks will appear over time with normal use. NM3 is explicit about this: these are not defects. They are the record of the object's life in a particular space, and they change the surface of the lamp in ways that are specific to its location and history. A stainless steel lamp in a domestic kitchen will look different after three years from one installed in a gallery or an office. That specificity is what untreated metal gives you that no applied finish can replicate.
Where the NM28 sits in a high-end lighting context
For those looking at where to find high-end designer lamps of this kind, the NM28 occupies a position that is relatively unusual in the current market. Most high-end lighting at this price point is either craft-led, using artisanal materials and handmade processes, or technology-led, using precision engineering to deliver complex optical effects. The NM28 is neither.
It is industrial in its material and construction method, architectural in its formal logic, and disciplined enough in its reduction to sit comfortably within a design culture that values legibility over decoration. The €740 price point reflects a product manufactured with industrial precision to exacting tolerances, not an artisanal object or a mass-market item.
As a lamp stainless steel piece designed for both indoor and outdoor use, it is also one of the few lighting objects at this level that can be specified across genuinely different environments without modification. The material's resistance to corrosion without surface treatment makes outdoor installation straightforward in a way that coated or lacquered metal lamps are not.
NM28 at a glance
Material: 1.0 mm Mirror stainless steel, zinc-plated iron or powder-coated RAL available
Dimensions: W 170 cm, D 16 cm, H 5.5 cm
Weight: 7 kg
Construction: Dry-assembled, folded planes, no welding
Modular: Yes, joinable longitudinally and laterally
Use: Indoor and outdoor
Price: €740
Lead time: 4 to 6 weeks
Availability: On request
Shop the NM28 stainless steel lamp
The NM28 is available on request through the NM3 online store at €740. Lead time is between 4 and 6 weeks. For questions about modular configurations, material options, or installation, contact NM3 directly through the website.