Decorating shows are a somewhat new fad. Home organization is always a plus. I've found the selection of stacking containers on the market to by very limited.

I propose a line of boxes that can be combined and stacked in many different ways to create custom home/office-organizing solutions.

At first, there would be three sizes:

A) 2 units by 4 units B) 2 units by 2 units C) 2 units by 1 unit

The heights are not as important, but say the heights are all 1 unit for simplicity. I'm picturing 1 unit ~= 20cm.

Now, using a system of interlocking square pegs on the bottom edges and square holes on the top edges, the three box sizes can be stacked in any combination. With pegs on the sides, the system can be expanded to be larger than a single "A" unit.

There could also be three styles to start off with: Drawer, hinged door, open face. There could multiple orientations as well, such as having the opening on the long face or the short face. The system could also come in many colours to fit your decorating needs.

Now picture what you can do with this. Ignoring the contents as those are nearly infinite, here are a few ideas:

- You can stack eight C units on one A unit with four C units opening at 90 degrees to the A unit in one direction, and four opening at 90 degrees in the other direction. The A unit could open to the front.

Want to make a bookshelf-like piece but with a covered front? Use the hinged-door along the long side style units and put three rows of three A units stacked vertically.

The ideas are virtually endless, and more options/styles/colours would only make the system more versatile.

Pictures would really be helpful in this case.

When I went to the store to buy some plastic crates recently, I really expected *something* along these lines to be available, though perhaps not this complicated. I found nothing even close. Hardly any of the boxes even stacked well. This idea began forming as I imagined what I would have liked to find in the store.

I'd be almost more glad if it already exists, so I can go out and buy it :)

Ideas/thoughts/feedback greatly appreciated!! I'm seriously thinking of going forward with this if it doesn't exist.
-- victor, Jan 16 2006

More like... http://www.advanced...m/images/page80.pdf
The red/grey ones on the left side, but with more options and better looking. [victor, Jan 16 2006]

What about this? http://www.betterli...dular_shelving.html
[hippo, Jan 16 2006]

AS4 http://atlaseast.com/as4/index.html
This is nice, but not quite what you want. [hippo, Jan 16 2006]

Now, this is cool http://www.inhabitat.com/entry_23.php
The perfect HalfBakery idea - modular shelving made from boxes based on Tetris blocks [hippo, Jan 16 2006]

Also quite nice http://www.chiasso....ItemId=47893&bhcp=1
[hippo, Jan 16 2006]

Vitsoe 606 http://www.vitsoe.c...s_living.php?id=105
Here's a shelving system I have liked for a long time - the Vitsoe 606 Universal Shelving system - very elegant [hippo, Jan 16 2006]

What a good ikea.. I mean idea.
-- Minimal, Jan 16 2006


Thanks for quick feedback and +'s! I like that first link, and I've seen similar at Ikea. I *was* picturing more of a lego look. Definitely plastic, not wood. I imagine those wooden boxes screw/nail together. I want mine to be reconfigurable.
-- victor, Jan 16 2006



random, halfbakery