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SHIFT: A Flexible Shelf System by LAYER for Kvadrat Made From Upcycled Textiles

04.09.18 | By
SHIFT: A Flexible Shelf System by LAYER for Kvadrat Made From Upcycled Textiles

What happens when Benjamin Hubert’s LAYER partners with upcycled textile maker Really? An extremely clever, flexible shelving system for textile manufacturer Kvadrat called SHIFT. The wall system quickly goes from a flat acoustic panel to a display shelf in seconds making it perfect for retail spaces, exhibitions, or openings when display areas need to be changed up.

LAYER enlisted Danish company Really’s Solid Textile Board, a material made from upcycled waste textiles produced by the fashion and textile industries. Much like SHIFT transforms its state from wall panel to shelf, Really takes recycled textiles and turns them into solid, usable materials.

SHIFT uses no hardware in its construction because it machines grooves into the boards to make them flexible. With the grooves in place, the board moves much like a piece of fabric would.

The shelf brackets have miter kerfs that allow them to rotate out and support the shelf from underneath.

When not in use, the flat shelf becomes an acoustic wall held down by magnets to helps dampen sound in the surrounding space.

SHIFT didn’t come about easily as it took over six months and ten prototypes to get it right, but the results are a timeless shelving system made from a super recycled material.

SHIFT is available in four colors – blue (from recycled denim), white (from recycled hospital bed sheets), yellow, and grey, that come in various sizes and configurations.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.