What you normally look for in a bookshelf is functionality over form. You need something where you can store your books and decorations. But sometimes, you also need something that looks good and will show off just some of your selected titles. For that, you can choose some kind of unique design that will make it not just a piece of furniture but a decorative showcase for your favorite books. The Zipper Bookshelf is one such creative execution for a metal bookshelf.
Designer: Deniz Aktay
The Germany-based designer thought of creating a bookshelf that can represent the analogy of opening a book “where the pages diverge”. For this, he got inspiration from an unlikely source: the zipper. The bottom of the structure starts out simply enough with some regular-looking shelves that will fit some thin books or at least one thick coffee table book. It then breaks apart as you go to the top and open up, just like you would a zipper.
The top can display your books like they were on tree branches, positioning it in a “special” way, not just in a box-like regular shelf. This “dissolving wall” type of design actually makes the shelf lighter as it gets to the top. This actually gives you a little more space for more books at the “branches” as compared to the thin shelves at the bottom. Even though the shelves are bending, it still seems pretty stable as well, most likely because of the heavy core which prevents it from falling over.
The Zipper Bookshelf has a minimalistic metal aesthetic and also gives a pop of color. The concept renders show an orange metal finish but there will probably be other colors available as well. I will not mind having a bookshelf like this if it eventually becomes an actual product and show off some of my best books.
