Dan McMahon



Designer and maker. Lover of: pinball machines, the desert, materials,  human scale, two-wheeled vehicles, fabrication processes, trees, magic, coffee, forks, water, desserts, chinatown, t-shirts, small boats, raspberries, campfires, keychains, jazz, trout, flowers, cannoli, free museums, glossy paint, fireworks, movies on big screens, wood things, rituals, kind people, glass bottles, birds, iron nails, the circusBased in Brooklyn, NY


Objects

Projects



Email
Instagram
Rise+Shine Candleholder

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.