Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Donald M. Rattner.
More than forty years ago, Swiss engineer Paul Schärer and architect Fritz Haller set out to create a flexible shelving and storage system based on modular architectural structures. Reflecting their respective professional backgrounds, they made it a goal to marry technical perfection and durability with design elegance. The result was the USM Haller furniture collection.
Being streamlined and contemporary in styling, USM furniture works as well in the private home as it does in office and other environments. And since it’s modular, you can configure the piece to slip comfortably into the available space rather than settle for something just because it ‘fits’.
The USM palette comprises just three elements: a metal panel, chrome steel tubes and a chrome-plated brass ball joint that connects them. These elements provide the supporting structure and the exterior envelope for the components and materials contained inside the modular units. It’s hard to imagine a more minimalist vocabulary yielding as broad an array of design possibilities.
This month MODULE R is holding a promotion on USM products. Click here for details.
96° shelf system by Germany-based designer Karoline Fesser is a successful attempt to break the routine of conventional shelving. Each of the basic elements – base, box and cover – follows an angle of 96 degrees (hence the name). “Stackable into each other the elements mount up to a shelf by an alternate layering. Interlocking edges and cuts allow an easy and stable stacking without any additional fixtures,” – designer explains. The modules come in various colors, allowing to create personalized palette.
Some of you might remember German designer Florian Gross and his awesome Konnex Shelf System (which is still one of my favorite modular storage products of all time). He hasn’t been idle. He emailed to tell about his new enterprise – StudioApart – created in collaboration with Barcelona based designer Kike Macías; and a beautiful new design – Andamino Shelf. The piece is a modular shelving system, which was inspired by traditional Indian scaffolding. No tools or hardware is needed for the assembly of the unit. Each shelf is adjusted to the appropriate height to cover different functions, the width is expandable too. The Andamio Shelf is made from environmentally friendly and recyclable materials. The project is going to be unveiled at the Tendence Fair in Frankfurt, August 24-28.
This storage system by Sebastian Schönheit reminds me of a Growing Cabinet by Yi-Cong Lu, I featured earlier this year. Here too – the shelves slide sideways to free more storing space. Schönheit’s piece, called Shift, consists of four elements which can easily be stacked on top of each other and moved horizontally. There is no need for screws, brackets or props. Shift can be arranged according to its content (the sliding shelves provide the room for bulky items) or your space requirements. The metal back of the item doubles as a bulletin board, so Shift can be used as a free-standing item.
I am very pleased to beat the drum for a fellow countryman today. Russian designer Lesha Galkin created this modular shelving system, beautifully adaptable to any space, big or small. The structures are composed of plywood and solid pine boards. Thin plywood pieces are nested inside each other, creating various configurations. These small structures are easily assembled without glue or screws, which makes for flexible, lightweight storage.
I’m planning to move house soon and oh how I wish I had all my stuff stored in these modular boxes. Aptly called BrickBox, this storage, just like a brick wall, can be built to any height, any width, at an angle, in the middle of the room, symmetrically, asymmetrically, you name it… Each element is also a carrier box. Reattach it and you’re good to go. Ingenius. Take a look at the beautiful video, shot by Fair Companies, to see the product in action.
Soapbox is an ingenius modular ‘ready to assemble’ storage system, that allows building various configurations. Made from quality veneered plywoods (no particle board or MDF), the pieces are held together by clever hardware components. These strong and colorful brackets connect wooden parts into boxes and also serve as visual accents. The system allows for the unlimited transformation – the boxes can be built horizontally or vertically, sitting on the floor or hanging on a wall. Great idea for small urban dwellings!..
This unusual take on a murphy bed was envisioned by Latvia based designer Rolands Landsbergs of Boxetti. He created a series of modules that are capable of transforming into various functional objects – beds, desks, storage and so forth. Each configuration can be hidden away into a small appealing box. Studio apartment dream, the items blend with the surroundings when closed and unfold to reveal their function when needed. The bedroom unit (my personal favorite) includes a double bed, night stand and a wardrobe. The unit is equipped with a spotlight and an ambience lighting fixture above the headboard. All necessities in one small package.
(via plataformadesign)
Good Erdle was launched in 2012 by Andrew and Richard Erdle, father and son design duo. Their first product is a real eye candy for any urban gardener. The series of modular stoneware clay planters can fit beautifully in small apartments. Place them separately around the room or gather them into various shapes, depending on your counter space situation. There are no drainage holes in the legs, so you never have to worry about water leaking out. You can fill those with sand, stones or charcoal to absorb water. The legs also allow you to run cables and cords underneath – perfect for desks and kitchen counters. Cood Erdle planter collection is on sale at Fab for the next two days.
(images curtesy homestilo)
The www shelf by Victor Matic captured one very important aspect of today’s design – change. We live in the era of consumer bliss and rapid social and financial fluctuations. As the result, nearly any item in our home becomes a variable. Victor’s shelf fully embraces this idea and offers a flexible form that morphs into many shapes and dimensions.
Here is how he describes the design: “In an accelerated era full of freedom of forms and the change as a status quo I am creating an object which itself has no definite state and which is capable of interacting with the user and his environment. ‘www’ is an interpretation of the ‘shelf’ archetype. Between form and function, between space and dimension, between a not-yet and a not-anymore it creates concrete opportunities and specific associations. Through its parts it is not only a modular system, but also a type of installation in an ever changing space.”
Check out the video to see the changing shelf in action. The piece is currently on display at the Salone del Mobile 2012.
