Buying advice Vintage String systems

Thanks to its simplicity of design and the plethora of imitations, identifying authentically vintage String systems isn’t always straightforward. Still, there are some strong pointers. Original String panels were almost exclusively black or white, with the latter prone to yellowing. They were also dipped in a plastic liable to peel – for that reason, modern examples are powder-coated instead. The shelves can also be revealing, says Peter Erlandsson. ‘Today, we use MDF; on older String shelves, the wood is mostly mahogany or teak. We’ve produced some teak shelving in a small Pocket version, but that size didn’t exist in the old days.’

Weight is another consideration. ‘The shelves were extremely light,’ says Peter, ‘because they’d construct them with layers of veneer over honeycomb paper. It was extremely stiff – even though they were very light, you could load them up heavily.’

Other indicators are rather more prosaic. ‘On some old shelves you’ll see a sticker that says ‘patent pending’ and a list of countries: Belgian Congo, Canada, for example. Regarding the earliest examples, for the first year or so it was not called the String shelf, but BFB – Bonnier Folkbibliotek, or Bonnier Public Library. A really old shelf will have a BFB sticker.’

Peter recommends Swedish secondhand retail website Blocket (blocket. se) as a good place to look for vintage systems, and there are also fine selections at Pamono (pamono.co.uk) and Vinterior (vinterior.co). What should you expect to pay? Well, how big is your piece of String? Modularity means prices vary but, as a guide, £400 will get you a goodcondition 1950s combination of ladders, two shelves and a cabinet, while £100 should be enough for a couple of 1970s shelves and ladders. If you’re looking for something more substantial, six ladders and around 20 shelves from the 1960s will be close to £2,500.