The Daily Valet. - 5/6/23, Saturday
✔️ Weekend Reading: The Smartest Furniture You Can Buy
Weekend of May 6th
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
Shape-shifting furniture is the best kind of furniture. Let me tell you why.
Weekend Reading
The Smartest Furniture You Can Buy
Modular pieces allow you to switch it up with countless configurations
When you think of “investment pieces” for your home, you probably think about pricey objects that take center stage in a room. Maybe an oversized dining table or a leather lounge chair? Perhaps even a piece of art. Something that costs a lot and we wouldn't want to part with. The trouble is, as we move through life and our homes change shape, size and style, those pieces don't always work anymore.Which is why we see modular furniture as the smartest investment that you can buy. Why? They offer serious returns (to keep the investment analogy going). Especially when you live in a city, where space is at a premium, these cleverly designed pieces are engineered to be configured and reconfigured in a myriad of ways to suit the specific needs of your home. Why commit to a left- or right-hand sectional, when these modulars can be easily separated and swapped? Even if you stay in the same place, you can always break it down and reassemble it in a new way, offering a whole new vibe with zero dollars spent. Now that's smart investing.What modular piece is right for you? It all depends on your needs. Do you like to spread out on a cozy couch? Consider a sofa with a chaise attachment. Are you the type that has a ton of books or other items to display? A quality modular shelving unit can house any collection while looking like a design object itself. There are a bevy of options on the market today, so we pulled the coolest pieces at the moment in a variety of price points to help get you started. But how you configure them is completely up to you.
The Best Modular Furniture
Designed by the legendary Dieter Rams, this midcentury shelving system lives up to its icon status. The 606 system is extremely customizable—which is why you see it in so many different interiors. From a single ledge to a whole library of mixed drawers, integrated desks and shelves, there's no wrong way to style this system. Of course, the real beauty is its no-tools-necessary assembly once the the support tracks are up on the wall.
$1,395 by Vitsœ
If you want shelving with a little more warmth, consider the Royal System, by Danish inventor Poul Cadovius. The shelving unit was first designed in 1948, but reintroduced (to great fanfare) in 2014. Owner of more than 400 patents, Cadovius was a self-taught inventor who constantly sought smarter solutions for everything from furniture to bus shelters. He devised this ingenious wall-mounted shelving system—crafted from walnut wood and raw brass hangers—to save floor space in order to make rooms (be it entryways, offices and living rooms) feel bigger.
From $1,395 by Poul Cadovius
Most modular pieces are for living rooms or bedrooms, but this clever system of metal shelving saves space and elevates your essentials in the kitchen. Build it as large or as small as you need, in order to display dishes, store cookbooks and keep spices and other items within reach. Crafted from solid steel, it comes with all the necessary hanging hardware and, bonus, it's all on sale right now, too.
From $200 / $99.99 by West Elm
Who says all modular furniture has to look similar? If you want something truly eye-catching, these concrete cubes offer storage on top of style. The entire set (two small squares and three large rectangles) can be worked and reworked in several ways to accommodate up to 11 different display spaces. It's particularly nice as a hifi unit, with ample room for your record player and vinyl collection (about a hundred records can fit in each small cube and 200 in the large ones).
$1,955 by Industry West
This might be the most customizable modular set-up of all time. The iconic design—a mix of sleek metal side panels and elegant shelves, drawers, cabinets and tabletops—was designed by Nils Strinning in 1949. To help you plan your set-up, you can use String Furniture's online tool to build (and price out) your own system. Just know that you could lose hours getting lost in all the configuration options. But boy is it fun.
From $80 by String Furniture
Modern and low-profile, the Solae sofa collection is a super soft seating option that's upholstered in luxe Italian-tanned leather and finished with tactile French seams. Because it's endlessly adaptable, it will always be in style and can suit a number of different seating arrangements. Go big with a full corner sofa and an integrated storage unit or simply opt for a sleek left or right sectional.
From $699 by Article
This wide table from Floyd is constructed with a solid wood frame and durable plywood, then finished with a beautiful, high-grade walnut veneer. Designed to accompany the brand's sectional as an in-line unit or stand on its own as a coffee or side table. The smaller version can even be stacked to make a larger piece.
From $860 by Floyd
Burrow is one of the best-known modern brands for modular pieces, and for good reason. The brand's pieces are as well-made and durable as they are stylish. And they're extremely easy to put together (and rearrange) thanks to a system of latches on the bottom of each component. The designs are made from sustainable materials, and they ship for free in lightweight, easy-to-carry boxes. The Range line can be configured as small as a love seat, all the way up to an ultra-wide corner sofa with an attached side table.
From $835 by Burrow
Like LEGO
Two eight-stud LEGO bricks can be combined in 24 different ways and three eight-stud LEGO bricks can be combined in 1,060 ways. Six eight-stud LEGO bricks can be combined 915,103,765 different ways.
