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London Design Guide 2010: destination shops

9 October 2009

“In our age of built-in obsolescence, disposability and short attention spaces, it is a miracle to find a company that has sustained a successful business from a single design for more than 50 years. That product is the 606 Universal Shelving System by the legendary German design Dieter Rams.

The story goes that Danish furniture entrepreneur Niels Vitsœ and German furniture-maker Otto Zapf teamed up with Rams when he was only 28. The result was this fully modular system of aluminium tracks that support shelves, cabinets and a table. The components lock together and can be easily moved, repaired, altered or updated as needed – like a kit of parts.

The secret of its success comes down to the fact that design is unobtrusively stylish, unquestionably functional and limitless in its configuration. But it’s just shelving, I hear you mutter. Indeed it is, but when you really start to investigate, you quickly realise that most systems pose limitations. And if the don’t, they are often very ugly. If you don’t believe me, visit this Vitsœ showroom, bizarrely located in a warehouse-like building, and you’ll soon be converted.

The company slogan – ‘live better with less that lasts longer’ – seems incredibly prescient as society is now waking up to the fact that we should invest in quality with longevity. If you buy into this way of thinking, check out Vitsœ’s 620 chair, also by Rams.”

By Max Fraser

Flick to page 157 in the guide to find us.

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