Hanging things from and painting on the walls may be the most primal interior decorating urge of humankind, from cave paintings and animal skins to modern art and decorative surfaces. Combining functionality and aesthetic appeal, modular walls shelving systems like this let people create their own combination of functional home storage and custom minimalist decoration.

Part of the appeal of this kind of system from MDF Italia is the flexibility – the ability to slide boxes and shelves around to fit decorative or other elements of various widths and heights. Pieces are white by default by wood-tone parts are available as accents as well. Another key element though is the way this kind of design accommodates clutter: a symmetrical box bookcase or parallel series of straight and flat shelves, by contrast, calls attention to anything not lined up with a detailed attention to overall organization.

Hidden metal brackets reinforce the visual effect that these are simply floating in space – slots for brackets and at the intersections of individual panels also help to create a level of detail at a smaller scale to contrast with the overall composition. What is still missing, though, are some other materials to make for an even more interesting mix – maybe some glass shelves and boxes.