Transformation of an everyday object
When functionality meets artistic refinement
Creativity often begins where most people assume only function. Silvana Conradi, Managing Director of MIDAS Metall®, has taken this idea a step further and given a supposedly mundane object a new design identity. By using MIDAS Metall® Bronze antique rustic, a mobile pedestal was not only visually refined, but transformed in its material statement. An object of office organisation became an artefact of a conscious culture of form.
A filing cabinet as a metaphor for aesthetic potential
The impetus for this project did not come from a calculated design process, but from an in-house observation: application engineer Mike had finished a coffee table from his private environment with MIDAS Metall® brass. The result was so convincing that it was acquired by a partner company for its showroom. This seemingly incidental event became the initial spark for a personal experiment:
To what extent can the design language of MIDAS Metall® be transferred to supposedly banal furniture objects?
Material aesthetics with depth: antique-rustic bronze as a deliberate choice
The mobile pedestal, until then a functional, albeit visually uninspiring piece of furniture, became the project vehicle for this idea: ‘From old to new – from ugly to mega’, is how Silvana Conradi winkingly formulates what is in fact a creative re-reading of consumer goods.
For the metallisation, the choice fell on MIDAS Metall® Bronze antique rustic – a material that is nicknamed ‘alien metal’ within the MIDAS world. Its special texture, rough feel and visual depth make it a material beyond pleasing superficiality. The spray application process enabled a homogeneous application to the wood structure, whereby the metallised surface was subsequently sanded to a rustic finish – with sanding passes up to grit 8000.
The handles of the filing cabinet were given a coating in MIDAS Metall® ‘Gold’, which were also sealed with a protective lacquer. The deliberate contrast between the cool heaviness of the bronze and the warm lustre of the gold creates a subtle tension that elevates the object beyond its functionality.
An excursion into technical practice
The transformation process of this piece of furniture can be seen as an example of the possibilities of MIDAS Metall® finishing. The technical realisation required precision and patience:
- Substrate preparation: Two coats of filler to create a closed, stable base
- Application: Spray application, observing the ideal distance between nozzle and object
- Material consumption: approx. 1 kg antique rustic bronze
- Processing: Coarse to fine sanding, graded from grain size 400 to 8000
Finishing: Polish with Polish Cream, finish with carnauba wax and AURA
The result is not just a coating, but a transformation of the material identity. Wood becomes metal, the everyday becomes a statement. Decisive for the success: a processing time of around 12 days, during which the object was allowed to rest, breathe and settle.
A functional piece of office furniture becomes a design object
The end result is more than just a piece of furniture, it is a statement: ‘A personal favourite that gives pleasure every day’, as Silvana Conradi puts it. The result is an object that enhances the room through its feel, materiality and radiance, not through dominance but through presence.
This filing cabinet project is not an isolated case, but an expression of a corporate culture that is put into practice. At MIDAS Metall®, it is a matter of course that employees are regularly allowed to realise their own ideas, test materials and try out new forms of application. This research-based work is not a sideline, but an integral part of the corporate identity. Every application is also a source of knowledge. Innovation arises where curiosity meets precision craftsmanship and this is exactly what happens every day in-house.
Can you imagine using this products for your next project?
Contact us today to find out more about the versatile application possibilities of this metal or to receive an individual offer for your project.
Choose MIDAS Surfaces GmbH as your reliable partner
for excellent real metal painting and coating products. Discover the possibilities of this metal and focus on quality and design with MIDAS Metall®. If you are a private customer and would like to have this metal used, please talk to your painting company or plasterer.