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Agustav's Hanging Book Rack

Different thinking yields a minimal book shelf alternative

By Rain Noe - November 2, 2021

in Furniture Design

This seems like a design student project, but in fact it's in production:

Designed and manufactured in Iceland by design-build firm Agustav, the simply-named Book Rack is aimed at readers like my wife, who prefers to borrow books from the library rather than own, or like my friend Elaine, who gives away every book shortly after reading it to keep inventory low. (She picked up the habit because her job required her to move frequently.) It's also a handy object for those who read multiple books at once and want to keep them at hand.

The waxed cotton string serves as both the bookmark and the suspension element for the "shelf," the tiny wooden plate on the bottom. "The books rest on a small wooden plate so the pages stay intact," Agustav writes. "The plates can be moved back and forth on the bottom of the book to control the height of which the book hangs, making it possible to line different sized books up in a straight line."

It wouldn't work for me because I'm a book hoarder, but I greatly admire the different thinking here and the execution.

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Zach W

3 years ago

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I've always wanted a "minimal" bookshelf that actually takes up more space than a regular shelf, has a limit to how many book it can hold, and it looks to be a pain to put them away.
Also good thing it only works with thick books and certain size books. I hate storage solutions that fit anything....

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Nathan D.

3 years ago

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This looks like the book collection of a person who makes Belle & Sebastian mixtapes for 14 year olds.

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Jose Padilla

3 years ago

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I'm jealous I didn't come up with this myself....this is so clever, minimal and creative. Digging every bit of it. The best part is it is not just minimal, but can be made with the smallest scraps of wood. I'm going to have to make this for myself as a holiday gift.

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Scott Brown

3 years ago

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my librarian wife says "no way! keep your library books away from that thing!"

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