I've just moved house and home office and now wish to do some remodelling of my work station to make myself more at home.

Here is the office as it is at present.

Excuse the crap stitch job on the photo. :eek:

So, that's what you have been up to.
Don't tell me that your new home office is looking over the ocean! :eek:

Here is the view from ouside the office as I cant quite capture it from inside.

Takesh, not quite the ocean but I have some water views.

And a view of the worlds ugliest building accross the road.

Back to the thread.

I've been working on a new design for my own work station inspired by Carlo Mollino's writing desk of 1949 (here).

The idea is to have a main desk element that is nested upon a side storage unit that will contain the PC tower, sub woofer, and printer and also allow for somewhere else to display more of my collection of mid century pieces (never enough space).

My office is pretty much paperless and therefore need little room for much else. A built in wardrode in this room allows for storage of printer medium, books and hundreds of design mags.

The other considerations toward this work station is to make it more adaptable to other spaces as I have my eye on a few apartments in this area and I'm still waiting to see when they may come up for sale.

All wires from speakers, monitor and tablet are to run under the desk and down into the storage unit via the third leg / pedestal / pivot thereby being concealed from view.

Here is the station in its 180 degree configuration.

45 degree configuration

and 90 degree configuration

Richard!!!!!!!!!

First of all, great to have you back.

Second, wonderful work, flexibility is usually costly, yet if mixed with originality and extraordinary design work, we end up with something interesting and of enduring ( and endearing ) quality, well worth the effort and its many related costs.

In so many words, great to have you back!, wonderful work!

Saludos

Juan

Thank you Juan, I did seem to have trouble getting back, like most I guess and I'm so relieved in all honesty to see that although all previous works posted may have been lost, the characters that make PPB the place it is are all still here!!!

Thank you again my friend. :cheers:

Seeing your project makes me wish I had my own woodshop in the garage. I really like the design and the idea of flexibility. As a student I know how it is to move around and have flexible furniture. This looks like a great workstation. If you build it, please show us the final pictures, and maybe some during construction?

Great desk Richard. My cup of tea. But, the one problem will be the wires. They will still be a mess despite slipping them through the pivot. First they will have to get to the pivot then they will all have to end up at an outlet or powerstrip.

I have been thinking about this for my own home. Why can't there be a built in power strip with a cable tray somehow incorporated into the design so that you have one main power cable running to the desk. You also have to consider the great number of transformers that a lot of accessories use.

It always turns into a dusty tangled mess. It would be nice if you could come up with a clever way to manage this issue.

I'm impressed by its simplicity. Is power designed into the piece in any manner? I'd hate to see unruly power cables everywhere behind the desk conflicting formally with your angled legs...

nice work.

tr

:eek:
that's what you get for playing online poker while trying to respond to a thread...you don't see Jake sneak in and think the same thing :o.

Photo's during construction????? I wont even get to see it while its being done, it's called calling in favors. The good thing about doing medium density, you recommend a kitchen supplier - he gets 45 kitchens to supply and then surely one day you get to call in a favour.

Admittedly I too wish I had a workshop to play with stuff like this, there is certainly something about doing stuff like this yourself - that glowing satisfaction one gets when they sit back with a beer just before your girlfriend knocks it over on your new handy work.

Here is a pic illustrating a proposed slot toward the rear of the top to enable the cables to penetrate rather than drape over the rear edge.

Great desk Richard. My cup of tea. But, the one problem will be the wires. They will still be a mess despite slipping them through the pivot. First they will have to get to the pivot then they will all have to end up at an outlet or powerstrip.

I have been thinking about this for my own home. Why can't there be a built in power strip with a cable tray somehow incorporated into the design so that you have one main power cable running to the desk. You also have to consider the great number of transformers that a lot of accessories use.

It always turns into a dusty tangled mess. It would be nice if you could come up with a clever way to manage this issue.

Yeah I just posted my last reply to cob's and both of you guys jumped in and I was playing with myself not even poker!!!

