Describing his work as "minimal, utilitarian and almost mundane, yet full of unexpected vitality”, designer Michael Anastassiades develops furniture and lighting that strikes a balance between art and the practicalities of life.
From his studio in London, Michael Anastassiades explores participation and interaction in his work, each design reduced down to its essential elements but holding a certain mystery and surprise. In the case of the Jack shelving system, it is both a room divider and a shelving system in one with the secret to its shelving mechanism hidden from view.
The idea sprang from Anastassiades’ interest in developing a storage system that could be supported between the ceiling and the floor, allowing for flexibility within an interior and concealing all internal fixings that support each shelf.
"This bookcase system started as a stacking exercise of an assembly of rods of the same diameter. The selected design is a reduced configuration, providing the optimum structure and modularity to address a diverse range of interior spaces. The technical solutions are discreet, allowing for arrangements that feel specifically fitted to a particular room. Its discipline lies in the structural rules used to build from one form to the next, assembling to make a cohesive composition."
Michael Anastassiades
The Jack shelving system in detail – designed by Michael Anastassiades for B&B Italia. Photos c/o B&B Italia.
Precisely detailed, key to Jack was finding a way to stack the system’s round tubes with an invisible support and no visible fixings. Working closely with the technical team inside B&B Italia’s R&D department, the collaboration between the designer and B&B Italia brings the magic of the design idea to life.
B&B Italia is available exclusively in South East Asia form Space – Australia – and Space – Asia.
