Tetris-like stacking + LEGOish shelves: modular minimalist furniture (BrickBox)

BrickBox(es) are modular shelves/boxes that 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.
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.
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). 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.
More info on original story: faircompanies.c...
BrickBox: brickbox.es/
Music credit: West Coast by Paperhand Lincoln www.paperhandli...

[@roncarhuas641]

People that can afford it will buy the product. People who cannot afford it will try the DIY. Still it is a great solution, I have seen thousands of bookshelves damaged or thrown away just because they do not fit on the new house.

[@jukes243]

My husband made these for me. I use them for everything ... pots 'n pans, books, displaying, also for my white stoneware collection. I can stack them any way I like for whatever space. Btw, husband didn't do the "plugs". The cubbies are heavy enough and stay in place. I just love 'em. They're my favorite "furniture" besides the country cupboards hubby made for me.

[@lignesdefuite]

I have seen this done with old wine cases and I know years ago, I saw plans for the same thing in a punk DIY zine - the really clever part here is the little plastic feet - the other designs used self-countersinking woodscrews for more stability, but also more hassle. I've built something similar with zip-ties and milk crates, but the trick there is that you have to do a full wall, tighly, or the crates deform laterally under load. I'm glad he's making a go of it, but I'd also encourage DIYers!

[@julianblake8385]

Man, this is my dream come true! I have 3 thousand books and moving is a NIGHTMARE

[@metaledstar]

Brilliant, you can take it a lot further with specialty boxes, like a box for a medium tv, or boxes to hang clothing (maybe with a sliding a door), ... infinite possibilities

[@GetDrunkAndWatch]

I did this with milk crates years ago back in my military days. We always had to move rooms in the barracks and it made moving my books much easier with a "modular" bookshelf. Wish I had thought to patent it or make a business! ;) Maybe next idea.

[@brunosco]

Better without patents. ;-)

[@cka123]

I am ahead of the curve. I have been using milk crates as furniture since I have had to support myself.

[@sitstaygimmeeakiss]

Brilliant - simply brilliant!! Thanks so much for sharing with us - I can't wait until you sell these in the USA. I've moved a lot, and I'm even a bit older than these designers, so you can imagine how difficult it is for me. First thing I have to do when I contemplate a move is that heartbreaking decision to get rid of a lot of my books, which is very, very difficult for a bibliophile like myself.

[@doggiesarus]

With little drawers or baskets it could also be a clothes dresser. Neat! Very useful!

[@kirstendirksen]

You can buy them directly from the designers on their website: brickbox . es (I've put it in the text above as well).

[@simonstucki]

I had this exact same idea (great for moving and 1-person assembly), I wanted exactly this, but I couldn't be bothered to make it (it's a lot of work if you do it by hand) so I'm happy someone made it for me at a very very reasonable price.

[@justangvano]

Such a good idea. It would be great if these guys could mass market this product, because it looks like it is quality made (unlike most Ikea products) to reduce the price. $50 is a lot of money for one little wooden box. Maybe a better thought would be asking how much it should cost. Where are they sourcing the manufacturing of these boxes. Maybe they are paying the workers fairly (also unlike Ikea).

[@Allison_B.]

Wahou ! just checked the prices on their website, super expensive !!! I thought this was great because I've always wanted to build furniture that would carry my stuff when i moove as well, without having to go through the whole cardboard boxing thing but I was worried about the steadiness of it all, seems like they fixed that for me, just gotta do it myself now...

[@RussGetsIt]

I've seen similar attempts at modular shelving but this is easily the smartest I've seen in some time. I particularly like the idea of using them to build dividing walls. This is something I'd expect to see at Ikea (in a good way), but they would have to be a lot (lot lot lot) less expensive to sell in the states. The idea is valuable, but paying that much for a plywood box with some handles and slots routed out may not appeal to much of the target demographic.

[@DOSBoxMom]

After a small amount of digging on the manufacturer's website, I learned that ModMobili is their US distributor. The units are still pricey (US$65 for a large BrickBox in white), but at least there's free US shipping. I love the BrickBox concept, but don't know that I could afford it for yarn stash shelving in my craft room. (I have a rather large stash!) Clever design, though, Sr. Salvador!

[@maximusaurelius9906]

Have checked those prices lately. Makes me wish I'd bought some back when both box sizes were in the $50 range. They've doubled in price now.

