Bookcases and shelving systems that evolve with your home

One of our favourite reissues from this year's 3 Days of Design was the late Danish designer Mogens Koch’s MK Bookcase System, originally designed for his own home in 1928. Nearly a century on, and Danish heritage brand Fredericia reintroduces the modular classic with the blessing of Koch’s family, honouring his precise geometry and adding the brand’s signature craftsmanship. Handcrafted in solid oak with maple trays.

Known for its precise office shelving systems for brands like Herman Miller, Industrial Facility was a natural choice when &Tradition set out to create its first modular shelving product. With 'Rombe', the London-based studio blended utilitarian function with softened lines for a more domestic feel. Named after the rhomboid shape of its steel frame, the system is cleverly designed: it assembles with a single allen key (neatly hidden in the top bracket), shelves lift out easily, and can be slotted into 20 different positions. Since the system doesn’t touch the wall, it accommodates skirting, sockets and radiators with ease.

Introduced as part of the Japanese brand's 2025 collection, Time & Style's 'Grid' shelf transforms walls into architectural features. Made from solid oak – available in a beeswax or tannin black finish –  its minimalist, modular grid can be configured in multiple ways, offering both form and flexibility. Slim panels showcase the wood’s natural grain and knots, bringing warmth and rhythm to any space, whether used for books, objects or as a sculptural piece in its own right.

'Keen' is a new modular shelving system by Linda Korndal’s studio, Toko Among Friends, marking her first collaboration with GUBI. Previewed at the brand’s vast Nordhavn showroom during 3 Days of Design 2025, we liked the way it retains an expressive character despite its modular logic. Designed to grow with its user, the system expands vertically and horizontally via a clever rod-and-bracket structure, appearing just as sculptural and complete as a compact unit as it does when fully extended. There are seven core modules, with frame finishes in black brass or satin stainless steel, and shelves in tinted glass, stained ash or FSC-certified ALPI veneer.

For a company with as iconic a product as String, change doesn’t come quickly – or lightly. Designed by architects Nisse and Kajsa Strinning in 1949, the String System has earned its reputation through quiet evolution, not reinvention. Even the introduction of a new colour can take years of consideration.

In 2025, for the first time since warm beige was added to the palette in 2019, a new tone joins the line-up: Dark Grey. Developed for its timeless elegance and ability to pair beautifully with natural wood finishes like ash, oak, and walnut, the new colour brings a sense of balance and depth to the modular system.

One of HAY’s earliest designs, the 'Woody' shelves have been given a gentle update – refining the construction and expanding the finish options while staying true to the original’s pared-back charm. With its simple frame and industrial spirit, the renewed version now comes with shelves in either glass or powder-coated steel. Still flat-packed, still functional, and just as at home in a living room as a studio or workspace.

More than just a shelving system, 'Rasters' is a new collection of modular cabinets and paravents by Muller Van Severen and OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen for Spanish brand BD Barcelona.

Debuted at 3 Days of Design 2025, the system's structure is based on an industrial architectural grid, reworked in natural varnished beech for a lighter environmental footprint. Veneered beech MDF shelves and powder-coated steel elements complete the construction, with black polyamide connectors allowing for flexible, horizontal expansion.

Designed for home, work, or hybrid spaces, 'Rasters' balances clean geometry with Muller Van Severen’s signature use of bold colour – combining function, durability, and sculptural appeal.

A Milan Design Week 2025 debut, FF. Spine celebrates the artistry of Cassina's joinery workshop. Designed by Formafantasma, the design highlights the structural beauty of solid wood, drawing on archetypal forms to create something quietly confident. In the designers’ words: 'timeless, archetypal, and a celebration of wood.'

As with all of Formafantasma's work, FF. Spine aims to tread lightly on the planet. Crafted from a variety of solid wood elements – each with distinct veining and cuts – the modular system makes thoughtful use of the entire tree trunk, maximising material efficiency and honouring the value of the resource. Available as a bookcase or wall-mounted shelf.

Dieter Rams’ mantra of ‘as little design as possible’ is perfectly embodied in the '606 Universal Shelving System', the ultimate modular design. Designed in 1960 and produced by Vitsoe ever since, this wall-mounted system adapts to any space and can be fitted with a range of components – from desks and drawers to sloping shelves and bookends.

Made in Vitsoe’s Leamington Spa factory using recyclable aluminium, steel and compostable wood, the shelves are designed for longevity, flexibility, and ease of repair. Assembled with mechanical joints, the system is easy to put together and take apart, and available in off-white, black or silver.

The '606' remains a benchmark for sustainable, functional design – true to Vitsoe’s ethos of ‘living better, with less, that lasts longer.’

Versatile, customisable, enduring – the 'USM Haller' storage system embodies the modular ethos of its maker, Swiss family-run company USM. Designed in the early 1960s by architect Fritz Haller, the system was born out of necessity: after Haller designed USM’s offices, company director Paul Schaerer asked him to create a bespoke furniture solution to match. The result was a now-iconic system that translated Haller’s modular architecture into furniture form.

Originally created for the workplace, 'USM Haller' has since expanded into homes, with configurations for shelving, cabinets, desks, TV units and accessories in a spectrum of colours. Recent updates include integrated lighting, charging ports, and even display components for house plants.