When honored Columbia University professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak moved to her Upper West Side prewar apartment in 2008, she took 40 years’ worth of acquired objects with her from her old apartment. Still living out of cardboard boxes three years after the move, Spivak realized she needed some professional help. Photo: Guy Zucker
Now the professor’s life is organized and each object has its own nest. The inside of the cubbies is made of birch plywood, and the outside is white Formica. Photo: Danny Bright
Zucker also designed translucent glass doors that are easy to close when Spivak wants her storage out of sight. Photo: Danny Bright
Another room in Spivak’s apartment, before Zucker implemented another organization system, which he calls the “Switch Shelf.” Photo: Guy Zucker
To make his Switch Shelf, Zucker used a bendable material, called Timberflex, to create book-holders as well as the structural support for the shelves. Photo: Guy Zucker
And, finally, the installed Switch Shelf. “The same grooves that give the material flexibility make a beautiful pattern that highlights the curves and bends of the shelves..” Photo: Danny Bright
