I have a friend named Bach whose words flow out like the dramatic shadows cast by the Crochet Steel shelves by Guðrún Lilja of Bility. It is best described as a refreshing, almost inverted, reaction to the world where the mundane becomes fascinating on a daily basis.

Crochet Steel Shelf. Designed by Guðrún Lilja.

Although the negative cut out design of the Crochet Steel shelving unit resembles a delicate doily design made out of lace, it is in fact made from a poly-coated steel. Its shifting sensitivity to light may confuse its purpose as simple shelving with that of shadow puppetry, but its lasting impression remains different from normal shelves.

Guðrún Lilja Gunnlaugsdóttir designed this shelf that comes in either black or white for the Icelandic design firm she and her husband, Jón Ãsgeir Hreinsson, started as an “offspring brand” of Studiobility – which is a unique experimental design studio they had started in 2005. On their Bility website, they list that many of their projects – like the Rocking Beauty, Flowerchair and Lavaflower – have been covered by leading design blogs and publications around the world. With this support, they’re already a leading design brand in Iceland and they continues make all of their products in Europe. In fact, they have twelve products in their current collection, but will expand the collection later in 2011 with new designs.

The Crochet Steel shelves can be ordered directly from the company’s website and are flat pack shipped in a box measuring just 630 mm x 235 mm x 40 mm. Therefore, it is almost shocking to know that within the flat pack box, the shelving unit measures just 600 mm x 220 mm even though it can cast a larger than life impression onto your wall that may leave you wanting more.