Categories: Philly

Shelfbots: A Lazy Girl’s Guide to Organization to DIY Shelf

We talked with the founder  and co-founder of “DIY Shelf” Adil and Deirdre Vezir to get the scoop on how the new modular storage system “Shelfbots,” is charming Philly residents. Guess what? You don’t have to put down the remote to go pick up your custom unit, your “Shelfbot” will be delivered right to your door.

Why “shelfbots” were invented

 By the time you find what you need after winding through the mazes of IKEA and Target, do you really want to whip out a screwdriver and hammer and start building?

By designing your storage unit online, DIY Shelf allows you to avoid the lines, trek home with furniture parts in your trunk, and the battle with your screwdriver that accompany the superstore experience.

DIY Shelf was created with “this idea of re-using or re-imagining items, especially things that might otherwise be considered waste,” Vesirov explains, “helps to counter-balance the feeling of living in such a disposable society.”

founder: Adil VeZir

The concept for the “Shelfbot” was dreamt up in the creative mind of Adil Vezir, an artist, sculptor, product designer, woodworker and fabricator. As a Philly resident, he had an idea of what our community lacked, and set his plan in motion.

The inspiration for the “Shelfbot” emerged from Adil’s memories of the tribal rugs his Grandmother made in Azerbaijan. No need to step into a time machine, your creation is taking you back in time to one of the earliest archetypal images of human consciousness.

Delivered: How your “Shelfbot” finds you

The Interactive design tool on DIYShelf.com liberates your creative spirit by involving you in the creation process as desired. DIY Shelf calls itself a “FUNctional brand,” providing freedom and a trustworthy product.

Unlike buying from national large superstores, you don’t have to worry about having the same exact storage system as everyone else across the U.S.

Once you design your “Shelfbot,” It’s yours. No one else can acquire your customized creation.

Each unit is handcrafted by Adil Vezir and a small team of experts in his woodshop in Sherman Mills. He puts every ounce of love and creativity into your very own creation, as if it were for his own use.

Next stop? Out of the woodshop and into your home.


DIY Shelf : Green Practices

With this local company, Adil is devoted not only to sustainable practices but your personal safety too.

“Shelfbots” are only pine sourced from sustainably managed forests. Pine does not release formaldehyde fumes into your home like common household MDF or plywood furniture does.

 DIY Shelf aspires to give a percentage of profits towards supporting indigenous land rights and reforestation programs. In the near future, a program will be designed to plant a tree for every “Shelfbot” made. Each purchase will have a direct impact on the promotion of natural forest eco-systems.

Plus, you’ll make a contribution from your couch by supporting a local business – money spent in communities stays in communities. As Vezir said,

Philadelphia is a great place to start a new business since it has a lot of support for small companies. Our product fits well into the bigger art movement and love of arts this city has”.

Have you designed a “shelfbot” yet? Tell us or link to yours in the comments. 

Julia Davis

Julia Davis is finishing her second year at Temple University. She has a great love for many art forms including dance, creative writing and visual arts. As a Pittsburgh-native, she has developed a great love for repurposing used or abandoned materials and making art out of them, but most of all loves a good snuggle with her dog Fig.

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