Solid oak and floating books, made by hand in Padborg
On the first shelf das kleine b ever made, the books appear to hold themselves to the wall. The secret only shows once the shelf is empty: recessed stainless steel brackets, tucked between the covers, beneath a solid oak frame. The piece went into series production in 2010, in Hamburg, and the brand's whole philosophy can already be read in it. Since 1 January 2024 the workshop has been in Padborg, on the German-Danish border, where every piece is made by hand.
There, Jens Baumann designs furniture that can grow or shrink with the home it lives in. Solid oak slats recur from one piece to the next, so everything combines: wall shelves for books, CDs and records, ladder shelves and standing desks that simply lean against the wall, hanging coat racks that can sway gently, a bench, a desk, a spice rack. Depending on the piece, oiled oak sits alongside walnut, ash or linoleum. Several designs have received awards, including the Interior Innovation Award and the German Design Award. Dimensions and woods can be adapted on request, and an online configurator lets you plan your own shelving wall.
One idea held since 2010: make the structure disappear so the books seem to float. Furniture that leans against the wall and is tied to no particular room. And a workshop where everything is made by hand, which leaves the door open to custom sizes and woods.
