There are a few classic designs that most people don't know about which cause them to want to break their budget when they discover them. Every client I have introduced Vitsoe shelving to has wanted to use it, even after they realized how expensive it was. Most of them were able to jigger their budget to pull it off. The rest? They're waiting.
...Or buying the imitations like Elfa, Atlas and Rakks (all good in their own way).
Vitsoe is the name for the shelving system designed by Dieter Rams in 1960, which has launched a thousand copies and been in continuous production ever since. Imported from Europe, it's super minimal and melts into the wall, allowing you to show off only the books or accessories on your shelves. If you keep your books neat, it also minimizes visual clutter and can really open up a space.
Vitsoe opened their first independent US showroom in NYC last month, which makes it easier to find, price and buy. It is expensive, but you can buy pieces slowly to build your system and you can always take it with you, since it will mount on to any wall and can be rearranged in nearly any configuration. It can be shelves, file cabinets, drawers and/or desk; you choose. Oh, and they also say they're working on bringing the price down.
In addition to the new NoHo showroom, Vitsoe systems and accessories can be purchased through their website.
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Comments (8)
There's nothing inherently "pricey" about producing modular shelving-- if anything, you'd expect it to be cheaper than traditional furniture, not more expensive.
Even though Elfa's affordable, it's no bargain for the quality-- who wants melamine furniture except those too young to know any better?
As for Atlas-- HA! Affordable option? A single steel standard costs over $500! Individual shelves cost $200-$400, cabinet pieces are a couple of thousand each!
I agree with the comments above. Modular should be more affordable. Maybe it's all the European shipping... but still. What type of price point is Vitsoe if Atlas et. al. are $500 for a single bar?
Vitsoe wouldn't be so ridiculously priced if it weren't for the strength of the UK pound. If I was living in the UK and getting paid in UKP, I'd start stocking up on it.
As it is, I have a Rakks system, installed by the lovely people at Shelf Shop on the Upper East Side. I love it, and it was totally affordable - insofar as ten or so linear feet of 9' high shelving can ever be affordable.
I'm surprised to hear that people like it that much? There are so many beautiful vintage cado systems in teak and rosewood that are much more affordable.
Elfa is great - inside closets - and it lasts forever.
I love the drawers in this system - but the prices are simply insane.
Part of that is the weakness of the dollar, but, still...
Great article Maxwell. Thank you for such a well written piece.
I hear the comments about the cost and, now that we are in NY, hope that we can begin to change this. Customers now pay direct to us in the UK which means that there is no sales tax! That was 8.875% straight away.
I'd love to hear more comments, so please feel free to email me.
Daniel (daniel.nelson@vitsoe.com)
People always seem to comment on how expensive Vitsoe is, but they forget that in the 1960's, before the era of disposable furniture, it was significantly less expensive than traditional furniture. The same is still true. Compare a wall of Vitsoe to a wall of shelving from Henredon or Drexel and you would find that it is much less expensive than traditional options.
The irony is that the modernist pieces designed to offer an affordable, honest alternative have now become aspirational. Oddly, the old value proposition still holds. An Eames LCW is a third the price of a side chair from Drexel; it only seems expensive in the modern world where furniture is not a once-in-a-lifetime purchase.
Exactly! These are once-in-a-lifetime quality pieces. They are not expensive at all, if you think of them this way. Not sure how Elfa got into this thread, it's an apples and oranges situation.