omdo STUDIOS |timeless| - Dieter Rams 606 Universal Shelving System

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Sustainability is not just about the materials used, it is arguably more important for the design and functionality to be the priority of your purchase. As part of our ‘omdo STUDIOS timeless ’ series we highlight products that have stood the test of time and feel as relevant today as when they came out, making them some of the most sustainable designs. Today we are talking about the Dieter Rams designed 606 Universal Shelving System.⁠

Designed in the early 1960s, Rams developed the shelving system while working at Braun, where he was head of design for 34 years. His proposal for new interiors for the company included a shelving system mounted to the back wall. Erwin Braun, the company’s founder, thought Rams’ furniture designs would help to sell more radios, and allowed him to work with Vitsoe, who produce the units to this day.⁠⠀

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At the system’s core are aluminium tracks, which can be attached directly to a wall or to an X-post. Shelves, cabinets and tables — available in a limited number of sizes and colours (off-white, black, silver and beech) — hang off the tracks. All the elements can be rearranged, and the system can shrink or grow as required. No tools are needed to assemble it, as everything is fitted together using notches and pins.⁠⠀
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Like all of Rams’ products, the 606 shelving system abides by his principles of good design, to counteract what he saw as an increasingly “impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noises”. Rams believes well-designed objects should, among other qualities, be innovative, useful, long-lasting and involve as little design as possible.⁠⠀
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What do you think of Ram’s work and what do you think are the most timeless designs out there? Let us know in the comments below.⁠⠀