[@DOSBoxMom]

@@maximusaurelius9906 Ouch! Menards sells something similar (manufactured by Dakota Shelving), which I believe is far less expensive (if it hasn't been discontinued), although they recommend anchoring the units to the wall if you build them more than 3 boxes high. I ended up going with wire cube shelving (reinforced with LOTS of zip ties) on one wall of my craft room, and a tool-free 5 x 5 cube wood shelving unit from Sprout on the opposite wall.

[@maximusaurelius9906]

@@DOSBoxMom Thanks. I found them. The Dakota Stackube. Looks like they have discontinued the larger size and only carry the smaller cube. I would love to get a mix a both but may settle for several of the smaller cube size. Unless they sell out before I get around to it.

[@tdubb77]

such a simple idea, yet so amazing! It's definitely one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments! haha I love the idea of creating walls, and filling the "wall" with books!

[@yushikuang7877]

Home depot has a similar wood boxe with whole for handdle...a bit smaller but it cost 20$ canadian. You can easily add whole and screw to make those fixation.

[@shelleynobleart]

Fantastically brilliant design.

[@astrialkil]

Modified Milk crates would come close to this, or double sized milk crates with solid walls would be a dead wringer ! 8) Very thick compressed wood pulp fibre (like egg cartons but thicker and stronger) might also work.

[@MichaelMarko]

I've been thinking of something like this for years. You came up with a great design!!

[@Chris-ji4iu]

I must be slow. I've been following Brickbox and Kristen Dirksen for a while now ...and just figured out Kristen shot this video. Serendipity I guess :) ...thank you!

[@nagaempress]

Milkcrates! :) yes im that old... We used to do this with milk crates!

[@jefmasereel4956]

This is incredibly useful, thanks for sharing this video. Great work, love your channel!

[@snterp]

Of course it's a very good idea and perhaps they were innovative at the time. Doesn't seem exceptionally brilliant to me though - many people I know have been doing this with wine boxes or similar things for ages. Definitely better than the IKEA solutions, but pretty pricey. The wooden shelves that I have been buying cost 16€ apiece - 180 cm tall with 5 shelves. It allows me to cover the whole wall for the price of 1 of these boxes.

[@moholmarabs]

The best thing i have seen in years.. and price is good too, and being in europe i can get them woohoo.. thanks for taping this segment...

[@NicoSmets]

Very nice idea.

[@MsLawone]

great series of videos, I lived in a Hymer motor home before settling in southern Spain and they all appeal to my 'can it serve two purposes' philosophy! Well done you! y gracias tambien! Lx

[@Acquavallo]

Wow, that's really cool. It's every piece of furniture, like ever.

[@wishlizz]

What a great idea. Esp for renters. Should find distributers in Australia too. Will be a hit!!

[@JohnPowell6]

At the prices on the website, could be a good idea to just buy a C&C machine, have the robot cut out all your pieces, assemble them yourself, then sell the C&C machine...

[@onkarkitekt]

Absolutely love it! Simple and Effective! Form and Function :D

[@redmahmaa]

It was hard for me to wait 'til the end of this video to comment!!!! This is an awesome idea& so structurally sound. I am an avid collector(hoarder) of just about anything,but especially books& have cheap(& wobbly!!!) bookshelves all over my home. this style would free up a lot of floor space& also show off my collections!!! red

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

01:54 The boxes perfectly fit the magazine files shown. I guess that was another design constraint for the boxes. The question arises though: what do you do with that one item that is slightly too tall to fit in a box? The encyclopedia or vintage world atlas, or expensive coffee table book of photos that has lost its place on your coffee table? However tall these boxes had been made, there would always be some usage that required a slightly higher one, and at any height there would always be a compromise of wasted space for shorter items like paperbacks which didnt fit an even number of times with inset shelves.

[@ksneia]

I've been looking around for something like this.

[@mari0nhYT]

Just saw this. I love it! and i think my cats will love these too. Awesome steps to climb on! :)

[@MakeMeThinkAgain]

Very clever but it uses a great deal of wood per linear foot of shelf. That's why it's so heavy. For the top shelf you only need half as many boxes since the books will sit just as well in the gap between. Of course that makes moving more difficult, but how often do you really need to move. If there was a way to do something similar with all the shelves so that assembling an entire wall of shelves only required a bit more than half the number of boxes you would really have something.

