String shelves & shelving systems

The String Shelf was designed by the Strinning couple, consisting of architect Nils “Nisse” Strinning and designer Kajsa Strinning, in 1949. String Furniture has been producing the classic String products since 2004. The brand manufactures flexible shelving systems in classic Scandinavian, minimalist design and is strongly associated with one of the 20th century’s most beloved design classics, the String Shelf.

The popular String Pocket and String Shelf have been featured in interior design magazines around the world, and the Strinning couple have won numerous awards for their ingenious string system design. Since the launch of the String shelf, the couple have continued to update and develop their product from a bookshelf to a complete system with a multitude of options in terms of color, materials, and design. Classic Scandinavian design meets practical functionality, which is one of the reasons why the String Shelf has become such an incredibly popular design classic.

Icon of minimalism

It all started in 1946, when the Bonnier publishing house announced a design competition for bookshelves, on the grounds that people were likely to buy more books if they had a good place to store them. The challenge was to develop a bookcase that would be affordable but also easy to ship and easy to assemble and disassemble. The couple Nils and Kajsa Strinning participated and, out of 194 entries, their elegant, minimalist and flexible String Shelf was chosen as the winner.

The String Shelf was an immediate market success among both retailers and customers. Because it is delivered as a flatpack, it is easy to ship but also easy to assemble at home. It is practical because it can be expanded with more sections and thus adapted instead of needing to be replaced. The String Shelf is also beautiful to look at, with its Swedish minimalist design that fits in well in many different rooms.

Over the years, Nils and Kajsa continued to develop the String system to perfection in terms of function and design. The clever, useful String Shelf was awarded a gold medal at the 1954 Triennale in Milan and was exhibited at the 1955 H55 exhibition in Helsingborg. Millions of String Shelf units are sold throughout Europe, and its success is undeniable. The shelf with a capital S has become an icon of Scandinavian minimalism and fits in equally well at home or in the office.

Thanks to its clever design with removable shelves, the String shelving system can easily be renewed and adapted to suit different needs and times. The parts of the system are so well designed that they can be combined in any way and still look sleek and smooth. The String system has been carefully designed and developed with more features by the Strinning couple, who have made it easy to add new sections, shelves, a desktop, doors, storage, and more.

A genuine String Shelf can be recognized by the characteristic metal end caps and the fact that the shelves are hung with brass hinges. This classic design is still in use today, 70 years on, and is still very popular. Architect Nils Strinning is among the designers who laid the foundations of what we now call Scandinavian design. In 2005, the String Shelf was updated and is now available in a variety of new designs, shapes, and sizes. Ten years later, Mats Theselius designed a stainless steel String Pocket for the company's 10th anniversary. Today, the product is known for its minimalist, timeless and unique design that never goes out of style.