The grey GUIDE shelving unit with its wire sides and coloured shelf edges fit nicely into the urban furnishing style of the 1980s. The shelving unit came about as a cousin to the modern MOMENT sofa, which had a steel mesh underframe inspired by shopping trolleys.
The product manager for bookcases at IKEA, Niels Mossbeck, wanted to make a bookcase or shelving unit that went with the sofa. He and designer Niels Gammelgard developed a construction that was based on the same technique and material as for the legs of the MOMENT sofa.