The modern urbanite will move an average of 16 times in their lifetime. That's an average of once every five years if we assume that people move systematically — but I am going to venture to guess that most of the moving will take place during early adulthood. The following shelving options not only travel well, but are also beautiful, modular, and versatile enough to fit into any room.
Perhaps one of the most versatile of the bunch, the Mutto Stacked Shelf System will grow or shrink to meet any of your needs. The design is quite simple, and that is exactly where its beauty lies. The "building blocks" come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. They can be arranged randomly, or systematically and are secured with a clip for added stability.
The Circus shelf has garnered lots of attention in the last couple of months, and rightly so. The shelf comes in three sizes (one, two, or three shelves), and will fit well into any modern apartment. The wire cages plug easily into the pine shelves, which means easy assembly and disassembly — no tools needed!
Clearly resembling our beloved Tetris, the Tetrad Shelving Unit is quirky, beautiful, and versatile. But more importantly, come moving day, it will easily come apart and fit into the most compact of moving trucks.
Interesting, durable, and stackable, CB2's Hive Storage Unit is great in any room. Stack a few to form a display shelf, or buy a couple and use them in the living room as magazine racks, or in the kitchen to hold nicknacks. Oh, and lets not forget: it's from CB2, so it won't break the bank.
Lastly, Muuto's OTO 100 Storage System is clearly unique. Its round shelves in varying sizes will hold your most precious books, and collectibles, and will bring a modern edge to your room, all the while keeping the look soft. And like the other shelving units in this list, the OTO 100 Storage System can be assembled and disassembled very easily, and can be arranged into many formations.
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Being an earthquake-conscious person, that first picture makes me a little nervous. I'd hope if it's used for a room divider in that way that it's secured to the walls or ceiling somehow. It's cool-looking though!
That figure just doesn't apply to New Yorkers...once they find a great pad, they NEVER move. LoL!
I want the Tetris one. I can't help it.
I would love to add to the list blu dot's shilf. I love the look of it.
I think the Tetris one is awesome but $700 per piece?! If I had $7k to spend on that shelving, I'd be putting it towards a down payment on a house so I would never have to move again!
These remind me a bit of a much more affordable version I have been seeing on Chicago Craiglist for quite some time -- apparently a guy in Pilsen makes them. I probably sound like a shill (I'm not!) -- but these seem very cute/useful for the money:
http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/fuo/1945034090.html
@outonalimb -- got some stuff from him & it was very reasonable for the price. Probably the finishing would be better on a commercial piece, but it's funny you mentioned that, cause I'm thinking of having him do a media center thing.
I would assemble the Tetris one with lots of holes in it, like how it looks when I play Tetris. More shelving room that way!
@outonalimb_09 & josie6
Got any more detail on this guy, like the usual search term one can find him by? That post has expired and "tetris" got my no relevant hits. :(
@ lepidoptery -- try searching for "Pilsen" and "designer". He lives in Pilsen and seems to refer to himself as a "Chicago designer" in all the ads he posts.
@Josie -- thanks for posting the feedback on him -- I had wondered if his quality was OK.
Love the OTO unit, but the academic in me wants to snatch those books away and shelve them upright on a flat surface. The curved shelf is awful for the bindings and will wreck your books in no time.