apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I totally love the way this looks -

It wouldn't take much modification to make it deep enough to hold stereo components below a flatscreen TV, or even put some drawers in the lower recesses...

yeah, I was thinking the same as bepsf. Nice design, though I'm not sure I like seeing the plugs so clearly on the edges...

Maybe I'm wrong but the bottom shelf seems to be bowing (i.e. sagging in the center). See the third picture.

This looks great. I love it.

Hmm, the bowing in the third photo may just be due to parallax. It's hard to tell.

I love this design! I wish the hardware were more elegantly integrated, but it still looks good.

The next time AT does this, could you skip the designers' photos? This isn't a criticism of this designer but, in general, it seems like an unimportant piece of visual information that manages to make some of the entrants seem, I don't know, vain or self-obsessed or what have you. Their appearance has nothing to do with their work, so why not use the fifth photo to show a detail of the entry or something else that's more relevant?

Cute and clever. Although I think the exposed screws mounting it to the wall could have been easily/better resolved.

Also it looks like the whole thing is put together with screws (see the patched screw holes in the first photo). I would expect some better joinery for 20 hours of labor and $625.

And I would like to see the bottom openings a little wider to accommodate taller art books and the like.

Hells yeah! Such a simple idea to add horizontal storage to a bookshelf and it works beautifully!

I love this design... it is brilliant. Really nice work Jason

i love the way this system looks, however, i think it would be beneficial to have an option that is self standing. i rent and i hate to put holes in the walls and would therefore not buy this system.

as for the final photo of the designer - i don't mind. although it seems that many that post comments seem to take issue. isn't it possible to accept the portrait as a reminder that a real individual has designed the featured item rather than an anonymous 'other'?

I love the design! However, its a bit costly.

hartley, the bottom shelf looks bowed to me, too. I thought it might be due to lens distortion but the floorline just below the shelves isn't curved.

I can understand the cost with regard to the amount of lumber used, but I'd feel much better about this if there was better joinery involved.

I really like these, but as y'all have pointed out the bottom shelf is already bowing. I'd hate to see what these shelves look like in a couple of years. Seems there's a good reason why shelves of this length require more than "minimal" hardware.

Is that $625 each? or for both? Are they sold as a set? or bought individually? Too vague. C'mon people your entry is worth $20k in advertising, make a little more effort!

I like the overall design, but the whole labor materials cost is pretty hilarious. How about i give you the cost of the materials, and I will put the screws in myself!

But on a serious note, these do look great and with a little bit of work, i too see bowing that needs addressing, these can be real winners. Though, I would personally switch the material from ash to a powder coated metal, like the cb2 handcock bookcase or the ikea lerberg

"Though, I would personally switch the material from ash to a powder coated metal, like the cb2 handcock bookcase or the ikea lerberg "

I think that's a great idea - That's what I thought these were at first glance...
...and the variety in colors could be quite attractive.

excellent! I like the photos, designers are beautiful people, we might as well celebrate that!

Nice link to his work as well!

I love the proportions. But the color is off and the exposed screw is sloppy. Couldn't the screw be placed in a more discreet area?

Love the shelves! They look great.

And to weigh in on the designer's photo, I'm glad it's included. It humanizes and personalizes the design. As taxi driver said, it's a lovely reminder that a "real individual" designed it.

$625.? Give me a break! It's a friggin' bookshelf.

Love the design. It's overpriced, though. Especially since you can see the screws.

Nice design, love this!

absolutely lovely.

I also think that the design could be cleaned up a bit, although the basic idea is great. As for the photos of the designers, that just seems self-indulgent and unnecessary to me. Sure, some designers, like Karim Rashid or Jonathan Adler, put themselves front and center, but most designers don't, and it seems strange that this contest requires everyone to do so. I think we should judge the work, plain and simple.

Loved it as soon as I saw it. Then I saw the price and got sad. Warning Jason: Somebody is gonna copy this at a lower price point. And that bottom shelf is bowing. I think I'd still like this with an internal support, so maybe a little re-jiggering...

Love love love everything about it. The color is great and it's not like you couldn't alter it.

Who cares about the designer picture? I agree with cvjn- it humanizes the design and puts a face on a creation!

I would love this in my house!

It really is beautiful and I love the color. Plus, instead of using the lower shelves for oversize books, you could use them for your upcoming readings queue.

Is it just me or in the first pic, did he forget to paint the side edge of the bottom shelf??

This is almost stupid simple--wish I'd thought of it! Well done. Available in multiple widths?

Hi this is Jason Neufeld, I'm the designer of these shelves. For the record the bottom shelf is not bowing - I just double checked with a long straight edge ruler to make sure.

I guess it is a photography issue. But thanks to all for pointing it out in this photo. I will take a new shot for my website (if I can convince my girlfriend to walk back and forth in that cute outfit again)!

Are you kidding me? how would this thing be shipped? In a thousand pieces to assemble? Maybe i'm totally missing the point but it looks like a bunch of screwed together 1x1 with MDF for the shelving. Would this be available in different lengths, or just hold your breath that whoever built your house/apartment/condo/mud shack actually got the rough in right so you actually have a stud to screw into. With that much weight and only two points to screw into the wall you certainly couldnt go with a zipit/molly/toggle/whatever your choice as it would peel right through the drywall.
Looks like something one could do in middle school wood shop with about 30 bucks in pine and some stain from Home Depot.

awesome!

looks fabulous!

very cool Jason! I love seeing your amazing talent.

Good job Jason! Is the bookcase attached with just one butterfly molly on each end? All other joints are glued and screwed? What adhesive did you use? It would be interesting to know the total weight of all the books you have on each shelf. Have fun ken

Nice work, Jason.
This makes for a very clean and beautiful presentation of handsome objects.
I have experienced myself bowing of straight lines with my camera from certain angles, and it can be a frustrating photographical experience. I'm sure you'll work it out, with or without your girlfriend's ambulatory embellishments.
Keep up the good work.

Very nice work. I like the clean straight lines and the efficient use of wall space. I checked out some of the designer's other work on his link http://www.jasonneufeld.com/furniture.html
His clean style and consistant use of simple straight forms is beautiful. I guess some of them are probably pretty complex, but the beauty lies in the simple understated look of the work. Clean and simple. An original hand-made object has much more intrinsic value than any mass-produced product from Ikea or CB2. If you want cookie-cutter items that are probably manufactured in China...well...I guess you get what you pay for...

A talking piece in anyone's home. Puts all the bookshelves sold in the high street shops to shame. Well done to the designer...I'll take two.

It seems that the designers in the running to win this contest are calling on all their friends to leave positive comments. I do like this project, but I'm bothered by some of the overly positive comments above (and on some of the other entries) that just signed up and only gloat about their friend's project.