Gabriella Lenke and Mattias Ståhlbom are free thinkers.
In their work with interiors and product design they
continually challenge traditional definitions.
Asked to describe the work of TAF Studio, they
speak of “spatial design”. It’s a good description of the
studio’s approach to projects. “The spatial thinking and
the products cross-fertilise each other”, says Gabriella.
As an example, she mentions Museum NM&.045, the
shelf designed by TAF Studio for Sweden’s National-
museum in Stockholm, which is produced and sold by
String Furniture. “Nationalmuseum went through a
monumental metamorphosis before reopening in 2018”,
says Mattias.
They created new designs for every part of the interior.
The result was not only a new interior but a range of
new products, each made for a specific purpose.
One of the museum’s requirements was that the
interior should make room for selected small objects from
the collection. The result was a console shelf named
NM&.045 that would later be put into production by
String Furniture. Besides being both beautiful and easily
placed with its hidden attachment, the delicately shaped
construction in aluminium and steel makes the shelf
exceptionally strong. “The shelf had to hold everything
from vases to figurines and sculptures”, says Gabriella.
“We wanted to create the feeling that the museum wall
reaches out toward you, like the palm of a hand presenting
the art”.
The success of Museum NM&.045 inspired TAF Studio
to create the free-standing, height-adjustable Museum
Sidetable, introduced by String Furniture in 2020. Despite
its name, the Museum Sidetable didn’t originate from
Nationalmuseum, but at the Swedish interior design
store Svenskt Tenn.
One of Sweden’s most influential design stores,
Svenskt Tenn is internationally acclaimed for the work
of Josef Frank, who fled Austria and moved to Sweden
in the 1930s. The furniture and furnishings he created
are today considered iconic pieces of Swedish Modern
design. When TAF Studios was invited to create an
exhibition in the store, they decided to highlight Frank’s
floral fabrics, using fresh cut flowers and green plants.
“Our vision included having tables with big vases filled
with flowers”, says Mattias. “So we needed a strong
table, with a balanced character that wouldn’t outshine
the objects put upon it”.
This is where TAF Studio’s experience from the
Nationalmuseum project came in handy. Soon the
Museum Sidetable was born. Its rectangular, die cast
aluminium top has softly rounded corners, and the
base provides stability without being too heavy to move
when necessary.
An I-beam connects the two horizontal elements,
making the sidetable rigid enough not to twist due to a
heavy load. It also makes a perfect central pillar for the
tabletop, which is adjustable between 32 and 76,5 cen-
timetres. “A fairly small table with adjustable height can
be used in numerous ways”, says Gabriella. “It can serve
as a pedestal for beautiful objects, an extra table by
the sofa, or a bedside table that’s just right for putting
a cup of tea and something to read within perfect reach.
Since the pillar isn’t centred, you can slide the base
in under the bed so the upper surface can be right by
your side.”
Gabriella and Mattias are proud to have created
designs that dovetail with the legacy of String Furniture
– high quality pieces that are easy to ship and simple
to assemble.
The String shelving system earned a place in the
Nationalmuseum’s collection many years ago, and has
been part of countless exhibitions ever since. It seems
appropriate that Museum NM&.045, has already been
selected twice by the museum
FOUNDED IN STOCKHOLM IN 2002, TAF STUDIO
IS RUN BY GABRIELLA LENKE AND MATTIAS
STÅHLBOM. THE DUO ARE INTERIOR AND PRODUCT
CONCEPT DESIGNERS. THEY CREATED THE SHELF
MUSEUM NM&.045, THE MUSEUM SIDETABLE
AND
THE
MUSEUM
CANDLE
HOLDER
FOR
STRING FURNITURE.
T A F S T U D I O
76 TAF STUDIO
