The inspiration for the desk came from the image of a crescent on a tarot card. I created it for a writer, a very spiritual person who was the owner of the card. During our discussion of the project he told me that he is looking for a space both functional and creative. One that could calm and focus him as he wrote.
In the process of designing the desk I considered different materials and colors, which I discussed with my client. Ultimately I chose the dark cherry red and the bright blue, because of the client’s preferences. The light colors would have clashed with the rest of the furniture in the room. I was looking for a feel of calmness and cool, which comes from the blue. Blue is also a chakra color for communication, something essential for a writer. The red color on the inside would have created the opposite feel.
In my designs I am looking not just for the aesthetic, but also for the practical. I wanted to have a way to organize the cables for the computer or any other electronics that the desk would normally hold. As shown in the picture on the right, there is a power strip at the rear, hidden deeper in the desk itself. The cables leading from the power strip to the glass surface are attached to the sides and remain completely hidden. The only visible cable left is a power cord from an outlet to the bottom of the desk. I used Velcro to attach the cables to the sides, this way they can be easily removed and replaced.
For the finished product I used different contrasts, not just in the colors, but also in the wood and the finish. The outside shell is cherry veneer, the finish is flat, the wood is plain, and there isn’t much figure in it. The inside is an ice birch veneer, the wood is highly figured and has a natural shimmer. It reminds me of water, which conveys the feel of calmness even stronger. I used a high-gloss finish to bring out the shimmer and figure even more. Combined, the different materials and the shape of the desk lead the eye to a focus point somewhere in the desk itself. I wanted to keep this almost meditative effect, so I chose a glass top, not to obscure the view when you sit at the desk.