This modular marble picture frame brings utility and brutalist charm to your desk

It’s a common practice to put pictures of loved ones, including furry friends, on our desks as a source of inspiration or motivation, especially when our spirits are low. Despite this ordinary occurrence, most people don’t really pay much attention to what they attach their photos to. As long as they don’t look ugly or don’t clash with the rest of your desk’s motif, people will settle for any old picture frame they can grab. Of course, the photo inside is the most important thing, but just like any other product, the things that surround it can add more value, especially if the frame can serve multiple functions at the same time. This modular picture frame concept offers that kind of value, but it also tries to enhance the design’s appeal by using a material that embodies long-lasting memories.

Designer: Burcu Nehir Tum

Marble is one of the most distinctive types of rock-like materials that we use for creating products. It is durable and long-lasting but, more importantly, is beautiful and unique thanks to the patterns that never ever repeat, at least not naturally. It leaves a lasting impression, which is a fitting metaphor for memorializing someone, something, or some memory in a photo. It’s an admittedly heavier material, but that also lends some stability to the frame.

The MEMORABLE picture frame is more than just a pretty face, though. It uses a rudimentary rail system to slide different modules on both sides of the frame to expand its utility beyond just displaying a photo. There’s a module for a short cylinder for a pen holder, a longer cylinder that can be used as a small vase, and a square spiral wire for holding small notes. The latter might be useful for sticking notes or messages from the very same loved ones shown on the photo beside it.

Given the frame only has two vertical sides, you will have to pick two of the three modules to use at a time. The advantage is that you’re not locked down to these choices and you can change things around as needed. In fact, that sliding rail system also allows two or more MEMORABLE frames to be joined together, allowing you to have as many photos as your desk can accommodate. This expands the function of the frame significantly from a simple display to an organization tool.

Although marble is a refined material, its appearance gives the photo frame a certain raw appearance that is quite appealing to the eyes and especially to the touch. It’s also a more sustainable material that can become raw material for other products after the end of its life. If there’s one drawback to the MEMORABLE’s design is that it’s rail system is fixed to only work with certain modules, such as the pen holder and vase on the left and the note holder or another frame on the right. It’s also not clear where the rails also work when the frame is set to a wide or landscape orientation, which is how some photos are taken when groups of people or scenic views are involved.