[@ainsleybolton6508]

Maybe ikea would be interested in buying them. I think they could make them much cheaper too.

[@Laguna2013]

This looks way above Ikea quality.

[@mayamurad2068]

Yea... I was going to say... although he's a genius and it's fantastic quality, it's so expensive! I was looking at them now so that I could get them in my apartment (cuz I love around a lot too) and it's way out of my budget for a shelving unit. If I'm going to drop a thousand, I can do it on other things...

[@sposo]

@@mayamurad2068 yeah almost 50 boxes at 49 euros each is too expensive for what it is. When they set the price, people who invented this thinks that you pay for the idea but hey, I'm buying a book shelve, not a library building

[@vapeurdepisse]

Guys if you think 1000 is a lot, then keep going to IKEA.

[@luvofbeauty]

I love this idea. But it seems too expensive. I wonder if there's anything similar in the US that is cheaper?

[@Proutprutproutprout]

I love this.

[@katstar01]

I LOVE this idea. but for plywood boxes they are very expensive. $60 dollars per box!

[@michaelmcdonough8647]

build your own.

[@grondo]

Very functional and unique but very expensive as well.

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

The bottom row needs a mechanism to account for non-level, non-flat floors as most are in old houses.

[@KatherineMcG]

simply beautiful in every way

[@angelitacanaria5207]

Que gran invento. El color me encanta. Felicidades desde Tenerife islas Canarias España.

[@timothychadbourne8489]

Bravo! I was thinking about how to do this for a while. Very ingenious. Best of luck to your company.

[@VasilyKiryanov]

$50 for a box? Sounds like good DIY project. Couple of boxes at a time... (Where's my birch plywood stock? Go look for it.)

[@Burps___]

Ikea sells modular shelving made of wood composite that, although wont last a lifetime, looks better, has color choices, has add ons like doors, and costs one- fifth the price.

[@sexyellex]

Great idea!

[@YLuke-or5cq]

I love these boxes and I love Tetris too! Great video and great storage too!!!!! :-)

[@nagaempress]

Make this in plastic and I think it would be a hit with college students.

[@ingesumadre]

brilliant! just to fly in the middle of the night

[@SkittleT]

Cabinets added are good.

[@ArunasSakalauskas]

Great idea for DIY

[@TameImpalicious]

It's a great idea! But one box costs around 40€. If you want to build a shelf like in the video you need a lot of money obviously :(

[@leonpse]

Seems easy to build, a box.

[@antonjudes]

Yeah.. but they are using it for moving them also.. in this one, top of bottom box and bottom of top box has each a piece of board.. if we can cut 1 piece into multiple pieces, fix few to cover bottom box and few to cover bottom of top box.. but fix it alternative.. so we can stack them perfectly exactly like lego.. you can save 1 piece for every stack

[@watergoddess9]

I love these!! Just awesome and I think you could use these for more than just books. Very cool :)

[@maximusaurelius9906]

Amazing, but pricey. One large box cost $59 and one small box cost $54 here in the U.S. Legs, casters, doors, all cost more. This is just what I need, but this would put me in the poor house real quick. They only appear to have one distributor here in the states, in Colorado.

[@keyholes]

This is such a fabulous idea, thank you for sharing it with us. :)

[@xavierpaquin]

Love it

[@japanesemangalover]

Thank you. This is exactly what I have been looking for.

[@lestat34208]

thanks for pointing that bit out to us.

[@evafrade9366]

the only weak point I can see, is when they disassemble, books are heavy which makes the lifting difficult and there are lot of steps to end up moving it: lift with your hand in an uncomfortable position, move a couple of inches, grab the hadles and then finaly move the box. You can see the struggle, I think it could be improved by adding a handle on top, I know those wouldn't match like the ones on the sides, but it would make easier the lift. Apart from that, the benefits are really good

[@joneuzaamorim1715]

eu adoro tudo arrumado e limpo vcs arrasa

[@empressvkaren]

omg! i've been trying to design for myself a lego like cabinets. Cool!

[@hughtub]

The price is too high right now. $50 (40 euro) would make any of the arrangements they showed on the box be over $1,000. It would make more sense at that price to simply pay someone $50 to move just your big bookshelf and books every time you had to move. I'd like to see a knock off of this in aluminum or steel, since it's really a great idea.

