I Nearly Tossed This – Glad I Didn’t
July 8, 2025
Source: Reddit
I was in a dusty Santa Fe garage, sorting through junk left behind by the previous owner. Mismatched screws, broken tools, dried paint, and other pointless debris littered the place.
Then I spotted, leaning against the garden wall, a tall, foldable metal frame. My first thought was garden trellis. The previous owner was a gardener, so it was circularly logical that it belonged in the garden. I figured it was previously supporting some food: beans, morning glories, something like that.
I was wrong.
A Mystery Unearthed
It looked like a ladder. Metal rods, thin rungs, strange pegs on the side. I almost wrote it off, but I saw its potential. It felt… intentional. Designed.
I snapped a photo and posted it on social media. Minutes later, my notifications lit up. Someone identified it as a Brink Design shelving unit from the 1990s, designed by John Christensen. A real genuine piece of vintage modernism.
Next I Found the Glass
The next day, I returned to the garage. I dug through some cardboard, and found one set of thick, dusty glass shelves. I took some time and examined the size of the shelves. The set graduated in size.
I took one shelf from the stack, slid it into the frame – it fit. Perfectly. One by one, I slid each shelf back into the frame, and they all fit. Seven shelves and the whole thing was complete! People just buried it, lost it, and forgot about it.
What’s So Great About This Brink Design Shelving Unit?
It is clean, and subtle, and quietly remarkable. The shelves float between slender metal uprights, which gives it a sculptural quality. And, if you need it to, the entire thing can fold flat.
John Christensen’s pieces with Brink were not mass market. They were architectural, modular, and beautifully proportioned. They are understated, yet showy.
Almost Threw Away a Classic Design
I was this close to getting rid of it. I figured it was designed because of a gut instinct, and some good luck. Now it is set up and the glass is cleaned. It looks incredible.
I do not know if I will keep it or sell it, but either way it is back in the world, where it belongs, and not buried under junk.
Final Thoughts
Always double check before throwing something away that looks out of place. Someone almost threw this Brink Design shelving unit away, but it made it back into the world where it belongs. Now, it is one of the coolest things I own.
If you have found something similar or have information about the work of Christensen, please let me know. I am still amazed I found this – and that it was complete the whole time.
