Milan Design Week 2023 – the Milan-based studio presents Sistema, a collection of lamps designed in collaboration with 6:AM Glassworks
Lampoon talks with Francesco Zorzi and Nicolò Ornaghi from NM3
NM3 is a Milan-based studio founded in 2020 by two clear-headed young designers – Francesco Zorzi and Nicolò Ornaghi – and an awarded photographer – Delfino Sisto Legnani. The collaborative relationship between Zorzi and Ornaghi dates back to their university years, when they were studying architecture at Politecnico di Milano. «As students we founded Raumplan together with a group of graphic designers. Our third partner, on the other hand, obtained a bachelor’s degree in architecture, but then dedicated himself to a photographic career», Zorzi explains. «With Raumplan we used to do hybrid projects between visual storytelling and exhibition design. At one point the activities took different paths and developed into two separate projects», Ornaghi adds.
The name NM3 was born casually while they were looking for something simple and immediate. They did not find out until later that nm3 is the symbol of the normal metric cubic, the unit of measurement employed to express the volume in m3 of aeriform substances when in normal conditions of pressure and temperature. A fortunate coincidence, considering that metalworking provides only for two methods of cutting metal: electricity and gas. «During our career we happened to justify things ex-post. It’s a stimulating and fun exercise», the designers claim.
The rigorous design approach of NM3
NM3’s minimal and rigorous design, always aimed at the efficiency and functionality of the products, stems from their fascination with modernism. In fact, their meticulous design approach seems to be an unconscious response to the overabundance of a certain aesthetic very popular during their university years, made up of cozy environments, soft and rounded lines and velvety surfaces. «We are architects by training, but we specialized in the history of architecture. Thus, inevitably, we have developed an interest in certain types of environments and architectural trends. Let’s say that in our projects there is much more Ludwing Mies van der Rohe than Frank Lloyd Wright», says Ornaghi.
According to Zorzi, NM3 recognizes itself in the most abstract and dry form of Teutonic modernism, without resorting to any kind of philosophical or conceptual speculation. In contrast to the creative flair characterizing the world of collectible design and the prevailing trend of storytelling, the young Milanese studio relies on the accuracy of geometric rules and the scientific method, bringing the rigor of form back to the center of the discussion.
NM3 – Metal carpentry and raw materials
The products of Zorzi, Ornaghi and Legnani are imbued with a raw, almost industrial aesthetic, provided by the material which has characterized their work since the very beginning: steel. Over the years, steel has been combined with other materials, such as marble and glass: «We work with raw, very basic materials, which have always existed and have always been typical of the modernist aesthetic. Furthermore, metal carpentry was initially very cheap and it allowed us to create elegant, clean and high-quality pieces, while keeping costs quite low», the designers explain.
The rules of traditional metal carpentry are also consistent with their methodological and design approach which requires a set of predefined rules which, only apparently, limit creativity. «Metal carpentry has a finite language, made up of rigid rules. When there are external constraints you are forced to work within that perimeter and find a way to bend the rules. It is much more prolific and stimulating than having absolute freedom», the designers explain. The goal of NM3 is to take this creative language to extremes and from there, to open up to new paths. The appropriation of new materials and unexplored processes allows them to continue to conduct their peculiar research without lingering in the same old creative mechanisms and stimuli.
NM3’s design culture: the case of Reference Studio
Not only products, NM3’s activity also extends to the fields of exhibition design and interiors. Despite their training in architecture, Zorzi, Ornaghi and Legani have never felt the need to create buildings from scratch, on the contrary they preferred to devote themselves to interior design in order to enhance what already exists. And again, their design approach consists of minimal interventions and essential tailor-made products which can be easily remodulated and adapted to different environments. An example of this is the interior design project for the Reference Studios showroom in Milan inside an art nouveau building bound by the Cultural Heritage Code.
«We worked on two levels, on the one hand to preserve the historic building, on the other to respect the environment. The entire installation can be disassembled anytime and rebuilt elsewhere, nothing has to be thrown away. In our opinion, this is the only ecological and contemporary way of doing things», Zorzi claims. Reference Studios’ project allowed them to stimulate creativity and ingenuity to the utmost, as explained by Ornaghi: «Everything in the apartment is original: from the leaded glass to the floor decorations. We have made the most of the architectural context, the ceiling lighting system, for instance, was specifically designed not to damage the stucco and it is inspired by the diamond shapes on the floor».
Sistema by NM3 and 6:AM Glassworks
On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2023, NM3 collaborated with 6:AM Glassworks – Murano’s leading agency of glass production – for the creation of Sistema, a collection of lamps exhibited by Convey, a creative space in the Isola design district set up by Simple Flair curators, who have selected various realities of the contemporary design panorama to exhibit their previews. Sistema consists of a floor lamp with a marble base and a lamp module, which can become a wall light, a suspension lamp or cover an entire ceiling to create a “sky-effect”.
The collection is inspired by the grooved glass designed by Angiolo Mazzoni and Carlo Scarpa in the 1930s, which was used to illuminate large surfaces in public and representative spaces, and pays homage to the Italian manufacturing tradition. The essential design, the processing of steel and the concept of modernist seriality typical of NM3 combine with the Murano glassmaking tradition to give life to timeless, functional and sophisticated objects. «The modules can be broken down and reassembled, each time providing a different spatial definition. […] Also in this collaboration we have taken our design outside its perimeter by hybridizing it with something different», Ornaghi claims.
Curiosity, audacity and integrity: the ingredients of NM3’s success
At the heart of NM3 are the founders’ desire to constantly put themselves to the test and their innate curiosity towards the world of design, a place of experimentation where products meet the needs and complexities of contemporaneity. «Of course, we work with extractive materials, but we never stock and our bespoke products last more than four lifetimes of a human being. Sustainability is integrated into the manufacturinng processes of our products and, therefore, verified in practice; the advantage of working in the tight meshes of metal carpentry is that the supply chain is always very short», the designers explain.
With NM3, Zorzi, Ornaghi and Legnani have become the spokesmen for a type of design without frills and rhetoric, essential and rigorous, but at the same time audacious. Each project is tackled with the same thorough approach, but with the curiosity and that pinch of recklessness typical of youth.
NM3
Founded in 2020 by Francesco Zorzi, Nicolò Ornaghi and Delfino Sisto Legnani. It does interiors, products, installations and custom furniture design with a strong focus on raw material and geometric rigor. NM3’s work has been exhibited at the Triennale Milano, Milan Design Week – Alcova, Salone del Mobile – The Makers Show, and Ordet Gallery. NM3 has designed custom installations for brands as Adidas, Off-White™️, Our Legacy, Sunnei, Moncler, Laufen and Internazionale Milano Football Club.
