Libreria Pensile Bookshelf, 1957

Libreria Pensile wire bookshelf by Achille Castiglioni and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Karakter.

This minimal hanging shelving unit typifies Achille Castiglioni’s design approach of stripping away the superfluous to create often surprising objects that are as elegant as they are functional. 

Seeking to pare back the wall-mounted bookcase to its essentials, Castiglioni produced the original Libreria Pensile design in 1957. It featured a series of shelves hung on knots in two cords fixed to a single point on the wall. This design was put into production by Italian manufacturers Bernini in 1966, with four birch shelves fixed to two slender cables anchored on a brass plate fixed to the wall.

Karakter’s reissue of this notable design, authorised by La Fondazione Achille Castiglioni, ensures its appreciation by a new generation of design enthusiasts.