[@Laguna2013]

Intriguing. They would look much nicer if there was a 'handle delete' option. I have seen the new oak upgrade, but the white look nicer.

[@MissSunshine666]

this is perfect. love it first sight. but they are way to expensive for me. what a pity.

[@maximusaurelius9906]

That what I thought back then as well. Have you checked the prices lately. Ouch!

[@mony070707]

Su idea es muy MUY buena! Felicitaciones desde Colombia :) gracias por compartirla!

[@darsangovind1833]

absolutely need some of those...

[@SalafeeSpot]

I like this idea alot but I would go with a dark colored wood and not white. If they had more color options Im sure more people would be up to buying this

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

00:35 A row of DVDs, a shelf, and a row of CDs pack perfectly into a box. I wonder if that determined the internal height for the design. Two rows of paperbacks would not fit, however and a box of paperback books would have a large wasted space of empty air, decreasing the storage per unit floorspace compared to a conventional bookcase with movable shelves, and increasing the cost per unit volume of stored objects. A general problem with having fixed standard box heights is not being able to set an optimal shelf height for the box contents. I note several boxes here are made to look full by packing a row of CDs above a row of unrelated larger items within one box, but storing CDs is an increasingly niche application, and wouldn't you want all your CDs together under some organisation scheme rather than scattered among your other belongings to fill in vertical gaps in underutilized boxes?

[@utubecomment21]

7:58 to explain this simple modular design, really!!

[@3rty7]

a most excellente idea seni`or,.. mad props to you.

[@Antoni240968]

¡Fantástica idea!

[@technosasquatchfilms]

awesome idea!

[@qwidium]

This is a good idea.

[@leonpse]

Nomadic furniture book had this featured. Wonder it's the same company they recommended. The book was written many decades ago.

[@wowsean]

i wonder if they are more susceptiple to tipping over due to the simple locking points.

[@jmanuelforero3850]

Genial!!! Y me quiero comprar el libro también!!!!

[@eathealthier4u]

I like the concept but is there one with a door?

[@embreeza]

expensiiiiive

[@isabelle3153]

Love this idea . Single women can do it by themselves! No help needed. I use old fruit cases for this purpose. I think the should be cheaper if they want to sell a lot of those though.

[@jeananthony1969]

Great idea its a solution for everyone

[@superman19121976]

fantastic ideea....it looks very cool

[@youtubelearning2990]

I'm going to buy one and then copy it

[@polyannamoonbeam]

a nice surface modification would be click on changeable colors textures patterns....magnetic, chalkboard, feltboard, woodeffect, etc..

[@brunosco]

They’re like banana boxes you can get in supermarkets! I’m right after moving, most of my stuff still in those banana boxes, thinking about doing exactly that…

[@metaledstar]

i think in your case the boxes would also need an additional side attachment/interlocking system

[@tommypang1983]

Great idea :)

[@Gell1welt69]

This is totally awesome :)

[@TheGreenAppleHome]

this is a great idea! I think I saw some records in there.. do they fit? Also, you didn't talk about the inner shelf where you had cd's sitting- are they an option, or did you just screw in some more wood? was it sitting on top of the books below? I think it is a great idea, and I love it to divide a room- I have something similar from crate and barrel, but there is no backing, so you can't really use it to divide. send me some, i'll review it :)

[@ramblinBears]

Such a simple and effective approach! Sad they aren't available in the US yet but I'm sure we can come up with something similar. We actually have an immediate need for something like this in moving a parent's book collection. The thing that concerns me is earthquake safety. Any idea how they would fare. The size and rigidity seems to make them very stable, but how well would that hold up to a shaker in costal California? Please share your thoughts!

[@daniydoragmailcom]

Hola, ¿en algún momento hay que atornillar a la pared?

[@pamelamolina5623]

Can these be used as stairs

[@pixiexdust24]

they should come in different colors. that would be even better

[@DerekScottOHara]

Brilliant

[@hoangduong1374]

I love you

[@editornia]

WANT! PLEASE start selling these in Australia!!

[@Sarhatabaot]

are these strong enough to step on?

[@sarahrogers7883]

they displayed the weight it could carry for a moment. i would say no. except for very small children under 100 pounds. also i would not make stirs taller than three boxes

[@cgminddoc]

luv it

[@dalyndra]

Looks like you could create a "dress up your box" business to compliment his.... ;0)