VERTICAL LAYER Open wooden shelving unit

Time & Style determined the shelf dimensions using shakkan-ho, an ancient Japanese measuring system based on body measurement.‎ Every culture has its own standards for length and weight that suit their body shapes and life- styles, originating in the long history.‎ In Japan, the shakkan-ho system has been handed down for centuries but has been replaced by the metric system for most things.‎ However, curiously, the shakkan-ho system is still widely used in Japan for units related to architecture and a few other aspects of daily life, including the ‘sun’ and ‘shaku’ units for length, and the ‘tsubo’ and ‘chou’ units for area.‎ In the structure based on these ancient ideas, this cabinet has subtle appearances of the Japanese consciousness and emotion.‎

Inspired by a graceful high-rise building, Vertical layer quite literally emphasizes its vertical panels by setting back the horizontal shelf boards.‎ When the books are placed, this open cabinet with an elusive presence disappears and reappears depending on the viewing angle.‎