A String shelving configuration service begins with a question more useful than “which shelves do I like?”: what must this wall do for you? It may need to hold a serious book collection, bring order to a busy family room, create a composed home office or give a television a more architectural setting. The strength of String Furniture lies in answering these practical needs without sacrificing visual lightness.
Designed by Nils and Kajsa Strinning in 1949, the system remains one of Scandinavia’s most recognisable storage designs because it is adaptable without becoming visually busy. Its ladder-like panels create a fine, graphic outline; shelves, cabinets, drawers, desks and accessories sit within a disciplined grid. The result can be modest and quiet, or substantial enough to anchor an entire room.
Start with the room, not the components
A well-planned String arrangement should feel native to its setting. Before choosing a finish or a cabinet, consider the available wall width, ceiling height, skirting boards, radiators, sockets and door swings. A configuration that looks balanced on a screen can lose its composure if it is forced around a projecting pipe or leaves too little clearance for a cupboard door.
Measure the room carefully, including the distance from the floor to any obstruction. It also helps to decide where the visual weight should sit. A low arrangement beneath artwork or a television often benefits from cabinets and drawer units close to the floor, with open shelving above. For a tall library wall, a more even rhythm of shelves can be preferable, perhaps interrupted by a display cabinet or work surface.
Proportion matters as much as capacity. In a compact Edinburgh flat, narrow 600 mm bays may preserve precious wall space and make a room feel less crowded. In a generous living room, wider bays can establish a calmer, more confident line. The aim is not to fill every centimetre. A little breathing space at either end of the system allows the architecture and the furniture to coexist.
What a String shelving configuration service considers
The advantage of professional configuration is that it brings all the small decisions into one coherent plan. Rather than adding parts one at a time, the system is considered as a complete elevation: the balance of open and closed storage, the practical load of books, the height of display objects and the way the design will be used each day.
Storage that reflects real routines
Open shelves are ideal for books, ceramics and objects that deserve to be seen, but they demand a certain level of editing. Closed cabinets offer useful relief, concealing paperwork, cables, games and the less photogenic parts of daily life. Most successful arrangements combine both.
For a home office, a fold-down desk or integrated worktop can turn a shallow wall into a focused workstation. Add drawers for stationery and a cabinet to conceal a printer, and the space can return to a living room after the working day. In a children’s room, lower shelving supports independence, while higher cupboards keep occasional items out of reach.
A media wall has its own requirements. Equipment needs ventilation, cables need a route, and the screen should sit at a comfortable height rather than simply in the middle of the available space. String’s media-oriented cabinets and carefully placed shelving can keep the arrangement ordered, though a television wall may need fewer open shelves than a library to avoid visual clutter.
A finish with a clear role
String is available in a range of finishes, from white and grey to oak, walnut and ash, alongside coloured metal panels and selected cabinet options. The right choice depends on the room’s existing palette and how visible you want the system to be.
White panels with white shelves can appear almost architectural against a pale wall, particularly in smaller rooms where visual quiet is valuable. Oak brings warmth to an otherwise restrained scheme and sits comfortably with other Scandinavian timber furniture. Walnut offers more depth and can give a dining room or study a more tailored character. Darker finishes are striking, but they need enough surrounding light and wall space to avoid feeling heavy.
There is no requirement to match every timber in a room exactly. A carefully chosen contrast often feels more intentional than a near-match. What matters is that the undertones work together: a cool grey floor, for example, may favour ash or a softer painted finish over very yellow oak.
Flexibility for the next chapter
String’s modularity is a long-term advantage, not simply a purchasing convenience. A shelving wall can begin as a modest bookcase and later gain a desk, extra bays or cabinet storage when circumstances change. That makes it particularly suited to homes where a spare room may become an office, nursery or guest space over time.
Flexibility does have limits. Wall fixings must be appropriate for the wall construction, and the system should be planned around the loads it will carry. A wall of hardback books needs a different approach from a display-led arrangement of glassware and framed photographs. It is wise to account for anticipated growth from the outset, even if every shelf is not purchased immediately.
Choosing between wall panels and floor panels
String wall panels create the floating, pared-back expression most people associate with the system. They are an excellent choice where the wall construction permits secure fixing and where a clear floor line will make the room feel more open. They work especially well above a low cabinet or in a hallway where floor space is limited.
Floor panels introduce a more grounded presence. They can be useful when a configuration extends from low storage to near ceiling height, or where the composition needs more visual substance. They also offer practical options in rooms where mounting every vertical element directly to the wall is not ideal.
The decision is partly technical, but it is also aesthetic. Wall-mounted shelving feels lighter and more graphic; floor panels read more like a piece of furniture. Neither is inherently better. The room, the wall and the intended function should decide.
Make space for the objects that matter
A String system is at its best when it is not treated as a storage competition. Books deserve room to stand upright without being tightly packed. Larger art books may need taller shelf spacing. A favourite lamp, a vessel or a small sculpture needs some empty space around it to register properly.
Consider arranging practical and personal elements together. A run of books can be softened by a ceramic piece or trailing plant, while a closed cabinet below prevents the whole wall from becoming overly decorative. This measured contrast is part of the appeal: function remains visible, but never dominates.
For collectors, it can be helpful to plan shelves around object sizes rather than using uniform spacing throughout. A tall bay for records, a shallow shelf for paperbacks and a cabinet for delicate items will look more resolved and work harder than a generic sequence of identical openings.
When showroom planning is worth it
A configuration service is particularly valuable for larger walls, awkward alcoves, home-office schemes and projects that combine storage with a television or desk. Seeing String materials and finishes in person can also clarify decisions that are difficult to make from a small image, especially the warmth of timber and the contrast between coloured panels and a chosen wall colour.
At Nordic Living by Biehl, a considered plan can help translate measurements, practical requirements and visual preferences into a String arrangement with the right scale. It is a useful way to avoid ordering an attractive collection of individual components that does not quite resolve as a whole.
Bring a simple room sketch, accurate measurements and a sense of what needs to be stored. Photographs of the room, adjoining furniture and flooring are equally useful. From there, the conversation can focus on the decisions that make the greatest difference: where to place weight, what to conceal, how much openness to retain and how the system may evolve.
The most enduring String configuration is not the largest or the most accessorised. It is the one that gives everyday possessions a precise place, leaves room for the things you value, and still feels composed when life changes around it.