Interior designer Niamh Connor, founder of ID Studio 17, approached us with a clear vision for her new workspace. Her studio needed to serve as both a functional design hub and an inspiring environment for clients. As someone immersed in colour, texture and spatial flow, Niamh wanted her materials to take centre stage — but she also needed a layout that supported daily use, organisation, and visual clarity.
The solution we developed centred around Elfa Sparring shelves (designed, supplied and installed for £3,180.00 in 2022), part of Elfa’s traditional twin-slot range. This wall-mounted system offered the flexibility and minimal aesthetic that suited the space perfectly, while subtly nodding to the growing design trend we’re seeing across Instagram and contemporary interiors — the revival of twin-slot shelving as both a practical and stylistic feature.
Niamh’s palette was deliberately restrained: natural timber, neutral finishes, and calming tones, chosen so that the ever-changing samples of stone, fabric, wood, and paint would remain the focus. The shelving layout we installed allowed her to display these materials clearly, with open access for referencing and layering ideas during the design process. We also created a dedicated sample organiser zone within the shelves — a custom arrangement that keeps everything visible yet contained, letting the textures and tones speak without distraction.
Part of a Wider Revival
This project doesn’t exist in isolation. Across Instagram, accounts like @a.start.of.something and @maisonbymia have helped bring twin-slot shelving back into the design consciousness. It’s a system that many remember from schools or workshops, but in recent years it’s been reinterpreted as a stylish and modular backdrop for curated living spaces, creative studios and even showrooms.
Bloggers such as Alice in Scandiland have showcased how even basic metal uprights and brackets can be elevated with plywood shelves and considered styling. On Pinterest and design boards, these flexible wall shelves are being rediscovered by a new generation who value customisation, openness, and a balance between vintage familiarity and contemporary clarity.
Designed for Workflow and Aesthetics
What made Elfa Sparring shelves ideal for Niamh’s studio was not just their appearance, but their adaptability. As a working designer, her needs will shift with each project — one day she’s laying out stone samples, the next it might be fabric swatches, light fittings, or scaled architectural drawings. The shelving system allows her to reconfigure heights, add or remove shelves, and adjust the whole structure without tools or disruption.
We’ve found that more and more professionals — especially in creative industries — are turning to Elfa Sparring shelves to solve the tension between order and inspiration. In a studio like Niamh’s, the shelves become part storage, part display, and part mood board. They’re functional yet allow for the constant evolution that creative work demands.
Conclusion
Niamh Connor’s studio setup demonstrates how thoughtful use of Elfa Sparring shelves can support an organised and aesthetically aligned interior design practice. It allows her to lead with materials, work fluidly, and maintain a visual calm in the midst of creative energy. And while the look itself is rooted in 1960s functionality, the result is entirely modern — adaptable, minimal, and elegant.
Whether you’re organising an interior design studio, a workshop, or simply want to bring practical style to a home office, Elfa Sparring shelves continue to prove their worth.
Read a wider assessment of this trend here
Organise Space – Elfa Experts
