Created for Moroso: The Frame-shift System

Designed by Oscar and Gabriele Buratti, 2021

Architects Oscar and Gabriele Buratti have designed the new Frame-shift bookcase for Moroso.

Frame-shift is a simple system made up of a few repeated elements, overlapping vertically to create compositions with the horizontal shelving.

“A multilevel structure is created with overlapping horizontal lines placed at intervals, with sliding doors and backs that can be placed as desired to create open and closed compartments”, Oscar and Gabriele Buratti said. “The magic of sliding panels makes this an extremely versatile piece of furniture, and its elegance is enhanced by the sophisticated design of the double-sided track.”

The name Frame-shift emphasizes that versatility. Simple and easy to remember, it suggests the way the main structure can be arranged in different ways by moving the panels and backs.

Since the sliding panels can be applied on both sides, the bookcase can be set against a wall or stand in the center of a room. Frame-shift’s flexibility offers great freedom in arranging the layout of a home in different and complex ways.

“Frame-shift is an article of furniture designed to work with the rest of the Moroso collection. A simple idea of composition by overlapping elements, with single-sided wall panels and double-sided partitions, large and small volumes, open for use as a bookcase or closed as a standalone article of furniture, that can structure, connect and separate living and dining areas, sleeping and study areas,” the Buratti architects added.

Up to five overlapping levels can be arranged with the use of an open frame in light metal for a variety of uses. Two levels, for example, could form a low cabinet or a TV stand, three would make it an ideal for placing behind a sofa or as a wall cupboard, while four or five would make a large bookcase, stood against a wall or used as a room divider. Compositions can be created around transparency with some parts solid and others empty in a “now you see me, now you don’t” configuration.

The surfaces are always finished in wood while the longitudinal edges are in extruded aluminum, which act as tracks for the sliding doors, while the reduced thickness emphasizes the lightness of the bookcase’s aesthetics and silhouette.

The panels and backs can be combined in different ways and positioned as desired. The closing panels can be in black or white glossy lacquer, in two colors of matt lacquer, Shell and Agata, and in silver stop-sol glass.

“With its sophistication and flexibility, Frame-shift complements and completes the family of our products” said Patrizia Moroso “against a wall or in the center of a room, it enriches the concept of Moroso stanze, living areas furnished with the philosophy and taste of Moroso.”