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Elegant angled bookshelf needs no bookends

Elegant angled bookshelf needs no bookends
The Lean/Bookshelf by monocomplex provides secure, ordered storage and display without bookends
The Lean/Bookshelf by monocomplex provides secure, ordered storage and display without bookends
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Close-up view of the angled shelves, showing the natural manner in which their contents nestle within the structure of the shelves
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Close-up view of the angled shelves, showing the natural manner in which their contents nestle within the structure of the shelves
The monocomplex angled shelves can be stacked and rearranged to form different uses of space
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The monocomplex angled shelves can be stacked and rearranged to form different uses of space
The Lean/Bookshelf by monocomplex provides secure, ordered storage and display without bookends
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The Lean/Bookshelf by monocomplex provides secure, ordered storage and display without bookends
Three-quarters view of the monocomplex Lean/Bookshelf
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Three-quarters view of the monocomplex Lean/Bookshelf
The Lean/Bookshelf by monocomplex is a remarkably elegant and comely approach toward the storage and display of a collection of books
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The Lean/Bookshelf by monocomplex is a remarkably elegant and comely approach toward the storage and display of a collection of books
A clothing display at the MANgds shop at the Galleria in Seoul, South Korea
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A clothing display at the MANgds shop at the Galleria in Seoul, South Korea
Juxtaposition of a monocomplex angled shelf and a US Army private's chevron (Photo: monocomplex and U.S. Army)
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Juxtaposition of a monocomplex angled shelf and a US Army private's chevron (Photo: monocomplex and U.S. Army)
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Bookshelves have a basic design flaw. When books are neatly arranged for storage and display, they tend to tip over and lay on the shelf in confused disarray. This vexing problem has been solved by the Korea-based design group monocomplex, whose Lean/Bookshelf uses the force of gravity to keep things in order – no bookends required.

Bookshelves are functional pieces of furniture and it is a bit difficult to imagine how to improve the age-old paradigm of a bookshelf as a vertical arrangement of horizontal shelves.

The Lean/Bookshelf by monocomplex is a remarkably elegant and comely approach toward the storage and display of a collection of books
The Lean/Bookshelf by monocomplex is a remarkably elegant and comely approach toward the storage and display of a collection of books

The new twist applied by the designers at monocomplex to the concept "bookshelf" is to angle the tops and bottoms of the shelves. The Lean/Bookshelf has a set of four Finnish birch shelves, stacked together with a flexible geometry which is visually appealing while at the same time quite practical in function.

A clothing display at the MANgds shop at the Galleria in Seoul, South Korea
A clothing display at the MANgds shop at the Galleria in Seoul, South Korea

A common feature of new designs is that new problems (or opportunities) appear in the solution of old problems. In the case of the Lean/Bookshelf there's no flat, level space that can be used to store piles of materials which do not need to be neatly displayed. Perhaps it's just the price of progress.

At this stage we are not aware of any plans for commercial production.

Source: monocomplex

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1 comment
1 comment
warren52nz
Brilliant. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.