Bag shelf - the history behind it
The Bag shelf is the very first piece of furniture made by Norrgavel's founder, Nirvan Richter, that is still in the collection. It was designed as early as 1986 (Norrgavel was founded in 1993). At that time, the Richter family lived in one of Sven Wallander's fantastic HSB apartments in the Röda bergen area of Stockholm. Right next to the family's front door was a 40 cm wide wall space that needed to be utilized to the fullest. At that time, there were four members in the family, so it became four bags. Catherine, the children's mother, created the pattern for the bags, which were sewn from the narrow-striped cotton fabric "Bok" from IKEA. Thus, an iconic Norrgavel piece was born!
"The order is inherent because each person can have their own bag."
"I grew up with practical wire baskets inside the front door but longed for more refinement and a softer expression. That's why I designed the Peg Rail Shelf for my own family long before Norrgavel existed. The function is very everyday, but thanks to its sleek proportions and exquisite craftsmanship, the Peg Rail Shelf adds something truly special to the room. Equally important is its practicality. It holds a lot, takes up little space, and is therefore easily placed. The bags can be easily removed for washing and can be replaced when desired for a change. Since 2020, it can also be built horizontally!"
– Nirvan Richter, designer
There was no need for an extended product development period; the function and dimensions were so straightforward. – I must have crafted the frame in the KomVux course in Wood Technology I took the year before I got into Carl Malmsten's workshop school. The drawings were made many years later when we were about to put it into production, Nirvan recounts.
The Bag Shelf was sneak-previewed (along with the Coat shelf) the first time in 1992 at the Athena House at the Bo92 Housing Fair in Örebro, and thereafter it began to be sold on a small scale via mail order. The following year, the entire Norrgavel concept was presented at Bo93 in Karlskrona, but initially, only the Peg Rail Shelf and Coat Shelf were available for sale.
At this time, the Richter family had grown, so Nirvan had a special version of the Peg Rail Shelf made, with six bags. It ended up being featured in a magazine report, and people immediately started contacting them wanting to buy it. However, the intention was not to expand the product range at that particular moment.
Sketches with accompanying notes from the designer Nirvan Richter's sketchbook.
Bag Shelf – also available in the oak wood!
The bag shelf has long been requested in oak, and with small modifications in the construction, it works. Oak is more brittle than birch and easily splits, therefore, all protruding brackets have been reinforced with transverse wood in a slit.
In September 2021, the Bag Shelf was finally launched with a frame made of oak wood.. The Bag Shelf in oak can be finished with oil, white oil, or brown oil treatments. Before this, the Bag Shelf has only been manufactured in birch – untreated or in one of our beautiful tempera or lacquer colors.
The Bag Shelf from Norrgavel is available in various types of wood, with bags in several linen colors or vegetable-tanned reindeer leather. It's not just suitable for the hallway but can also be used as wall storage in children's rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, hobby rooms, or wherever you need an easily accessible but discreet place for your belongings.
Put your personal touch on your Bag Shelf by sewing your own bags from your favorite fabric. The dimensions have been adjusted slightly since these were made, so if you want to sew a bag yourself, updated templates are available in Swedish here.
Did you know?
– The Bag Shelf was initially sold via mail order, through vouchers in Ica-kuriren magazine.
– The bags are sewn from fabric in 100% linen (available in several different colors) or vegetable-tanned reindeer leather. Vegetable tanning is the most environmentally friendly tanning method and means that the leather is free from toxins, such as chromium, which is otherwise common.
– The wooden frame of the Bag Shelf has been made of solid birch since the beginning – it can be obtained in untreated birch or painted in one of Norrgavel's beautiful tempera or lacquer colors.
– In 2020, the horizontal Bag Shelf was added to the range – enabling storage with Peg Rail Shelves horizontally.
– In September 2021 the Bag Shelf in oak was added to the range – it can be obtained with surface treatments of oil, white oil, or brown oil.
– When Norrgavel celebrated its 20th anniversary, bags for the Peg Rail Shelf were produced in the same pattern as the first ones made (the fabric "Bok" from IKEA). Striped, with the same appearance as in the picture for the Product Sheet Bo 93, but in linen instead of cotton.
– Norrgavel combines traditional furniture carpentry with modern technology and consistently uses environmentally friendly and pure natural materials.
– There arespare parts available for the Bag Shelf to purchase if needed.
– The Bag Shelf ranks sixth among Norrgavel's best-selling products.
– Since its inception, Norrgavel has sold nearly 30,000 Peg Rail Shelves (2021)!
