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TAF STUDIO

FOUNDED IN STOCKHOLM IN 2002, TAF STUDIO

IS RUN BY GABRIELLA LENKE AND MATTIAS

STÅHLBOM. THE DUO ARE INTERIOR AND PRODUCT

CONCEPT DESIGNERS. THEY CREATED THE SHELF

MUSEUM NM&.045, THE MUSEUM SIDETABLE

AND THE MUSEUM CANDLE HOLDER FOR

STRING FURNITURE.

Gabriella Lenke and Mattias Ståhlbom are free thinkers.

In their work with interiors and product design they

continually challenge traditional definitions.

Asked to describe the work of TAF Studio, they

speak of “spatial design”. It’s a good description of the

studio’s approach to projects. “The spatial thinking and

the products cross-fertilise each other”, says Gabriella.

As an example, she mentions Museum NM&.045, the

shelf designed by TAF Studio for Sweden’s National-

museum in Stockholm, which is produced and sold by

String Furniture. “Nationalmuseum went through a

monumental metamorphosis before reopening in 2018”,

says Mattias.

They created new designs for every part of the interior.

The result was not only a new interior but a range of

new products, each made for a specific purpose.

One of the museum’s requirements was that the

interior should make room for selected small objects from

the collection. The result was a console shelf named

NM&.045 that would later be put into production by

String Furniture. Besides being both beautiful and easily

placed with its hidden attachment, the delicately shaped

construction in aluminium and steel makes the shelf

exceptionally strong. “The shelf had to hold everything

from vases to figurines and sculptures”, says Gabriella.

“We wanted to create the feeling that the museum wall

reaches out toward you, like the palm of a hand presenting

the art”.

The success of Museum NM&.045 inspired TAF Studio

to create the free-standing, height-adjustable Museum

Sidetable, introduced by String Furniture in 2020. Despite

its name, the Museum Sidetable didn’t originate from

Nationalmuseum, but at the Swedish interior design

store Svenskt Tenn.

One of Sweden’s most influential design stores,

Svenskt Tenn is internationally acclaimed for the work

of Josef Frank, who fled Austria and moved to Sweden

in the 1930s. The furniture and furnishings he created

are today considered iconic pieces of Swedish Modern

design. When TAF Studios was invited to create an

exhibition in the store, they decided to highlight Frank’s

floral fabrics, using fresh cut flowers and green plants.

“Our vision included having tables with big vases filled

with flowers”, says Mattias. “So we needed a strong

table, with a balanced character that wouldn’t outshine

the objects put upon it”.

This is where TAF Studio’s experience from the

Nationalmuseum project came in handy. Soon the

Museum Sidetable was born. Its rectangular, die cast

aluminium top has softly rounded corners, and the

base provides stability without being too heavy to move

when necessary.

An I-beam connects the two horizontal elements,

making the sidetable rigid enough not to twist due to a

heavy load. It also makes a perfect central pillar for the

tabletop, which is adjustable between 32 and 76,5 cen-

timetres. “A fairly small table with adjustable height can

be used in numerous ways”, says Gabriella. “It can serve

as a pedestal for beautiful objects, an extra table by

the sofa, or a bedside table that’s just right for putting

a cup of tea and something to read within perfect reach.

Since the pillar isn’t centred, you can slide the base

in under the bed so the upper surface can be right by

your side.”

Gabriella and Mattias are proud to have created

designs that dovetail with the legacy of String Furniture

– high quality pieces that are easy to ship and simple

to assemble.

The String shelving system earned a place in the

Nationalmuseum’s collection many years ago, and has

been part of countless exhibitions ever since. It seems

appropriate that Museum NM&.045, has already been

selected twice by the museum

TAF STUDIO