Twist is a stackable bookcase created by Giuseppe Bavuso for Alivar. The idea was to create a versatile and visually stimulating storage unit, suitable for any room. The final product fills the bill brilliantly, and then some. Twist can be used as a bookcase, a display unit, a night stand, even a pouf, if used with a cushion. Stackable components are made out of the Hi MACS acrylic stone. The units are divided by the glass shelves, which makes them even more light and airy. The illusion of irregular cubic shapes is a nice touch, it creates beautiful dynamic.
The words ‘modular’ and ‘customizable’ are music to our ears, especially if we live in an awkward and/or limited space. Consider the Cocoon, a versatile shelving unit created for Ideal Form Team by the Italian designer Paola Navone. The Cocoon allows all customization imaginable – the shelf can be built to fit any space and any stylistic preference. You can choose between open and closed storage, various effects and finishes, several digitally printed designs… The combinations are endless. As is fun to pick and change them.
Every home has awkward areas we do not quite know what to do with. Entryways, spaces beneath the windows, uncomfortable corners… A piece that would humanize those areas would be a blessing for any interior. Meet the Weigel Bench, a recent creation from Square Form, originally made as a shoe rack for the entryway of the client’s home. The understated beauty and functionality of the piece earned it a new licence to live. Made out of noble and natural materials (salvaged 5/4″ western walnut, salvaged Alder, and steel tubing), the Weigel Bench adds class, warmth and a much-needed storage to any space.
Shelving is as unavoidable as human need for collecting things. Ordinary shelving, however, is possible to avoid. Consider this piece from Opulent Items and see for yourself. Justly called Contemporary Flexi Shelving, this modular collection can fit any space. The units are sold separately and can be compiled into various configurations. The choice of two sizes allows for an exciting visual variety. Each circle comes with a level base, that stabilizes the items displayed. The piece can be used as a shelving unit, a room divider, or both.
These unusual bookshelves belong to an emerging French designer Adrien De Melo, who very deservingly called her creation Upside Down. Weightless, modular, transparent, suspended from the ceiling, these pieces truly give a new dimension to the idea of book storage. Each shelve consists of five simple components: translucent inflatable cushions, stainless frameworks, lifting straps, maintenance pins and fixing accessories. The units can be organized into different configurations. The Upside Down bookshelves are currently on display at Galerie BSL in Paris.
Update: Designer clarified that the shelves were ordered as a special command from Louis Vuitton Malletier to equip their cultural space, 7th floor of the Champs-Elysées building. The Upside Down shelving is exhibited at the Pavillon des Arts et du Design in Paris until April, 3rd. And if you are lucky enough to be in Milan for the Salone del Mobile’11 – do check out SPAZIO ROSSANA ORLANDI exposition. These shelves will be there!
Show me someone who owns enough book storage, and I will show you a liar (or a philistine). Unfortunately, traditional bookcases are heavy, permanent and expensive. You cannot easily get more of them to accomodate your latest literary shopping spree. Designer Dany Gilles came up with an unusual solution to this problem. He created DIY modular cardboard bookcases that are cheap and easily movable. The product arrives to you as a kit of parts, from which you assemble sturdy display boxes. The elements interlock to create a bookcase unit or stand alone as structurally independent pieces. Made entirely from recycled scraps of cardboard, the storage system is also eco friendly. It is not water friendly, however, but that is its only flaw.
Source: Dornob
No matter how much we strive to humanize our home, there is one thing that often poses a problem – a universally dreaded file cabinet. And in spite of abundance of consumer products, the pickings of new ideas are slim. For the most part when it comes to file storage, we are reduced to three choices: heavy and bulky, ugly and office-like or seemingly practical and plastic. Jill Allyn Peterson, a young New York designer, created something different. This piece is called Flat File and represents an elegant alternative to a traditional file cabinet. Light-weight hanging files made from birch plywood and organic upholstery fabric are shipped flat and assembled without glue or screws. Easy on the eye, laser-cut, low-impact and biodegradable, Flat File is as modern and efficient as a file cabinet can be. Before the digital age eliminated the very idea…
Since we are on the subject of letters, here is another typographical treat for you, delivered all the way from Helsinki. This funky bookcase is called AAKKOSET, and is suitable for children of all ages. Created by the young Uganda born designer Lincoln Kayiwa, this piece not only makes a strong visual statement, it also provides a versatile storage for your books, CDs, magazines at cetra. Because the letter openings have different shapes, they make for an interesting and dynamic shelving. The letter-free space in the middle can be used as a bulletin board. Neat freaks, who dislike open storage, can even leave the bookcase empty and use it as a room divider. Made from durable fiberboard, AAKKOSET comes in a variety of colors.
Here is an idea, striking in its simplicity – a coat rack when you need it, an easy to store plank of wood when you don’t. No more piles of guests’ coats in your bedroom during dinner parties. An elegant solution from the Swiss designer Carlo Clopath, called Gardaroba, allows us to deal with the known outerwear situation with grace. The setup process is easy – just slide hooks and legs into the slots. When disassembled, the piece takes only a few square inches of storage capacity. And that is what we, small space dwellers, want to hear…
So, Marc Haldermann of Dear Bird Design Products heard we liked shelves. And guess what, he put shelves inside the shelves… This neat arrangement is called Dado and represents the idea of storage taken down to its essentials. Various inserts, added to the bigger boxes, are interchangeable. They help us to divide (and conquer) our clutter while adding a rather pleasing color variety to a shelving unit.
Source: Yanko Design
