For thousands of years we have been designing platforms to order the objects in our lives; the need to both display and have access to things we value feels somehow innate. We explore some of the more modern solutions, from the minimalist to the most playful.
The European design luminary Dieter Rams, creator of many iconic products, among them the legendary 606 Vitsoe shelving system in 1960, is known for his ten point manifesto for good design. Point ten is “good design is as little design as possible”, and in the case of storage systems, this has remained a guiding principle for most of the designers who have followed in his footsteps (even got some that preceeded him).
Storage systems are essentially platforms for people to organise, display and access a wide range of items in their lives. A simple design that is usable, handsome and unadorned with unnecessary decoration is the best place to house items that are often visually striking, colourful and full of character themselves.
So in the spirit of unobtrusive elegant solutions, some more playful than others, we have selected the finest storage we have to offer at SCP.
The Pira 2 shelving system is a reworking of the original design by architect Anna von Schewen and industrial designer Björn Dahlström. First conceived by Swedish cabinet-maker Olle Pira in 1954, it’s a beautifully balanced creation, which blends sheet-steel and solid walnut in a modular jointless system idea for the most sophisticated of environments.
The String shelving system is regarded as a contemporary design classic, with its characteristic wire side panels and utter simplicity of construction. The system offers infinite storage possibilities, while String Pocket brings the scale down to something installable almost anywhere, with two uprights and three shelves in an array of finishes.
The new String Hallway, Bathroom and Kitchen modules are compact configurations of the system, tailored to meet the needs of the specific room settings, flat-packed and ready to take away. While the new Museum side table and candleholder, designed by TAF Studio, meets the need for adjustable and dynamic furniture to accompany the whole range.
Trekku is a contemporary furniture brand based in Zarautz, a coastal town in the Basque country with a great shipbuilding tradition. They produce a number of different storage systems and singular pieces that blend function with finesse. They use a range of natural veneers from FSC forests in the making of their designs, which are ideal for well kept interiors that celebrate both warmth and delicacy.
Founded in Milan in 1984, Kriptonite began by experimenting in aluminium designs and now produce a range of modular shelving, furniture and accessories.
The design of their bookshelf system, which launched in 2000, is handsome, orderly and both visually and physically light. Easy to customise, their system equally at home in both residential and commercial interiors.
Swiss furniture giant Vitra produce a broad range of useful storage options, such as the characterful Uten.silo by Dorothee Becker, the playful Corniches shelves by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Jean Prouvé’s curvaceous Rayonnage Mural shelf and Charles and Ray Eames beautiful standalone storage units. Enough choice for even the most fastidious of organisers.
One of SCP’s most enduring designs, the Agnes shelving by Sarah Kay and Andrea Stemmer was first created in 2007 in response to a brief to create a one-piece shelving system that could be unpacked at home and used immediately.
The free-standing design, beautifully crafted in either solid oak or walnut, has notable softened edges and retains its aesthetic beauty from whichever angle you look at it. A smart choice for those who like their storage with no assembly required.
Explore our Storage & Shelving Collection for a full range of choices.
