Anigre Executive Desk
(As of 3/15/2013, the pictured desk is available for sale)
This desk was a collaborative labor of love. Philosophically, we always try to start with the wood and let the project unfold from there. So, after hand-selecting some absolutely stunning quartersawn fiddleback anigre (A'nn-i-gray) veneers, I attempted to come up with a geometric design that would really allow the wood to shine. The resulting reverse diamond pattern on the desk top creates a fascinating visual effect, with the straight grain of the wood creating a reverse diamond and the rippling figure of the wood creating a true diamond pattern. The geometric patterns on the front, back, and sides of the desk hold similar visual interest. Steve Jenkins and I built the desk together over the course of several long weeks. I also enlisted the help of Gary McFarland, an artisan metalworker from Wimberley, Texas, to fabricate the steel base.
The desk has clean, contemporary lines with a minimum of embellishment or ornamentation. I made every effort to get out of the way and let the wood speak. Accordingly, though the desk has several protective coats of conversion varnish, the natural color of the wood remains intact and unstained. The only additional color to the desk is in the drawer pulls, which I made from solid Gabon Ebony in order to creates a point of visual balance with the ebony color of the steel desk base.
The two drawers feature undermount steel drawer slides. The drawer boxes are made from solid maple and are joined with miniature dovetails.
In the center of the desk, there is a sliding laptop/ keyboard tray. This tray has detents, so that when the tray is fully extended, it will softly 'lock' into place for stability while typing.
The desk top measures 30 X 60 inches. The keyboard slider is at a comfortable 28" from the floor, and the desktop itself is at 31" from the floor.