Here is what I had in mind to manage the blastered cables - I hate them!!!!

I will obviously need to carefully consider the pivot and how it will function, the desk will not be swinging around on it so it wont be a ware issue. But I would like to consider someway that the whole system can be reversed also left to right.

I'm not sure what you exaclty want for managing cord clutter, but i found these on the internet a while ago.

and another style...

first of all, great design Richard!! really simple and though very functional! :rock on:

Only one comment atm. You will put your subwoofer in your desk.
I think you'll need to preserve a hole in your desk, best of all, a hole as big as the hole in your subwoofer and ofcourse in the same direction ;)

Another thing Richard-dealing with the heat generated by the machines. I put an off-the-rack metal screen on the back of mine to keep stuff from falling out or being visible. It allows the heat to dissipate a bit. With my audio stuff it may be a bigger deal, but still something to consider if you have equipment that gets hot.

Will this a be a freestanding unit pulled away from the wall? Pretty cool sculptural piece on it's own.

'Climber' magazine! Richard, you're such a :craqueur:

'Climber' magazine! Richard, you're such a :craqueur:

I was wondering if someone would even notice, hey and look who is on the cover!!!! :wondering

Here is a pic illustrating a proposed slot toward the rear of the top to enable the cables to penetrate rather than drape over the rear edge.
Actually I like this solution because I constantly connect/disconnect many gadgets on/under my desk,
and this solution surely comes in handy. The slit in the desktop is beautiful too. :clap:
The problem of hiding wires into something might be its inflexibility. Rich's solution not only solves this inflexibility,
but somehow finds a beauty in how wires hang from the desk...am I going too far?
Siza once designed a desklamp with beautiful wiring (can't find a pic). It spiraled around the support up to lightbulb, just like ivy.
Another thing this desk reminded me was Studio Remy Zaugg by Herzog & De Meuron (how rainwater is treated).
You don't have to hide anything, let's find a way to make it look beautiful. :craqueur:

first of all, great design Richard!! really simple and though very functional! :rock on:

Only one comment atm. You will put your subwoofer in your desk.
I think you'll need to preserve a hole in your desk, best of all, a hole as big as the hole in your subwoofer and ofcourse in the same direction ;)

Tim that is why I put it up the close end as I dont listen to music much and when I do I'd happily slide the short door open. I might even put a cloth trim insert there to hide it but not really necessary.

I was wondering if someone would even notice, hey and look who is on the cover!!!! :wondering
Nooooo! Don't tell me that's you Richard! :rock on:

I was wondering if someone would even notice, hey and look who is on the cover!!!! :wondering
Is that the magazine your girlfriend spilled beer over? :D

Another thing Richard-dealing with the heat generated by the machines. I put an off-the-rack metal screen on the back of mine to keep stuff from falling out or being visible. It allows the heat to dissipate a bit. With my audio stuff it may be a bigger deal, but still something to consider if you have equipment that gets hot.

Will this a be a freestanding unit pulled away from the wall? Pretty cool sculptural piece on it's own.

Jake the hole in the back in part is for the prupose of heat dissipation from the PC!

The idea of having the desk section on pivot is to allow that to be optional as free standing and the storage unit agianst a wall.

My new office ahs a 45 deg bend in it which actually forced this consideration.

Nooooo! Don't tell me that's you Richard! :rock on:

Amazing what you can do with photoshop hey!!!!!

Is that the magazine your girlfriend spilled beer over? :D

Mate, she spills shit on everything! Just before I spill my guts :puke: . She even dropped a wine glass the other week and chipped my nelson bench.

I even catch her every now and then asleep on the lounge wearing high heals, and as she is only about 4'11" she wears the really high pointy ones! :bang head

Nice desk. Nice desk.

Is the slot at the back of the top movable to allow for plugs to fit through (similar to a dining table with removable leafs)?

I really dig the rotational aspect...

