Rek expandable bookcase

Book lovers know the perpetual bookshelf problem: you have too many books, so you get another bookshelf, but then the shelf looks empty until you get more books to fill it up entirely. Then as soon as you acquire a few more books, the problem just starts all over again. It isn’t a world-ending problem, of course, but it often keeps a home from looking tidy and organized.

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Rek bookcase expanded

Reinier de Jong has a clever solution in the REK Bookcase. It is an expandable and collapsible case that changes size to accommodate exactly the number of books you have at that moment.

rek boookcase in a rooom

When the bookcase is completely closed, it resembles a piece of modern art, adorned with maze-like lines. It can be opened one small column at a time, pulled from a closed monument to an easily-expanding set of shelves that are always just the right size.

rek bookcase child size

Because the openings are all of different sizes, they are perfect for a variety of book heights. The shortest openings are perfect for stashing magazines, while the tallest hold the oversized coffee table books we love so much.

Rek expandable coffee table

When you want those large picture books to actually reside on the coffee table, however, the matching REK coffee table is just as impressive. The also-expanding table provides an ever-changing number of surfaces on which to rest one’s drink or stack precious reading material.

Rek coffee table closed
Rek coffee table expanded

Via Archiproducts:

“REK was designed back in 2008 by Reinier de Jong as a bookcase that grows with your book collection. The fewer the books, the smaller the bookcase. The zigzag-shaped parts slide in and out to accommodate books in the resulting spaces. The books can also be arranged according to their size. The narrow spaces are excellent for magazines. The maximum dimensions of REK are: 202 x 228 x 36 cm. The original REK bookcase is finished with white HPL which gives it a cool and abstract look.”