the curious tale of the

projectcharging desk

you want to

make w

hat?

I noticed the disheveled bookcase immediately. It

sat at the end of my parents’ driveway, waiting for the next

morning’s trash collection. It was an ugly old thing, with a very dark, dirty veneer

which had peeled away in places, revealing the particleboard construction beneath it. It has been

in our basement for years.

It seemed like the perfect project. The materials were completely free! I set about sanding and

peeling away the veneer before reconstructing the pieces into a custom desk.

storage - friendly

In order to serve as a fully realized, three dimensional, creative workspace, I needed storage for my materials and items.

Two hinged doors open upwards, providing receptacles for my laptop and other small objects I might need, including my digital drawing tablet, an iPod, or an external hard drive. The openings are lined with felt to protect the items which they store. Covered openings are provided to direct electronic wires to a surge protector attached to the rear of the desk.

Because the old bookshelf was constructed of particleboard, I decided to expose the material rather than disguise it. The desk is meant to facilitate model-making, drawing, painting, etc. Such acts are inherently messy: as the it is used, the particleboard will wear and reflect the work which has been conduted on its surface.

A custom pattern was used to decorate the desk surface, a subtle reference to my last name, “Peoples.”

design

powering up

I have missed the trace tables from Miami University, so I decided to incorporate my own, using glass I had saved from a now discarded entertainment console. The glass was frosted and its frame was constructed from bass wood. I performed the basic wiring myself.

As I am right-handed, I made sure that the tracing space was located on the left side of othe desk.