Uh oh. Now i'm inspired... not a good thing when I have deadlines!

Mate, she spills shit on everything! Just before I spill my guts :puke: . She even dropped a wine glass the other week and chipped my nelson bench.

I even catch her every now and then asleep on the lounge wearing high heals, and as she is only about 4'11" she wears the really high pointy ones! :bang head

Richard,

Sounds like she needs to be reprogrammed. Also, when you get time, could you post some pictures of her in the high heels?

Truly impress. Great work there.
After you seen this, can't sleep until you get one.

Sanjin

Richard,

Sounds like she needs to be reprogrammed. Also, when you get time, could you post some pictures of her in the high heels?

I'll see what I can do for you mate!!!

Is the first picture of you desk the ole door on file cabinets trick? Thats what ive got in my apartment. Its an easy inexpensive desk, but its big and has alot of surface area so it collects things rather easily :(...

Cobbs

Mate it looks like it but I had the top made about 15 years ago and yep stuck it on a few filing cabinets. The top is 2400 x 800 x 32 mm solid particle board so its a bit heavier than a door infact so heavy two guys alone have trouble moving it.

I wanted a desk big enough to open a set of plans on when I was working on a board. You young guys probably dont know what a board is, before the earth cooled we had to draw plans by hand on paper, with pens and scratch out errors with razor blades. Then they invented the wheel and so the story goes!! :eek:

:cheers: congrats.... whats the new house look like?

grat desk by the way... and yes you definately need room for plans, although my wife will tell you diffrently.... i have plans all over somtimes. :P

Richard, is it possible to share that skippy, I might want to use that in a project sometime.

Ah, you lucky guy.

Looks great. I like the point of depature, design wise.

My queries would be:

why not use a glass top like in the classic?

could the storage element's right side legs have wheels in order to make it pivot merely by pulling it? If maybe so, would that make a single leg on the left side, possibly without a wheel (or maybe some kind of ball below a socket) helpful?

PS. what's the lamp thingy, looks interesting(did you model it?)

:rock on:

Cobbs

I'll post it when I get around to finalising the details and tidy it up a bit, good thing about lines off images they don't show they mess the line work is in.

Gregg

Thanks mate!

I'm in no way a fan of glass top desks, one thing Mollino did not have to deal with in his design was cables. The inevitable finger prints, smears and coffee cup prints all make for a rather ugly top. Plus the idea of pondering my feet all day seems a bit intraverted.

I understand your idea for wheels to the storage but the idea of its pivoting is to suit different rooms or placements, not for the unit to act as mobile. Once placed in situation it would be inplace and not move, mindful that any required relocation would be preformed rather easily anyway - just slide it once.

The thingy is a lamp yes, I modelled it off the one on my desk now. I posted it originally to PPB and managed to argue my way to say sure its not designer known but should certainly be considered as valuable in anyones collection - I have at least a dozen friends who would hope I left it to them in my will. So I cant leave it in my will for you but here is the best I can offer you, THE SKIPPY! Enjoy!!!

Cheers, Richard

I like the design but I am bit surprised you are only showing 1 monitor

Desk I made last year was as cheap as I could make: desk top birch ply
Legs from Ikea & it took longer to make than I thought & was not as cheap as I intended either plus it shakes a bit when I write (please excuse the shaky handwriting joke) reason I'm saying this is the pivot has to give stability to avoid probs so a large plate at top would be useful
The only benefit in making it was that it fits neatly into the available space nothing bought off the shelf would
If you have to view drawings then space saver trick is to have a sort of A1 size easel inclined at about 70 deg this makes reading a lot easier than horizontal
Also be careful about heights & find your comfort plane so your arm rests nicely on the desk My desk is a bit higher than normal 745 mm & works nicely for me. I haven't done it yet but what I would also like to do is sink the keyboard into the desk top

Edit Hafele have some very good fittings but don't know if available in Aus

Red

I had been considering the aspect of how the third leg would gain stability essential due to the narrowness of the end legs. I have considered a few options and this one I thought may be the most simple.

