The Chuck, a Red Dot winning bookshelf, ticks all my boxes for innovation and design. It’s simple in its construction, easy to use, fun to interact with.

You can store books/media of different types and sizes, has the capacity to look strikingly different every time you make a change to it, and is very capable of being the most interesting piece of furniture in your room. With two metal members on either side holding together six strips of wooden veneer, the Chuck bends and flexes as you place books on/between the veneer sheets, creating undulating waves of wood that store your books, CDs, plaques, and objets d’art.

The way these items are placed on the wooden slats affects the overall form of the bookshelf, literally turning it into an installation that transcends traditional furniture, and that’s unique to your arrangement style. Items can be placed vertically, or horizontally, or sometimes even diagonally on Chuck, giving you the freedom to express yourself not only with your book collection, but also with the way you arrange them. The Chuck also has no defined constraints for how big or small the books need to be, giving you more freedom and flexibility (literally too) to use the storage it provides, and in doing so, create a piece of art from a humble piece of furniture!

Designer: Natascha Harra-Frischkorn