Meca shelving by Meurop

The Meca shelving system has a particularly interesting connection to Belgian modernist design: its origins lie in the work of Belgian architect and designer Willy Van Der Meeren, rather than solely in the work of Meurop’s better-known artistic director, Pierre Guariche. The system appeared in Meurop catalogues in early 1962, but its underlying concept can be traced back to Van Der Meeren’s earlier experiments with modular wall storage.

In 1953, the beginnings of the Meca concept were already visible in a model apartment in the Kiel district of Antwerp. Its wall-mounted arrangement used rails and hooks to support shelves. Meurop later developed the concept using metal wire grids, allowing hooks to be attached at numerous points and making the system more flexible. The company patented the system and manufactured it until its bankruptcy in 1980.