Levi wall shelf – simplicity with character
Inspired by the Shaker movement’s wall-mounted furniture and the beautiful shapes of the Lamino armchair, Andreas Klippinge has designed Levi—a shelf with a design language that is both understated and effortless.
In an old hospital in Växjö, now known as the Italian Palace, Andreas Klippinge has his studio. It was here that the idea for Levi was born—a shelf with open sides, where the shelves rest on arched wooden brackets.
“The arched brackets really define much of the design. They capture a sense of movement and bring the shelf to life. The shelves appear to fold down from the wall, and the back panel curves to follow that motion,” says designer Andreas Klippinge.
The molded arch shape is inspired by Swedese’s Lamino. It was also the armchair that first sparked Andreas’s interest in design. Growing up, two Lamino chairs in beech wood stood in his grandparents’ home in Kalmar.
“When I was little, I didn’t really think about how beautiful the design of Lamino was, but it stood out among other furniture. I couldn’t understand how it could be so comfortable while being so slim. And it was wonderful to run my hand over the sheepskin and wooden details,” Andreas says.
The Shaker movement’s philosophy of wall-mounted furniture with simple, clean forms has also influenced Andreas and the Levi shelf.
“They believed in simplicity and functionality and often had long wall-mounted rails where furniture could be hung. That’s something I’ve embraced with Levi, which is mounted directly on the wall.”
Round metal fittings conceal the screws and create an elegant detail. The open sides make it easy to style Levi and display your favorite items. In Andreas’s own shelf, books share space with sculptures and plants.
“My shelves contain some books, a handmade ceramic clock, a secret storage box, and a papier-mâché sculpture my son made at art school. Small sculptures are something I think people should have more of—they really elevate a space.”
“I also have a lot of plants—maybe there’s room for a small bouquet on the shelf too?”
Levi is available with one, three, or five shelves and in two widths, 90 and 180 cm. It comes in oak, ash, and Ilke Blue—a blue stain that lets the wood grain shine through, developed by artist Emilia Ilke in collaboration with Swedese.
Andreas Klippinge was born in 1981 and grew up in the small village of Påskallavik in Småland. He studied design for sustainable development at Linnaeus University and has run his own studio in Växjö since 2011.
