DESIGN ICON
How the sleek and stylish String System revolutionised book shelving in the 1950s
Sweden, 1949. Publishing giant, Bonnier, rides the postwar reading boom by launching a book club, sending out new titles monthly. A problem arises: rich folk can build shelving, but to sustain sales they need a bookshelf for the people. A er 192 architects pro er solutions, one entry stands out: light, airy, a ordable, endlessly exible and, packing down at, ideal for shipping. The String Shelving System, one of the 20th century’s most in uential furniture designs, is born
Nils Strinning was in his late twenties when his wife, Kajsa, asked him to dry the dishes. ‘He thought towels were unclean,’ says String Furniture CEO, Peter Erlandsson, ‘so he made a metal dish rack dipped in rust-preventing plastic.’ Three years later, Bonnier’s competition launched and Nils remembered his dish rack. Turned vertically, its steel wires became ladders, perfect for holding shelving or cabinets, ripe for nearin nite con guration.
Manufacture began in 1950. Global success germinated in 1954, with gold at the Triennale di Milano, then owered a year later at Sweden’s H55 exhibition – which, says Peter, was the event that made the rest of the world sit up and take notice of Scandinavian design. A global rise in sales followed. Production ceased in 1974, before Peter led a 2005 resurrection. From £80,000 in the rst year, turnover today is £26m. ‘We’ve evolved cautiously, not wanting to destroy the iconic system. Functional, strong design, that’s the key.’