brazilian studio rótulo em branco turns oversized nails into sculptural steel tables

OVERSIZED NAILS BECOME SCULPTURAL FURNITURE

A nail is usually meant to hold things together, not become the center of attention. Brazilian design studio Rótulo em Branco turns that logic on its head with PREGO, a collection of sculptural stainless-steel tables inspired by the familiar construction fastener. Designed by architect Ingrid Sani Lang, the series translates the nail’s recognizable silhouette into three furniture typologies: a side table, a coffee table, and a bar table. Through an exaggerated shift in scale, an ordinary industrial component takes on an entirely different role in the domestic interior.

Founded in 2021 in Blumenau, southern Brazil, Rótulo em Branco approaches furniture as an opportunity to reconsider familiar objects and their functions. With PREGO, the studio explores what happens when an everyday element is removed from its original context and reimagined through proportion, material, and use. Rather than producing a literal oversized replica, the designer adapts the nail’s geometry to create functional surfaces with a sculptural presence. The collection retains the simplicity of its industrial reference while introducing an unexpected relationship between construction hardware and contemporary furniture.

INTERCHANGEABLE NAIL HEADS INTRODUCE PLAYFUL FUNCTIONALITY

Beyond its distinctive silhouette, PREGO incorporates a system of removable and interchangeable nail heads, allowing the tables to accommodate different uses. Two versions are available: a smooth surface designed to hold everyday objects and a sculpted alternative featuring recessed details. The latter can accommodate smaller items and introduce additional functions, including uses associated with incense. Both designs maintain the recognizable shape of the original object while giving the user a choice in how the furniture operates.

The interchangeable components introduce an element of interaction into what might otherwise remain a purely sculptural exercise. Users can switch between the two heads depending on their needs, allowing the same piece to move between different domestic arrangements. This flexibility challenges the idea of furniture as an object with one permanent configuration, while the familiar nail shape adds a small dose of visual irony. After all, the very component normally used to fix things in place becomes the part designed to be removed.

STAINLESS STEEL AND LOCAL PRODUCTION SHAPE PREGO COLLECTION

The collection is manufactured from AISI 304 stainless steel, combining a brushed finish on the main structure with polished surfaces on the nail-shaped elements. This contrast emphasizes the geometry of each piece, allowing the industrial material to take on a more expressive character. All three table typologies are developed and produced in southern Brazil, where Rótulo em Branco works with regional manufacturers. The studio’s involvement throughout fabrication, material selection, and finishing keeps the production process closely connected to its design practice.

PREGO was launched in collaboration with Nowdays, a Brazilian digital platform connected to contemporary internet culture, bringing the collection into a dialogue that extends beyond conventional furniture design. The partnership reflects Rótulo em Branco’s interest in objects that engage with visual culture and challenge familiar domestic conventions. Positioned somewhere between functional furniture and sculpture, the series finds new possibilities in one of construction’s most unassuming components. A nail may be a rather modest starting point, but here it has considerably bigger ambitions.

project info:

name: PREGO Collection

designer: Ingrid Sani Lang

studio: Ingrid Sani Lang — Rótulo em Branco | @rotuloembranco

location: Santa Catarina, Brazil