philippe malouin flattens stainless steel tube to sculpt press mirror

philippe malouin flattens and polishes single tubes of stainless steel to craft seamlessly transitioning tabletop ‘press’ mirrors. its cylindrical base enables the product to be used a hand mirror or admired as a sculpture sitting calmly on top of flat surfaces. as all steel tubes have slightly different compositions, when one end is flattened, each item will deform dis-similarly and create a unique object each time.

the cylinder base allows the product to rest on flat surfaces or be used as a hand mirror
all images courtesy of philippe malouin

‘I love working with a single material, when there are no joints, and the product appears to be seamless,‘ said philippe malouin to designboom. ‘I also very much enjoy the fact that it informs the user of its formation process. it is clear to see that a simple tube was pressed and polished.‘

‘press’ mirror is crafted from a single stainless steel tube

created for umbra shift – an online platform for umbra‘s in-house and external designers – philippe malouin‘s ‘press’ mirror originated from pure coincidence, as the london-based designer pressed a metal tube into a vice when working on constructing a shelf bracket. using a similar process now, the tube’s flatten side is then polished until reflective. the result sculpts a unique yet simple mirror that perfectly, or seamlessly in this case, blends artistry with functionality.