Would appreciate your thoughts here having experienced similar.

I have the fortune of no plans in my office as I scan straight away any large plans supplied but most came as PDF anyway.

Thanks for your ideas, as always here so many most valid points.

Cheers, Richard

Here are some thoughts :- Trying to make it as DIY friendly as possible
I favour the solid spacer
Both require the lower box to be as stable / braced as possible

Here is the solid spacer one

Additional positional locking could be by through bolt from inside lower box & would be concealed (similar to pegs in the one above)

Thanks red for your suggestions I'm possibly leaning toward my own solution as the problem is and I haven't been at all clear here, I'm considering sliding doors front and back to the storage unit as it needs to be reversible front and back due to possible left / right orientations of the entire unit. As a result limited bracing will be achieved in the storage unit, something yet to be entirely considered.

Thanks so much for taking your time to share your thoughts.

Cheers, Richard

I started with your original idea/ method before coming to the other solutions

My concern was the leverage force on the vertical tube & how to brace it (ie
When you come to rotate the top table you could strain all the joints.)
In your case the tube is a structural element & then I think the better solution would be to create an undercarriage bracing below the main box which leaves the box free from obstruction & it should be neatly concealed from view
maybe I am overstating it (the proof will be in the pudding)

Are you intending one off or batch quantity for this?

Thanks again red, I have thought about your concerns and figured if the joint is internally greased locking of this joint should not be such an issue. If the joint does lock - an upward tap should release it.

The desk will not be pivoted more than its first placement and anytime it may be relocated over years, this process would be the most simple and only stress the steel structural elements of the sub frames and not continually stress the storage unit which would be more of my concern.

The joints to this subframe will all be welded and as the weld is much stronger than the elements it joins I not so concerned as to the stress there that may be inparted.

This desk is to only be a one off.

Cheers again, Richard

Ok I've progressed a little futher with the design, here I've got a second unit to marry as an option to the first. The lower portion to support an LCD TV (hate wall mounted ones, that's where the pictures go!) The dining table as well.

I have been considering many likly circumstances this modular system will work as I don't currently like my office away from the living area. As I live and work by myself I find it much more suited me, the tv in the background and just more draw to get your arse of the chair and move for a moment.

I got a big step further toward a start by getting a new PC for it today.

HP 7199
Pentium Dual Core Processors 3.0Ghz
1 GB Ram
Nvidia 6600 256MB Video
200 GB HDD
Dual TV tuners
DL DVD +/- Burner
Ext HDD Slot
Ext 160 GB HHD
Remote control

Desk and table alone

Richard I really love this desk, but I have one knock. The knee room under the desk seems pretty tight, especially if the credenza is turned at a severe angle. The angled legs on the right side of the desk really eat up a lot of terrritory. What if those legs turned up right after the small box. That would still reflect the detail you have at the bottom of each leg, give you better support for the box and give you lot more room for your legs. I suppose you could make the desk top longer too.

Richard I see in your last image that you have a pivot, I also gather fromt he the rest of this thread that the desk can fold to 90 and 45 degree angles what about making it fold in half so the desk can be compacted and take up half the room when needed, unless it already does, but from the above image the top desk does not look big enough to do this,

just a thought

Nick.

Jake

Excellent point and one I had cansidered, as your legs are much lower than the desk top there would be space enough, however I do acknowledge not excessive. I might do as you say and make it longer being mindful that will limit situations in which the desk can be used. Thanks I will consider further.

Nick

I see what you are saying but see little point, the desk would always be in use and a complete pivot of the desk I fear would surely stress the cables running out through the pedestal into the buffet / storage. Also the desk length would need to be enormous.

I've just moved house and home office and now wish to do some remodelling of my work station to make myself more at home.

Here is the office as it is at present.

