Rakks

11/06/2024

At Rakks, we love color. Our company name is Rangine, which means “colorful” in Persian. Our sampler set presents just some of the bright and unexpected custom powder coat colors we offer at Rakks. For years, we have transformed the colors of our shelving and counter supports to enhance the design story of any room, and we’d like to make sure you are aware of the possibilities. Our complimentary design service is ready to accompany you through the custom color process - link in bio leads to the inquiry link on Rakks.com.

10/12/2023

The North American release of our Shelving Starter Set is now live at Rakks.com/Starter (link in bio). The Rakks Starter Set ships free to the US Canada and Mexico. It will begin its journey to you within 1-2 business days of your order.

We think design aficionados seeking to upgrade their space will appreciate this objet d’art for your objets d’art. The limited edition Set is offered in five classic Rakks colors. (Our design team is running a friendly competition to see which one of us can predict the most popular color. Currently the predictions are all over the map!)

*Friends overseas: Soon, we’ll be offering discounted, flat-rate, zoned shipping to select countries in Europe/UK, Asia, the Nordic region, Africa, South America, and Australasia. If you live/work outside North America and you’re interested in the Starter Set, please request your country at Rakks.com/coming-soon.

09/12/2023

“Design is not for philosophy, it’s for life.” This thought from Issey Miyake—who was a fashion designer, textile engineer, artist, but also dancer, graphic designer, museum director, collaborator—speaks of the importance of balancing beauty and function. Philosophy is part of the foundation of good design, but ultimately, the designed object is for real life.

Miyake said that his intention was not to answer the question, “Is fashion art?” but instead to create an “interactive relationship” between art and the people who admired it. Throughout his career (he passed in 2022 at the age of 84), he was inspired by many artists and designers including Noguchi, Madame Vionnet, Fortuny, Brâncuși, Giacometti, and the great ceramicist, Lucie Rie (she’s especially close to our hearts here at Rakks).

Miyake survived the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, and lost his mother to radiation poisoning three years later. The attack on Hiroshima profoundly affected him, and later in his life, he spoke out for peace and against the use of nuclear weapons. Perhaps related to his hopes for peace, he established an inclusive design ethos and closely collaborated with some of the bright lights that were his friends. He strove to make clothes that were beautiful, but also comfortable, affordable, and practical enough for everyday use—transcending gender, size, race, and age.

12/06/2023

“We spend a lot of time designing the bridge, but not enough time thinking about the people who are crossing it.” —Dr. Prabhjot Singh, director of systems design at the Earth Institute

Many of you will be familiar with the iron ring worn by Canada-trained engineers on the signing hand, as a reminder of the obligations and ethics associated with their profession. Engineering graduates receive their rings in a private ceremony known as the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, which was developed by H. E. T. Haultain in 1922, with assistance from (perhaps surprisingly?) Rudyard Kipling. When I asked a Canadian engineer friend about his ring, he told me that the iron used to make the rings comes from the beams of the first Quebec Bridge, which collapsed during construction in 1907 due to poor planning and design by the overseeing engineers. Although this origin story is likely a myth, the ring nonetheless symbolizes the pride engineers have in their profession, and the standards they must meet, while reminding them of the importance of humility.

The high stakes of bridge-building aside, we like the juxtaposition of pride in your work/a high standard of excellence/humility—and, importantly, as a foundation for all of it, thinking about the people who will use what you design and build.

04/02/2022

Rakks' founder and designer, Keivan Towfigh, was an "art person" as well as a "math person". He believed that form and function should work in concert, and that beautiful, pleasing-to-use designs should be practical at the same time. Visit rakks.com to explore Towfigh's approach to integrated, modular shelving (second slide shows our elegant floating shelf system).

25/01/2022

This cozy writer's studio and retreat uses Rakks shelving systems to create a space for contemplation and focused productivity. With warm lighting, source materials and inspiration arranged beautifully at arm's reach, our shelving makes this the anti-writer's-block writer's space.

24/11/2021

Note to architects, designers, contractors and others who are seeking form married with function - we recently overhauled https://rakks.com. Therein you’ll find design inspiration, assistance in creating custom shelving designs using our versatile product line, extensive support hardware e-store, some stock shelving parts and more.

Timeless architectural shelving and hardware proudly designed and made in the United States since 1972.

24/11/2021

Design is not just about how something appears on the surface. Design comes to life when humans interact with it and use it.

24/11/2021

You can change the height, positioning, even angle of Rakks shelving. You can choose floor-to-ceiling or floor-to-wall pole systems. You can mount our standards on the wall or indeed hide them inside it. You can install floating shelves. Change the color, height, depth. Heavy-duty or minimal. Rakks responds to your needs and the requirements of your space.

06/10/2021

We are wrapping up our time at , having shared a retrospective of Rakks’ last 50 years—the first image is one of our earliest styled shots; no need to specify which decade as we are sure you can guess. We also shared new product designs and vistas for the future. It was great to see others’ offerings, meet in person, and share perspectives with colleagues in the design industry.

05/10/2021

Rakks is excited to be in Chicago at the NeoCon2021 Commercial Interiors design show right now, 4-6 October. We hope you'll come by the booth to meet us and learn about our architectural shelving systems and support hardware.

03/10/2021

There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one? —Zaha Hadid

Rakks’ infinitely adjustable, customizable shelving systems and support hardware will be on display this week in Chicago at 2021, the major design and interiors show. Please seek us out if you’re there.