This minimal multifunctional furniture design can be configured into a bookcase, base unit or room divider

One problem that never seems to leave us, especially if you’re living in a major city – is the lack of space! If you’re an independent millennial who recently moved out of their family home and into their own, then a major issue that you may be dealing with almost every day…is space constraints in your own home. Our modern millennial homes have many virtues, but one thing they lack is space! Space constraint is something most of us end up dealing with every day. Smart storage solutions can be lifesavers in such tricky and compact situations. If you add modularity to the list of traits this solution possesses, then it’s the ultimate storage solution. And one such solution I recently came across is the Fréquence shelf by Jean Couvreur.

Designer: Jean Couvreur for Kabata 

Designed by Jean Couvreur for Kabata, the Fréquence shelf is a minimal and sophisticated shelving design that functions as a multifunctional piece of modular furniture. It was also presented at Maison& Objet 2021. Boasting clean aesthetics, in a stark white color, what makes Fréquence special is the fact that it functions as a bookcase, base unit, or room divider. It comprises of a couple of geometrically shaped modules that can be combined, and mixed, and matched to create a variety of designs, in accordance with your personal taste and the requirement of your home.

You can configure the modular elements to create a small bookcase that stands close to the ground or even a large room divider for a larger living space. Fréquence is “the expression of a sober and efficient construction principle based on the exploitation of all the properties of aluminum,” said Kabata. This construction principle is a pretty significant one, since it, reduces the loss of material in the manufacturing process by 10 percent.

The different individual modules can be played around with, allowing you to create visually interesting furniture designs, owing to the rather geometric and quirky shape of the modules. Fréquence is built from aluminum, which is a pretty sturdy material and makes for a durable and hardy shelf with a smooth industrial feel, which is accentuated by the organic and dynamic shape of the furniture piece.