Excuse the crap stitch job on the photo. :eek:


its no fun looking at a blank wall
y dont u put the table smack bang in the middle of the room :clap:

its no fun looking at a blank wall
y dont u put the table smack bang in the middle of the room :clap:

Mate, I do see your point! Never the less if I was keeping the desk in this spare room I would certainly consider that but as I wish to move my office back to the living area I don't wish for it to dominate that space. Plus 90% of the time I'm not looking at the wall but the monitor!

I thought I'd see how this model renders in Artlantis R. Seeing that at this point I have spoken to the cabinet maker, the metal shop guy and yet still done FA about it. :bang head

1 hr setup and 2 min to render.

Another view

looking good Richard... after seeing some of the stuff you have been posting lately with Artlantis R I am going to have to give it a whirl...

so have you started to build this desk yet? definetly want to see some pics of it once you build it...

Cool :not worth :not worth

I must say I'm getting more and more delighted the way you can so quickly test materials lights and cameras and how easily textures can be combined to add petina.

I must say I'm getting more and more delighted the way you can so quickly test materials lights and cameras and how easily textures can be combined to add petina.
Richard, wrong thread. You ain't in Maxwell forum.
I have to move your post to where it belongs as soon as I get bakbek's permission.... :D

Richard these are looking great. Really nice images. I do notice that there are no cords shown. :rolleyes: That's always been my hangup. Any thought to a built-in cord tray, something that looks good and hides all that cords. I've always though it would be nice to electrify desks like this with wiring and outlets built in ready to go with just one power cord coming out of the bottom of one of the legs.

I must say I'm getting more and more delighted the way you can so quickly test materials lights and cameras and how easily textures can be combined to add petina.
i think that's artlantis render from looking at the metal

I thought I'd see how this model renders in Artlantis R. Seeing that at this point I have spoken to the cabinet maker, the metal shop guy and yet still done FA about it. :bang head

1 hr setup and 2 min to render.

Artlantis it is then

Very interesting to see it developed have you had costs back yet Richard?

I agree with Jake about the cables though (practicalities always get in the way of a good design concept)

i think that's artlantis render from looking at the metal

It is Artlantis but I'll still get there! I'lllll noy be licked by the metal NOoo! Must admit I've spent more time on that then any other shader by about ten fold.

I did detail the cable threading earlier I think, I'll check!

i think that's artlantis render from looking at the metal
I know.... :P
Richard, the last one is simply beautiful. No post PS work? :wondering

I know.... :P
Richard, the last one is simply beautiful. No post PS work? :wondering
I see 2 lens flares... :D PS?

Ah Ryo eyes like a hawk, yep two lens flares, bit of noise, levels and a tad of desaturate, something I've found with most Artlantis renders is the over saturation of the colours.

Cord details were discussed when the thread first came online. I've recently been messing around with artlantis again (demo version) after seeing richards wood model render. Im hoping to convince our lab tech to purchase the school a copy of it. Otherwise i'll have to fork over for my personal version.

Excellent render that last one Richardo... truly amazing work indeed...

did you change the flooring in the last one... as the earlier look like aussie oak/mountain ash... whereas the last one looks like a brownish baltic... been trying to get a damn good baltic style of texture for ages... used here all the time in the older houses one deals with when doing reno's...

cheers
Trevor

Trevor

I did change the flooring.

If its what might help you here they are.

First the bump, carful not too much, set nearly completely transparent.

Second the texture, set colour mix reflection and spec to suit.

Scale them both the same and they will line up but you cant move them eaisly.

Thanx for those Richardo...

that is exactly like baltic pine.. may alter the bump a little to only have the joints rather than the knots... will give them a go in Cheetah... Artlantis far too expensive for me to just be mucking around with... but definitely looks good... and fast!!

cheers and thanx again
Trevor

Trevor

I did change the flooring.

If its what might help you here they are.

First the bump, carful not too much, set nearly completely transparent.

richard, maybe they can go to the bump map library on [pushpullbar]2