OBJ-10 Cabinet is a minimalist cabinet created by Mexico City-based designer Manu Bañó, recently exhibited in Dubai at gallery Collectional. In the heart of OBJ-10’s copper facade lies a deceptively simple invitation: a hand-shaped void, beckoning interaction through deliberately deformed metal. This central gesture – where geometric precision yields to organic form – captures the essence of a cabinet that is less about storage and more about the dialogue between intention and material, control and chance.
The design speaks to copper’s remarkable duality as both an industrial and artistic medium. Its exterior bears what we might call a biography of making – each mark, each subtle variation in texture telling the story of its transformation. Heat signatures from the forge bloom across the surface like watercolors, while the artisan’s fingerprints remain fossilized in the metal, creating an intimate record of human touch. This celebration of process stands in compelling contrast to traditional cabinetry, where such “imperfections” would typically be eliminated.
Yet step inside, and OBJ-10 reveals its surprise: a mirror-polished interior that transforms raw copper into a surface of almost liquid brilliance. This juxtaposition – between the textural exterior and pristine interior – evokes the Japanese concept of ura-omote, where public face and private essence create meaning through their coexistence. The interior reflection multiplies and fragments whatever is placed within, creating an infinite conversation between object and space.
The design’s mono-material approach is particularly relevant in our current moment of material consciousness and sustainability discourse. By working exclusively in copper, the piece achieves both material honesty and future recyclability, while its handcrafted nature ensures a unique character that resists mass production’s homogeneity.
The central deformation that creates the opening mechanism deserves special attention. Unlike traditional hardware that is added to a surface, this “handle” emerges from the material itself – a physical demonstration of copper’s plasticity and the designer’s understanding of its inherent properties. This integration of function and form recalls the modernist principle of truth to materials, yet pushes it into more expressive territory.
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