For Form and Function: Make It Modular

Modular shelving is like a life-sized open-work puzzle that can be configured and re-configured depending on the space.

Whether stacked on top of each other, side by side or used as separate pieces in a room, the beauty of a modular unit is in its flexibility.

“Modular shelving adds the ability to style a room with chic accessories and storied mementos,” says Hillary Kaplan, principal designer and owner of Mimi & Hill design in Westfield, New Jersey. “It is also an easy and accessible way to add more storage to any room.”

With a wide variety of styles and materials available in the marketplace, there is an option to suit every sensibility. Here, tips from the design pros to expand your display horizons.

Materials Make a Difference

“Pieces picked up on travels, personal photos and family treasures find the perfect home on these kinds of shelves. As big fans of symmetry, we tend to use a lot of étagère-style shelves and pieces that can combine and expand to fit spaces with a semi-custom feel. This way, they feel more deliberate and integrate seamlessly with the larger design scheme. Wood is always durable and excellent for multi-use, but we love Lucite shelves that float or white shelves that let the pieces take centre stage.

“Often, the awkward space between a pair of windows is the perfect space for a shelving unit. It feels deliberate and adds a focal point to the room, anchoring a seating area while displaying your most personal objects and family photographs.

“Every room is unique, and it is essential to measure the space to ensure that you are not purchasing something that will feel too small or overwhelm the area. Another reason why we love the transparency of Lucite shelving is that they disappear just a bit. But be mindful of the shelf depth. If you have lots of books, board games or photo albums you want to ensure you select the correct size to account for the depth of your pieces. If not, your items may hang off the edge of the shelf, which looks messy.

“Curating your unit takes some know-how. To keep the look clean and not cluttered, be very intentional and display the most sentimental, fragile or important pieces first. Once those are identified as your must-haves, start to place clean stacks of books. We like to start with the largest ones on the bottom and then stack by size. Group books together in odd numbers depending on their size and thickness. You don’t want stacks that get too tall, as it’s often nice to cap the books with an object or an accessory. And, if possible, colour coordinate them to create a visually impactful presentation that stands out.”

living room with a modular Lucite unit filled with curio — Toni Deis Creative

— Hillary Kaplan, principal designer and owner of Mimi & Hill design in Westfield, New Jersey

Create a Custom-Crafted Look

“One of the reasons I love using modular shelving is for its flexibility. There are so many options for both open shelving as well as closed storage units. This type of shelving can also be hung on the wall to free up floor space below.

“In my office, I used a longer-sized unit along the length of the wall and then, where the shelf overlapped a desk, I used a shorter unit to give it a custom built-in feel. Leaving some bigger spaces in on some rows of shelving allows you to situate larger items, such as artwork or lamps, to make it look more styled. Some modular shelving units even let you add a small desk as part of the shelves.

“In a bedroom, you can have the shelves encase the bed to create a sort of alcove with built-in nightstands on either side. The options are endless.”

— Jessica Davis of Atelier Davis, a design studio based in New York and Atlanta

The marketplace has spoken and, at least for now, it’s showing preference for hybrids and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) over battery electrics. That makes Toyota’s foot dragging on EVs (and full speed ahead on hybrids) look fairly wise, though the timeline along a bumpy road still gets us to full electrification by 2035.

Italian supercar producer Lamborghini, in business since 1963, is also proceeding, incrementally, toward battery power. In an interview, Federico Foschini , Lamborghini’s chief global marketing and sales officer, talked about the new Urus SE plug-in hybrid the company showed at its lounge in New York on Monday.

The Urus SE interior gets a larger centre screen and other updates.
Lamborghini

The Urus SE SUV will sell for US$258,000 in the U.S. (the company’s biggest market) when it goes on sale internationally in the first quarter of 2025, Foschini says.

“We’re using the contribution from the electric motor and battery to not only lower emissions but also to boost performance,” he says. “Next year, all three of our models [the others are the Revuelto, a PHEV from launch, and the continuation of the Huracán] will be available as PHEVs.”

The Euro-spec Urus SE will have a stated 37 miles of electric-only range, thanks to a 192-horsepower electric motor and a 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery, but that distance will probably be less in stricter U.S. federal testing. In electric mode, the SE can reach 81 miles per hour. With the 4-litre 620-horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine engaged, the picture is quite different. With 789 horsepower and 701 pound-feet of torque on tap, the SE—as big as it is—can reach 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and attain 193 mph. It’s marginally faster than the Urus S, but also slightly under the cutting-edge Urus Performante model. Lamborghini says the SE reduces emissions by 80% compared to a standard Urus.

Lamborghini’s Urus plans are a little complicated. The company’s order books are full through 2025, but after that it plans to ditch the S and Performante models and produce only the SE. That’s only for a year, however, because the all-electric Urus should arrive by 2029.

Lamborghini’s Federico Foschini with the Urus SE in New York.
Lamborghini

Thanks to the electric motor, the Urus SE offers all-wheel drive. The motor is situated inside the eight-speed automatic transmission, and it acts as a booster for the V8 but it can also drive the wheels on its own. The electric torque-vectoring system distributes power to the wheels that need it for improved cornering. The Urus SE has six driving modes, with variations that give a total of 11 performance options. There are carbon ceramic brakes front and rear.

To distinguish it, the Urus SE gets a new “floating” hood design and a new grille, headlights with matrix LED technology and a new lighting signature, and a redesigned bumper. There are more than 100 bodywork styling options, and 47 interior color combinations, with four embroidery types. The rear liftgate has also been restyled, with lights that connect the tail light clusters. The rear diffuser was redesigned to give 35% more downforce (compared to the Urus S) and keep the car on the road.

The Urus represents about 60% of U.S. Lamborghini sales, Foschini says, and in the early years 80% of buyers were new to the brand. Now it’s down to 70%because, as Foschini says, some happy Urus owners have upgraded to the Performante model. Lamborghini sold 3,000 cars last year in the U.S., where it has 44 dealers. Global sales were 10,112, the first time the marque went into five figures.

The average Urus buyer is 45 years old, though it’s 10 years younger in China and 10 years older in Japan. Only 10% are women, though that percentage is increasing.

“The customer base is widening, thanks to the broad appeal of the Urus—it’s a very usable car,” Foschini says. “The new buyers are successful in business, appreciate the technology, the performance, the unconventional design, and the fun-to-drive nature of the Urus.”

Maserati has two SUVs in its lineup, the Levante and the smaller Grecale. But Foschini says Lamborghini has no such plans. “A smaller SUV is not consistent with the positioning of our brand,” he says. “It’s not what we need in our portfolio now.”

It’s unclear exactly when Lamborghini will become an all-battery-electric brand. Foschini says that the Italian automaker is working with Volkswagen Group partner Porsche on e-fuel, synthetic and renewably made gasoline that could presumably extend the brand’s internal-combustion identity. But now, e-fuel is very expensive to make as it relies on wind power and captured carbon dioxide.

During Monterey Car Week in 2023, Lamborghini showed the Lanzador , a 2+2 electric concept car with high ground clearance that is headed for production. “This is the right electric vehicle for us,” Foschini says. “And the production version will look better than the concept.” The Lanzador, Lamborghini’s fourth model, should arrive in 2028.

For Form and Function: Make It Modular

The beauty of modular shelving is in its flexibility.