Dan McMahon
Designer
Based in Brooklyn, NY
Objects
Projects
About
Made in response to the annual NYC design week exhibition Paraphernalia, Paper Lamp 03 leans into the otherworldly qualities of the material and process of my paper lamps for the 2026 show’s theme: Alien.
While the paper floor lamp features simple, restrained geometries - Paper Lamp 03 explores more organic shapes that nod to the iconic ribbed cocoon lamps of midcentury designers like George Nelson and the Castiglioni brothers. However, because the paper form is self-supporting, no internal skeleton remains inside the finished lamp.
To emphasize this, the design uses a chunky, rounded framework during the molding process to further draw attention to the lack of shadow lines in the finished lamp.
This night light was made for the 2026 NYC design week exhibition: DUDD LITE, presented by Jonald Dudd and The Future Perfect gallery.
Over 120 designers and artists were selected to provide their unique take on the night light. For my submission, I adapted my paper lamp process to create a conical shade with a rounded tip which perches on a T-10 bulb.
From the gallery: “This mushroom-shaped nightlight contrasts the softness of a paper shade with the hacked, improvised logic of its base. Solid core copper wire allows the socket to cantilever directly from the plug, while rubber splicing tape wraps the mass-produced socket in a deliberately DIY gesture.”
An edition of 6 lights were made.
More info at The Future Perfect.
Rise + Shine is a height-adjustable candleholder inspired by a collection of idiosyncratic 19th century candleholders at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, PA with the same function.
The object is humorously direct in its evocation of arousal, a quality which came out of the mechanics-forward exploratory design process. By squeezing the rubber bulb, air pushes a candlestick up to the desired height. By twisting the release knob, the candle can drop down into the aluminum cylinder.
Initially intended to exist as one of a series of height-adjustable candleholders, Rise+Shine was developed specifically for the Paraphernalia: Desire exhibition coinciding with NYCxDesign week 2025, with a small batch made locally for sale.
An acupuncture and wellness studio in the Chinatown neighborhood of lower Manhattan wanted to cover some unsightly pipes in their waiting room with custom seating.
The studio’s branding features natural elements, and the color green has been used heavily throughout the space. We decided to build a series of low walls to cover the pipes and pump, and 3 benches to follow the perimeter.
Each bench seat, upholstered in green fabric, rests on oak frames which span a pair of boulders sourced locally. The boulders were flattened by hand to create coplanar faces. Due to the weight of the boulders, the benches were designed to be transported in pieces and assembled on site.
An iteration of the paper lamp, made by embedding dried and pressed flowers within the natural fibers of the paper.
The wet pulp causes pigments in the flower petals and pollen to bleed, creating a subtle blurring effect.
This lamp was included in the JONALDDUDD 10-year anniversary show during NYCxDesign 2025.
Paper Lamps are made to order.
The first semi-realized lamp following experimentation with paper spraying. The material and technique, along with its toroidal column form, allow the lamp to be self-supporting despite it’s extremely thin wall thickness - which allows the diffusion of light creating a beautiful, soft glow that reveals the texture of the plant fibers.
Because the resulting material is so thin, it seems to be in a constant state of fluctuation in response to the ambient humidity of the space it occupies.
Paper Lamps are made to order.
• Photos 1-4 taken by Jun Yu Tan
As the “official beer of NASCAR”, Busch wanted to release a limited edition beer can made from the body panels of Kevin Harvick’s #4 race car. During the biggest race of the season - the Daytona 500 - fans could tweet answers to trivia questions for a chance to win one of the cans.
The design process began with material research and experimentation. The assumption that race car body panels would lend themselves to being pressed into tin cans proved false when half of them turned out to be made of carbon fiber.
The final design was a split can; the lower section cast from reconstituted chopped carbon fiber, and the upper half made by deep draw forming the steel panels of the car. By choosing not to remove the vinyl wrap from the steel, each can contains a section of the graphic wrap, making each unique but recognizable. Integral to the design process was identifying manufacturing partners who could bring the can to life. We sourced and worked closesly with partners across three states.
This project was done at Factioned Studio.
The function of a mudguard is a humble one; create a barrier between the bicycle’s rear wheel and the rider’s backside. For a city commuter, rain is more often a surprise than an anticipation, so Plume was deisgned to unfurl when you need it, and coil away when you dont.
Plume was designed in a reaction to the prolific existance of rather clunky, injection molded plastic mudguards. It is made from a thin but resilient stainless steel spring and a flexible polyurethane rubber which grips the seatpost.
After it’s first production run was funded through a Kickstarter campaign, Plume was nominated for the 2014 Design of The Year awards at the London Design Museum.
Plume was designed and created in collaboration with Patrick Laing.
This pair of tables was designed and built for an outdoor farm stand based in Catskill, NY. The design allows water from the elements and wet produce to pass through slats while displaying products.
The table’s were built from solid Ash using durable joinery and finished with a food-safe oil concoction which can be re-applied as needed by the farm staff, creating a living finish that will age well.