I told you all about my home office inspiration in my last post and the String shelving system was at the top of my temptation list. String is the original shelving system designed by the Swedish architect Nils Strinning in 1949. He was one of the leading mid-twentieth century designers who built the foundation of what we now call ‘Scandinavian design’.

And guess what? I’ve just started my collection! I call it a collection because that is how I see it: there is no way we could afford to buy a whole wall of String immediately but you can start off small and add to it over time. That is the beauty of it; when more shelf space is needed, simply add an additional side panel and some shelves. As well as shelves there are cabinets with sliding doors, cabinets with drawers, a desk surface, magazine rack and a new folding table. All of the different components fit together and can be repositioned and the dimensions of the system have not changed since 1949. Let’s put it this way, Jules is never going to struggle to work out what to buy me for my birthday from now on.

I’m currently waiting for our order from Haus and I know Skandium also stock String. In the meantime, I wanted to share some shelf styling ideas as I know that can be a bit of a stumbling block for a lot of us (or is that just me?)…

Kitchen

String shelving can look stream lined and clean in the kitchen and works just as well housing functional kitchen pieces or for displaying your favourite crockery.

Image from Simply Grove.

Image from Delikatissen.

Pocket String

If you want to start off small, the Pocket String is the perfect place to begin. They come in lots of different colours too.

Sold at Skandium for £113.

Office

String is perfect for a home office as you can choose the configuration to suit your exact needs.

Image from Haus.

Image from Story North.

Living room

The String system will make anything you need to store look better (or just hide it away in the sleek cupboards).

Image from Desire To Inspire

Image from Haus.

Children’s room

The system works really well in a child’s room as it is extremely functional, robust and comes in colours to suit any surroundings.

Image from Petits Petits Tresors.

Can not wait for mine to arrive!!!

Katy x

A couple of weeks ago Jules and I trotted off to the Grand Designs Live show on a Sunday afternoon as I was kindly invited by John Lewis. He spent most of the afternoon looking at gadgets, we both had a fifteen minute massage in the £3000 massage chairs (they are surprisingly good and now Jules wants one for his office) and I poked around all the room sets.

Here are my top three picks from the show and some new products that I discovered and now want!

1. Ikea

When you get that ‘I’m totally done with Ikea’ feeling, along comes a new range or product that sucks you right back in. The new Fabrikor metal and glass cabinet, in the corner of this creative room set within the exhibition, is my new object of desire.

Fabrikor cabinet from Ikea £150.

2. Joined and Jointed

The best discovery I made at the show was Joined and Jointed. I am now totally in love with their beautifully crafted wooden furniture with a mid-century vibe. I nearly bought one of their desks there and then (you get large discounts on most of the products at this type of show) until Jules reminded me that we actually haven’t got enough room for a new desk. Gutted.

Homestation desk in Oak from Joined and Jointed £495.

3. John Lewis

John Lewis is my absolute ‘go-to’ for almost everything (I walk past it on the way to and from work everyday so I pretty much live in there). They were showcasing their fitted kitchens and large appliances at the show, as well as celebrating 150 years in the business. I loved their recreation of a kitchen they sold in the 1950’s and wish they still sold it! The kitchen was also scattered with retro accessories and my favourite was the steel bread bin that they are selling as part of their 150 years celebration; they have collaborated with longstanding suppliers to create some unique and exclusive commemorative products.

Wensco Steel Grandy bread bin from John Lewis £79.95.

What do you think about my top picks? Tempted by any of them?

Thanks again to John Lewis for the tickets.

Katy x