Some things become so strongly associated with a specific time that they actually end up being timeless. That is one way of summarizing Nisse and Kajsa Strinning's contribution to Scandinavian design history. But what sparked the idea for the shelving system String®?
Bonnier's public library realized that the majority of Swedish homes were not furnished with a focus on bookshelves, which made it quite difficult for them to sell books. In 1949 they announced a competition where they asked all contributors to submit a design for a shelf with a few criteria. The shelf needed to be affordable, easy to ship, and equally easy to assemble. String® ticked all the boxes and was announced winner that same year. Naturally, String® became a very common piece of furniture in Swedish homes during the 1950s. The 1950s and 1960s were eventful years for String®, which was generously mounted in the offices of the UN Headquarters in New York, a gold medal winner at the Milan Triennale, part of the exhibition at H55, which was the start of the design movement in Swedish design, and String® System also became the best-selling Scandinavian furniture piece in Germany.
Over time, additional product groups have seen the light of day and String® has kindly made room in the product portfolio for Works and Museum. Architect Anna von Schewen and industrial designer Björn Dahlström are the creators behind the Works assortment. The idea behind Works came to life through their desire to design sensible and inspiring workplaces with a high level of functionality for both the home and the office environment. Museum came to life on completely different terms. The architects at Studio TAF, Gabriella Lenke and Mattias Ståhlbom, were commissioned by the Swedish Nationalmuseum to design a console shelf for the museums bust collection as part of the artistic collaboration NM&. String Furniture was commissioned to produce the console shelf and the launch coincided with the reopening of the National Museum in 2018.
String Furniture is currently available exclusively in-store at Illuminée locations. Contact us at customersupport@illuminee.com to place an order, or call us at (831) 423-1121 for more information.
