String
Furniture
1949-Now
Three simple elements changed the walls of the world for good. Behind this timeless Scandinavian design were architects, Nisse and Kajsa Strinning: a couple like no other.
First came books
In the mid-20th Century, Swedes bought a lot of books. Lots and lots of books. But where to keep them? In 1949, one of Sweden’s largest publishers, Bonniers Folkbibliotek, launched a design competition. The challenge was to make an affordable, wall-mounted, expandable bookshelf with at least two metres of shelf space
Then came String®
Without hesitation, Nisse and Kajsa submitted their design….and won first prize. Soon, their String® shelves also began to win a place in Swedish hearts and homes. In less than a year, they’d sold 40,000.
International notoriety
The popularity of String® continued to the world’s most discerning walls, spreading across Europe, the United States and South America.
Changing tastes
In the 1970s, enthusiasm for String® briefly waned. People were more attracted to modern, disposable products. A far cry from the durable String® system that could be passed down from generation to generation, and used in every room of the home.
Modernism makes a comeback
In the early 1980s, furniture enthusiasts and auction houses noticed an incoming revival of modernism. In 1985, Swedish auction house, Bukowskis gambled on it and held a Nisse Strinning exhibition. Its success confirmed String® had reached iconic status among collectors of classic designs.
The next chapter
Fast forward to November 2004, when Peter Erlandsson and Pär Josefsson – two young entrepreneurs and design enthusiasts – tracked down String®’s original creators and convinced them to go back into business. The Strinnings agreed, believing in Peter and Pär’s vision for the future of String® .
Reaching a new generation
Fifty years after its first success, Peter and Pär introduced String® to a whole new generation of design enthusiasts. They presented a contemporary, all-white version of the classic system at the Swedish design event, H05. It was a hit.
String’s
legacy lives on.
Nisse and Kajsa are no longer with us, but their famous shelving system lives on, endlessly reinvented as it passes from one generation to the next. We think they'd be pleased to know, although the colour, material and accessory choice is wider today, the basic construction remains identical to their original napkin sketch. And hasn't lost its appeal. String® is now sold in 48 countries around the world.
