Last month I visited Michelle McCormick and really loved what she had done with old wood boxes in her home. She'd stacked them in all different sizes and then clamped them together with old wood shop clamps. You can see it in the pics above and below...
At the time, I thought this would be a great product idea: you buy the boxes in sets with the clamps and then you put them together any way you want. You could go really high or wide, whatever you want. And the sets would be really affordable.
Then I walked by the new Tretorn shop in Soho and saw that their store display used a similar idea. They had taken nice, new wood crates and strapped them together into shelving displays with bright yellow shipping straps. Very nice. Reminded me, as well, of Tejo Remy (below).
AND then I found out that something like THIS had been designed for mass retail by Milan-based industrial designer Marc Sadler and he called it Ombelico. This has the strap aspect and the modular aspect.
So THEN it was with only very little surprise when I stumbled onto Jennifer Ward's blog and saw this cliip from Ikea that they were doing it already with a design by Francis Cayouette - but only in France! Go Ikea! HOWEVER. I still really like my original idea of using stylish clamps that you can see, rather than little hidden metal clips, which is what Ikea is using.
Which is a long way of saying that there's still BIG DIY opportunity here waiting to happen....
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i like the original idea it could look really cool with fantastic old books and have a nice rustic feeling! the ikea one is somewhat bland. but i love the progression of what you found hehe nice research!
view piratemptress's profile
i put some old wine boxes together as a bookshelf and just love the look of it...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelulubird/2352889078/in/set-72157602080031702/
the mismatched boxes can look somewhat messy though if you just put random things in them. using them just for books (or for a collection of one similar item) keeps them looking more organized, which i like.
http://thelulubird.blogspot.com/
view LuluLiz's profile
Maxwell, Why is it that you keep reposting stuff you posted only a week ago? It is incredibly annoying and seems pointless as evidenced by the lack of comments. We've all read this already.
view ooh_food's profile
I get annoyed by stuff presented as DIY, where the parts would cost more than just purchasing a similar item readymade. $45 a box? That adds up fast when you are stacking them up.
view feathers's profile
dresser drawers are great substitutes for crate boxes...
view summerlove's profile
Where can you buy wooden crates like the ones in the first picture?
view lumpest's profile
I've wanted to do this for ages, but the price for vintage, or even nicely weathered, fruit crates here in the Bay Area is ridiculous. I know they're out there, though... I just have to be in the right place at the right time (and go foraging as far out of SF as possible).
view rosenatti's profile
Feel like I've seen a different photo of that top bookshelf as a "hot or not" ... people argued endlessly about whether it was too cluttered, or unstable and unsafe. Note that there's actually a real bookshelf in there as the base, with a stairstep shape to it; other boxes have been added to round (square) it out.
view Cheryl's profile
I've been trying to source wine boxes locally and they're proving very elusive, was chatting with a capenter friend, who said he'd make me a few for the cost of the wood... I'll keep ye posted
view Maurs's profile