We have a few things that are made in Italy. This lawn mower for instance. But it’s the new shelving system that finally has learnt me about made in Italy.
Why is it that so many of the things that are both designed and made by Italians are beautifully done, insanely over complicated, surprisingly functional but in an unexpected way, frustrating to work on and still often cheaper than a similar German product?
This shelving system is made entirely from thin galvanised sheet steel that has been formed, folded, pressed and punched through many steps to produce a limited range of components that, when assembled, produce very light, very strong and not unattractive shelves.
Assembly requires just a dead blow hammer...and the patience of a saint. It’s as fiddly and unergonomic as sex in the back seat of a Ferrari. The YouTube assembly video is hilarious in hindsight.
Italy makes great things but they do have a habit of making questionable decisions on their way to making some really interesting products...
