The birth of the S3 shelving system at Tecta was a request from the Vatican Museums. Klemens Grund, designer, immediately had the idea of developing a clear, additive system due to the geographical distance and the imminent transportation.

"For me, a high degree of clarity and structure are requirements for a good shelf. I developed the system in a grid with verticals and horizontals," he explains. "The wood should protrude horizontally to give the room a sense of calm."

In Rome itself, he was fascinated by the impression of ubiquitous travertine stone profiles. "They were the inspiration for the profiling of the wooden edge. I did a lot of studies on the play of shadows," describes the 35-year-old designer.

The shelf now has a nickname and has been christened the "Pope's shelf" in the family. "It's a shelf that was created from architectural, constructive thinking," says the trained master carpenter and designer, who has worked for Peter Zumthor, among others.

It is infinitely extendable in length and height. The vertical round supports function according to the architectural principle of the "clamped column", which means that the shelving unit does not require diagonal bracing.