Shelving System by Kajsa & Nils Nisse Strinning for String, 1950s

About This Piece

Vintage Design

Original String shelf designed in 1949 by Nils Strinning in ash veneer. The system consists of eight metal ladders in black with eight shelves, a magazine rack, a container with four drawers and a door, a container with sliding doors, a container with a folding door and three internal drawers.

This original String shelf is significantly better made and of better quality than many wall shelves that came onto the market in the 50s/60s.

Quality features:

high quality veneer
2 cm thick shelves made of blockboard that prevent bending
Stable holders on the shelves that compensate for slight unevenness
stable ladders
galvanized solid wood drawers
Made in Sweden. Manufacturer: String Design, Designer: Nils Strinning

Shelves: W 78 cm, H 2 cm, D 30 cm
Bottom container: W 78 cm, H 42 cm, D 30 cm
Magazine rack: W 78 cm, H 25 cm, D 30 cm

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Creator	Kajsa & Nils "Nisse" Strinning
Manufacturer	String
Design Period	1950 to 1959
Production Period	Unknown, 1950 to 1959
Country of Manufacture	Sweden
Identifying Marks	This piece has been attributed based on archival documentation, such as vintage catalogs, designer records, or other literature sources
Style	Midcentury
Detailed Condition	Restored — This vintage/antique item is in very good condition because it has been refreshed through new upholstery and/or refinishing.
Restoration and Damage Details	Light wear consistent with age and use, Completely restored, Good restored condition with slight signs of wear
SKU	GPP-2036837
Materials	Metal, Ash
Color	Black, brown
Width	238 cm 238 cm
Depth	30 cm 30 cm
Height	167 cm 167 cm
Weight Range	Standard — Between 40kg and 80kg

Shipping & Delivery

Ships from	Germany
Returns	Returns accepted within fourteen days of delivery, except for Made-to-order items

Sustainability

Carbon Neutral	For every purchase made, Pamono offsets 100% of estimated carbon emissions from global shipping.
Vintage	Choosing vintage and antique furniture reduces your carbon footprint by cutting down on waste and reduces demand for new materials and extends the life of the products we use.

Delivery Options

Front Door Delivery: (Included in Every Order)	A skilled driver will unload the item(s) from the delivery truck and bring it to your building’s doorstep. You will be responsible for further transport beyond that point. We recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand; alternatively, you may upgrade to In-Home Delivery (see below). The delivery partner will email and/or call you at least one day in advance to arrange a delivery time. A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection. Item will be left in its packaging after delivery. A signature will be required upon delivery.
In-Home Delivery: (For in-home delivery service, additional fees apply. Please get in touch)	A skilled driver or a team of two will bring your item(s) inside your home and place it in the immediate entryway. For unusually large or heavy items, we recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand, as we cannot send more than 2 drivers. The delivery partner will email and/or call you one day in advance to arrange a delivery time. A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection. Item will be left in its packaging after delivery. A signature will be required upon delivery.

Front Door Delivery:
(Included in Every Order)

A skilled driver will unload the item(s) from the delivery truck and bring it to your building’s doorstep. You will be responsible for further transport beyond that point. We recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand; alternatively, you may upgrade to In-Home Delivery (see below).
The delivery partner will email and/or call you at least one day in advance to arrange a delivery time.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

In-Home Delivery:
(For in-home delivery service, additional fees apply. Please get in touch)

A skilled driver or a team of two will bring your item(s) inside your home and place it in the immediate entryway. For unusually large or heavy items, we recommend asking a family member or friend for an extra hand, as we cannot send more than 2 drivers.
The delivery partner will email and/or call you one day in advance to arrange a delivery time.
A wooden crate may be used for intercontinental shipments for maximum protection.
Item will be left in its packaging after delivery.
A signature will be required upon delivery.

*Important Note

Please examine every order upon delivery. In the event that there are visible signs of damage or missing or incorrect pieces, please indicate the problem on the Delivery Note and contact us within 48 hours of delivery. A signed delivery receipt without notations of missing, damaged, or incorrect item(s) represents your acceptance of the complete order in perfect condition.

About the Creator

Kajsa & Nils "Nisse" Strinning

Swedish architect-designer Nils "Nisse" Strinning (1917-2006) is best known for his minimalist and cost-effective String Bookshelf System and his versatile designs in plastic.

Born in Kramfors in 1917, Strinning studied architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (KTH) from 1940 until 1947. As a student, he—along with the Swedish engineer Arne Lydmar—conceived a way of coating steel wire with plastic. Using this method, Strinning designed the Elfa Dish Rack (1946), which found worldwide success decades later. Today, the dish rack is produced by the Swedish storage company of the same name.

In 1949, Strinning and his wife Kajsa, also sometimes written as Katja (b.1922 in Svanholm) designed a bookshelf for a contest initiated by Bonnier, Sweden’s largest publishing house. The super-simple design consisted of two plastic-coated metal wire “ladders” and three shelves. Among the 194 designs submitted from around the world, the String Bookshelf was chosen as the winner. An immediate success—as contemporary today as it was almost 70 years ago—String is an affordable, lightweight, easy-to-transport, and flexible system that expands to accommodate growing book collections. One of Scandinavia's most iconic designs, it has received more than 15 prestigious national and international awards, including the Gold Medal at Milan’s Triennale in 1954, and was acquisitioned into the Swedish National Museum's design collection in 1979.

In 1952, Strinning founded both String Design AB and Swedish Design AB. The following year, String Plex was launched, along with a standalone shelving system, which Strinning is rumored to never have liked. In 1955, the String Shelf was exhibited at the H55 Helsingborg Exhibition. Easily reproduced, it was subjected to flagrant copywriting. In 1961, Sweden’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of Strinning, and the shelf was patented.

Over the course of his career, Strinning and his wife designed a variety of plastic objects, such as the Vispi Bowl (1951), as well as other free-standing and wall-mounted shelves in various sizes, including the Kam Bookshelf (1968), which received the Excellent Swedish Design Award from Svensk Form in 1993.

Strinning passed away in 2006. His firm String Design AB has since moved headquarters to Malmö and continues to launch new products, including the String Office Range (2015), which received the German Design Award in 2016.

Images courtesy of String