Ever want to access all of the drawers in your dresser at once; view their contents side-by-side? While it might not be something you often think about, it is nevertheless an intriguing proposal.   ‘Drawer Shelf’ by japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa in collaboration with company Tanseisha, consists of 3 levels that can be arranged in various positions.

Drawer Shelf. Designed by Keiji Ashizaw.

Drawer Shelf is featured, as part of the “Fab 40″ for Japan survey, in the current issue of Wallpaper. The magazine explains, “Tokyo-born Keiji Ashizawa might be first known as an interior designer and architect, but his recent foray into product design is what’s made us sit up and take notice. Since 2005, Ashizawa has been running Keiji Ashizawa Design and has, in recent years, accumulated an impressive product catalogue with designs that follow a philosophy of logical thinking. Drawer Shelf, completed this past July, was debuted at Tokyo Design Week 09 in the exhibition Superprototype. It gives the traditional drawer a makeover with movable shelves that can be configured to one’s liking. The individual drawers slide horizontally on top of one another, creating step-like patterns.  It’s likely that the versatility of the arrangement is somewhat limited by the weight of the shelves – since it must be balanced in order to remain upright.   Other designs by Ashizawa include the Flatpacking System series which experiments with laser cutting steel to produce origami-like tables and chairs, shelving and lighting and Parabola Light, an oversized spotlight created by shining a light onto a mirrored conical dish that was created in 2006.

Drawer Shelf is an innovative storage option, a theme previously seen in REK Expandable Bookcase by Reiner de Jong and Krumnikl’s Library.