TAF Studio’s Gabriella Lenke and Mattias Ståhlbom designed the minimalist and versatile Relief storage system for the Swedish brand String Furniture. The design duo aimed to create a foundational piece as versatile and essential as a white T-shirt – always practical, always combinable.
THE SWEDISH COMPANY String Furniture is heralded for its world-renowned storage systems that assemble into stylish and adaptable shelving solutions for various home spaces. Now, the company has taken a step further, ‘coming off the wall’ to unveil the new collection Relief – its first freestanding furniture series – at the Stockholm Furniture Fair in February 2024.
The understatedly minimalist Relief chest of drawers, helmed by Stockholm-based Gabriella Lenke and Mattias Ståhlbom of TAF Studio, introduces three different drawer elements. Like building blocks, they can be combined into various shapes and sizes for storage solutions – a bedroom dresser, a children’s toy chest, an entryway clutter keeper, or a living room divider.
Gabriella and Mattias, what were your starting points in designing this new series?
Gabriella: “Initially, we thought about a dresser for the bedroom, but soon realized the furniture could transform to fit other spaces in the home as well.”
Mattias: “We aimed to create a universal staple like the T-shirt: practical, always needed, and something that can be paired with almost anything.”
What did you focus on particularly when designing the series?
Gabriella: “It was important to us that the chests of drawers look good from every angle. The materials and colors are consistent inside and out, front and back, and even the handles are matched in the same hue. It’s polished from all viewpoints, so it can confidently sit at the center of a room as a divider.
We also carefully considered how the elements connect to form larger units. We designed two different leg solutions: a simple plinth base and sleeker tube legs, which, when joining two units, only require one in the middle, preventing a forest of legs underneath.”
What was the most challenging part of the design process?
Mattias: “We spent a lot of time perfecting the furniture’s proportions and the thickness of materials. Even a millimeter’s change can alter the outcome significantly. We’ve juggled sturdiness and quality with the desire for a lighter look. Too thick, and you lose storage space and gain a headache in transportation.
“Even a millimeter’s change can alter the outcome significantly.”
The units are shipped flat-pack, so ease of assembly was key. Yet, we wanted the structures hidden, presenting a sharp, minimalist exterior.”
Could you tell us about the color options of the drawers?
Gabriella: “There are five color options. The base tones are dark grey, white, a slightly broken light beige, a bright playful orange accent, and ash veneer. The colors are also echoed in the accompanying series of coat racks. We plan to introduce new colors to the collection in the future. The use of color in decorating seems to be on the rise today.”
How did you come to design a chest of drawers for String in the first place?
Mattias: “Our paths first crossed when we designed furniture for the renovated Nationalmuseum’s restaurant in Stockholm in 2016. We collaborated with String to create a small metal Museum wall shelf for sculptures. A year later, we designed an extension, the Museum side table, and later a candle holder.”
• Read the story: TAF Studio’s Museum side table keeps your belongings on a pedestal >
Gabriella: “The collaboration continued with the Relief project. Working with String was seamless, as we were already familiar with the company, its people, and its practices. The process was also facilitated by the fact that production is local, as all String furniture is made in Sweden.”
What other design tasks have you had on your desk recently?
Gabriella: “We run a small five-person office and work across disciplines. We do a lot of furniture and lighting design and are currently working on new products for Artek – we’ve collaborated with them previously on the Atelier chair and the Kori lighting series.
• Read the story: The modern Kori lamps designed by TAF Studio pay homage to Artek’s past >
Another important part of our work is exhibition design. We just completed an exhibition for the Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum featuring winners of the Bruno Mathsson Award. Our latest partner is Swedish fabric manufacturer Svensson, for whom we’ve designed fair stands and showrooms, and now for the first time, fabrics.”
Discover the Relief series
See also:
• String Furniture’s Relief collection >
• All designs by TAF Studio >
Text: Anna-Kaisa Huusko Images: String Furniture and TAF Studio