If our future homes are urban, compact, and temporary, than the furniture of the future will look something like BrickBox. These modular units function both as shelves and moving and/or storage boxes.

They can be stacked like bricks- or LEGOS- and fit into any sized apartment, even in tough spots like under the stairs. Stacked high enough, they can create a wall and divide an apartment or office into separate spaces, or even rooms.

Inspired by a growing collection of books

Industrial designer Antxon Salvador came up with the idea while writing a book on Spanish cinema 11 years ago. As he bought more and more books and DVDs for research, he had an ever-expanding need for shelving. He couldn’t find a high-quality modular shelving system so he decided to create one and BrickBox was born.

Given his nomadic nature, Salvador created shelves that individually serve as boxes for moving and storage, but together they can be stacked and interlocked to create custom-sized shelving without the need of any screws. He also created the option to add wheels and create mobile shelving or even a rolling coffee table.

Shelves that morph into chairs, benches, tables & walls

Since the “boxes” are made from high-quality laminated birch plywood, they are sturdy so shelves can be stacked high enough to create a wall, or to create load-bearing furniture like chairs, benches, and tables.

Each individual BrickBox can be flat-packed for easy storage (when your shelving needs diminish). There are 2 sizes: the large box (36 x 27 x 54 centimeters) and small (36 x 27 x 27 centimeters).

Furniture for nomads

Currently, they are only for sale in Europe (at €39.95 for the large and €29.95 for the small), but Salvador and his business partner Roger Zanni are currently looking for a U.S. distributor; they believe the BrickBox systems matches well with the American easy of housing mobility.

In this video, Salvador talks about his love of functional simplicity (Bauhaus) and he and his assistant Victor Alarcón show us how the shelving in his apartment can morph from block shelving to step-shelving to shelving-wall to storage boxes ready for the moving truck.

[Music credit: West Coast by Paperhand Lincoln]