When hospitality furniture-maker Mogogo tapped Israeli designers Gilli Kuchik and Ran Amitai for a first-time collaboration on a furniture system, it was looking to solve a very specific problem: the lack of modular and easily adaptable storage systems that can confidently meet a variety of F&B and hospitality demands. What the multidisciplinary duo presented was Canvas, a deceptively straightforward-looking collection of open shelving units with upwards of 15 interchangeable accessories. “The project, although seemingly simple, was actually quite complex due to its many parts and add-ons,” says Kuchik. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the shelving units “need to move around a property, sometimes stacked with goods, without rattling or shaking.”
To overcome this last obstacle, Kuchik and Amitai developed, over the course of four years and dozens of 3D-printed models, an intricate “snap system” that locks the multiple add-ons securely to the frame in a way that mitigates any vibrations. The system includes an injection-moulded nylon pin that fits snugly into pre-drilled holes and two types of connectors (made of the same material) — a square model for flat attachments and a cylindrical version for tubular ones. Once clicked into place, the convertible components — which include flat shelves with or without borders, hanging rods, crates, bottle holders, magazine file-type organizers and an angled wire shelf — stay in place, even when the unit is moved or bumped. (The main structural frame can be fitted with fixed legs or casters.)
While functionality was a driving force behind the concept, the designers also wanted it to have a handsome expression in order to meld into a range of settings. This was achieved by experimenting with bamboo, a material Kuchik and Amitai had never worked with before but one Mogogo was familiar with, having used it for years with other products in its portfolio. “What is so fantastic about bamboo — in addition to its sustainable qualities — is that it has the warmth and natural attributes of wood but can be engineered to create a much more stable material in terms of distortions and movement through time, temperature changes and so on,” says Kuchik.
Offered in a natural finish with sandblasted steel plating or stained dark brown with sandblasted copper accents, Canvas is considered by both the designers and the manufacturer to be essentially a “blank page” on which multiple scenarios can be written. Whether used as a classic back bar, wine display, room divider, open wardrobe or other such station, the well-conceived collection takes versatility to a whole new level.
The Canvas collection of modular shelving is the perfect companion piece in nearly any setting.