Rotterdam-based designer Reinier de Jong has designed an extending bookcase.
Called REK, the bookcase consists of five parts, which slide out to accommodate books in the resulting voids as the user accumulates them.
“REK is a bookcase that grows with your book collection. The more books, the bigger the bookcase,” explains de Jong.
The following information is from the designer:
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The zigzag shaped parts slide in and out of each other, providing as much space as needed. With REK there will be no silly sights of half an empty bookcase anymore because REK will always be full. Also with the different spaces that appear you can arrange your books according to their size.
The outside of REK is finished with white high gloss laminate. The inside is finished with another type of laminate, in this case warm grey satin.
design: Reinier de Jong
execution: Bom Interieurs
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Posted by Rose Etherington
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:47 pm
beautiful crafstmanship and great skills. i want one.
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:06 pm
where are the books?
as so often with these projects, we can’t see them actual being used..i would like to see bookcases with books, chairs with people sitting in them, architecture with people in it!
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
anyway, a very good-looking bookcase if you ask me!
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
This is nice!
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
SO COOL! I agree with stan though. Some of those look way too small to accommodate anything.
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I have to say, for once, this bookshelf inspires me. it’s different, original, and quite nice too.
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Very convenient when moving), be sure to find those guests who try to lay down when there will be things
December 3rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
looks good also in case you dont have any books. haha
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:00 pm
druhý obrázek - paráda!
second picture - goood!
super skládačka
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
good idea. i would like it in wood
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Very nice, but must weigh a ton…
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I want this bookshelf so badly. I haven’t seen a bookshelf I particularly liked in a long time.
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
not so sure about this one - there is an incredible redundancy in the material and why wouldn’t you just buy more pieces to add on as you need to expand? it’s got one clever idea, but it doesn’t seem (to me) to have been pushed as far as it could.
December 3rd, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Oh cool, now i know what i want to have for christmas!
December 3rd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Wow! The concept is so smart and simple. The shelves are beautiful too!
December 3rd, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Genial!!!
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:48 pm
It seems too bulky for the amount of books it can probably hold, although the idea of sliding into a skinnier box is cool.
It’s not for bookworms who run out of space in their rooms because of bookshelves, but I would buy it if I consider nice looking books and a bookshelf as decoration.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:06 pm
i’m gonna build one
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Where can you buy this wicked bookcase?
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Very beautiful. Doubt about it’s functionality
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:42 pm
very original!
beautifully made,
a pleasure to watch and to own!
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
I like how the pattern works both ways. I wouldn’t mind one of these.
Hate to know how much it is though, seeing as it is fairly simple.
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:50 pm
great design!
all his work is great by the way.
December 4th, 2008 at 6:32 am
useless!
who reads these days?
December 4th, 2008 at 6:50 am
Great design with a splendid craftmanship. In my opion, more of a conceptual beauty, than a practical one. Now, lets put some fruit onto the shelf and squeeze some fruit punch.
December 4th, 2008 at 7:52 am
i would doubt the utility of the bookshelf. the designer makes it collapsible to address space issues at the same time makes it amazingly bulky for its capacity. am impressed with its collapsible nature, but I hope it would have been supported by the later too. looks good nonetheless
December 4th, 2008 at 8:09 am
That would make my living room look so cool!! It is very nice!
December 4th, 2008 at 9:19 am
It’s obvious to anyone who has hefted piles of books that this is not in any way a practical bookshelf. However, what a magnificent motorized work of art it might be, imperceptibly expanding and contracting — in Frank Stella colors. Now we’re talking.
December 4th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Here is one that actually has place for people - and books.
http://www.mareikegast.de/
December 4th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Wow! This is a great design!!!!!
Check out his website too!
December 4th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
very nice!
December 4th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Pretty, very nice design but would be very expensive to make and heavy if the sections were solid material.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Fantastic! I love the simplicity, pure craftsmanship and very clever design!! Bravo!! Now I really want one!!
December 4th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Those silly half empty bookcases.
December 4th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
very good project.
books? they’re going to design a beautiful pattern through vertical and horizontal display….
December 4th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
vary nice
December 4th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Very stunning! How easy is it in use? ie open with heavy books on it!
December 4th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
veryy nicee!!
December 4th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
It’s a novel idea, and for that reason alone I hate to knock it, but …
That’s a lot of material (creating the interlocking horizontal members) to make this thing ‘cute’, but which doesn’t improve function at all.
It’s not going to be so practical to use, is it? Think about it. If you have each of the shelves expanded ‘halfway’ and decide to widen it, how do you do that? Unload the whole thing so that you can slide it open wider over the flooring (which will have its own friction, or you won’t want to scratch it up) and then re-stack the contents when finished?
