EL
shelf, magazine holder, bookend, universal helper
EL is the kit for practical shelves, multi-level book and magazine stands, record holders, mini offices and much more. A variety of combinations can be put together using the colored coated metal element and small magnets.
And EL is also a universal helper as an individual element. Lying or standing, in the office as well as in the kitchen, in the living room or in the bedroom - on the sideboard or the table, on the shelf, next to the sofa or the bed ...
Material:
sheet steel, smooth matt powder-coated
Colors:
pure white, squirrel grey, graphite black, beige red and pastel turquoise
Dimensions per element standing:
H 25 cm, W 12.5 cm, D 32 cm
Dimensions per element lying:
H 12.5 cm, W 25 cm, D 32 cm
Each EL comes with four small neodymium magnets, which can be used to connect several elements or turn EL into a magnetic pinboard.
Design: Knut Völzke
Photography: Simone de Geus
Renderings: Leise Design
The products “EL” and “BIG EL” were awarded the “IF Design Award 2017” by the IF International Forum Design.
2 x tbsp pure white, tbsp squirrel grey
2 x tbsp beige red
EL pastel turquoise
2 x tbsp squirrel grey
EL feh gray, EL beige red, EL graphite black
2 x tbsp graphite black
EL graphite black, EL pure white, 2 x EL squirrel grey
EL pastelltürkis, EL reinweiß, EL graphitschwarz
The magnets can be used to connect several elements
Designer Knut Völzke describes how EL came about:
EL was born when I was looking for a magazine rack that you could not only put magazines in, but also sort them. I like to organize magazines by subject and by read and unread. But I couldn't find a magazine rack with more than two compartments anywhere. So I made some initial sketches and quickly realized that it would be much more interesting to develop a product that was modular and where you could choose the number of compartments yourself. After some puzzle-solving, an amazingly simple basic shape emerged that can be used for much more than just storing magazines. One or more ELs, connected with the small magnets, create a new type of storage furniture for everything that needs a special place.
As EL became quite successful after a short time, the manufacturer Konstantin Slawinski asked me if I could design additional products to complement it. This is how BIG EL was created, followed by the entire EL family with versions for the wall, as a shelf, mirror, coat rack and magnetic board, all of which share the idea of diverse and flexible use.