Klippe

Klippe (“cliff” in Norwegian) is a pair of brass bookends that came out of a frustration with the bookends already on the studio’s own shelves — too light, too short, and almost universally finished in something that fights with the books they hold.

Material

Each bookend is folded from a single 2 mm sheet of brass: a tall upright that meets the books, a horizontal foot that slides under them, and a small return bend at the back of the foot that gives the foot enough rigidity to take the load without flexing.

The brass is hand-rubbed with a mild patina — closer to a worn coin than a piece of jewellery. It will continue to develop with use, which the studio considers a feature.

A small piece of dense wool felt is glued to the underside of each foot, both to protect the shelf and to give the bookend a small amount of friction so it doesn’t slide forward as the books shift.

Production

The studio does the folding in-house on a small box brake; patina and felt-fitting also in-house. Available as a pair from the studio shop; lead time about two weeks at current order rate.