I don’t have much of a problem with ’silly half-empty bookcases’. They can be used for display of other items or even left open. There’s nothing wrong with open space, is there?
December 4th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Almost forgot … this won’t even be usable — or if it is won’t be safe — in parts of the world that have seismic building requirements and require anchoring of tall free-standing structures to walls so that they don’t collapse in a seismic event (earthquake).
But I do appreciate the thought that went into it.
December 5th, 2008 at 5:41 am
¡Excelente diseño! que bien se ve
December 5th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I agree with chris’s comments. I think the friction would be lessened by using teflon pads. I installed them in an oak filing cabinet and with it full up I can still slide it on hardwood. Next, yes, there is a lot of material, but lots of stuff is like that, even Shaker furniture. I “was” wondering about building it using standard 3/4″ hardwood. I think that all you’d need are sliding dovetails for the cantilevered elements and locking mitres for the box corners. Overall, I think we all agree on the inspiration embodied in this.
December 5th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I agree, too much material. Compare the open space to structure! There’s so much unnecessary material.
I recognize the desire to have the shelf become a sold rectangular block when collapsed but that’s hardy justification for so much wasted material and lost functionality. It’s form over function. Nice idea though… keep working on it.
December 6th, 2008 at 2:22 am
nice, BUT, if you’re going to put books in it, i see no purpose in closing it…
December 6th, 2008 at 9:31 am
…looks better when closed, it makes a good column design I guess?
December 6th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I suppose closing it is just a fun idea, if it’s being used. It’s not really practical.
Or it’s for folks who move often; perhaps it packs up easily.
December 6th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Finalmente un genio !
December 6th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
first i love it a lot then ….i think about usability , function, ecodesign, design, art
http://www.designsojourn.com/is-good-design-art/
December 6th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Few times I’ve seen innovative ideas that are both practical and beautiful at the same time. This is beautiful when it’s closed as much as it is open.
December 6th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
wow… this is really a craetive idea..
December 7th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
To analyse the quality of a design product we must study use value
( utility ) and exchange value…
With democratic design the exchange value is always low, so the last design trend was to create not a design product but a piece near art in limited edition, sometimes a prototype ,unusefull , nice and pricy.Dutch design was leading in this trend.
Now we are in a deep financial and economic crise and also in an eco trend , designers will design again things simple, innovative ,democratic with great use value,… Here the designer increases his visibility with a design between product and piece of design art.
December 7th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
O_O WANT
I’d put computer games in it instead of books
December 8th, 2008 at 6:17 am
good idea . important thing it is useful one
December 8th, 2008 at 7:15 am
This is a beautiful bookcase to buy…. if you like to try to impress people with books you have not read. The sheer cost of this magnificent specimen of art brings to mind one word — opulence. This bookshelf is about showing off.
To Mr. Reinier, amazing work sir — your design is beautiful. To any consumer who purchases this case, don’t wast your money, buy a less pomp bookcase, and donate that disposable income of yours to a youth club — those kids need things like socks, toothpaste, and a reminder that people care about them.
December 8th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Bookcase for internet nerd who doesn’t like and doesn’t have books
December 10th, 2008 at 8:04 am
you don’t have to dust the shelves you don’t use. but yeah, i don’t dust my hard-drive very often…
December 10th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Very neat! I can see this as a perfect choice for any major metro area dweller. Now price on the other hand….
@tiffany - touche!
December 10th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Innovative, fun and somewhat attractive.
December 11th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
How can it slide easily when loaded? does it have wheels or other sliding system under it to allow this?
El Chakal.
December 11th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Looks cool, love it! But not practical at all. There are many little spaces that open up when the book cases and a bit a part and where dust gets into. Then it becomes difficult to dust these bits off).
Another problem is that the shelves would look very ugly if there were a few books here and there but not in all 5 shelves. If you don’t see what I’m talking about, imagine having three shelves nested closely and another two shelves father apart. Would that look good? I don’t think so…
Also, a question: is there something to help separate the shelves? If not, it’s going to be hard doing it.
December 12th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Some nice dutch creativity.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:43 am
very cool concept
December 16th, 2008 at 8:13 am
i want that. such a great creativity..
December 18th, 2008 at 7:26 am
nice design & concept!
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:47 pm
It may look good but when I design bookcases I make sure that I can move shelves up and down to make the best use of the space and adapt to book sizes.
Nice to look at but ….
January 24th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
wow!!! it’s really interesting and unique.
January 24th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Nice DESIGN and very cool concept
April 16th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Awesome! Cool places for small things too.