Brian has been understanding of our dwelling throughout the customer suite downstairs and he was in need of an enormous outdated fancy desk for his new video manufacturing agency (positive, he and his good buddy Chandler do all our superior motion pictures now and positive, they’re for hire). My first thought was an L-shape nonetheless the depth would have wanted to be truly shallow in an effort to match two dudes there. It doesn’t seem to be it, nonetheless we mocked it up with desks and tape and realized that it is going to be too crowded. So, instead we wanted one giant prolonged desk to go alongside that wall.
Now there are some readymade decisions in the marketplace. Decisions that may have worth, say, $250 (ikea counter excessive on legs and completed). Nonetheless in my quest to make every room portfolio worthy I wanted one factor distinctive, pretty and supreme for the world. So we decided to design one factor and have it custom-made made. All we knew is that it was going to be 9 ft prolonged and 30 inches deep. I wanted one factor darkish, sturdy, sturdy, and truly specific. I toyed with a waterfall picket desk, one factor live-edge and ultimately decided to go along with marble and metallic as a result of the provides. I hadn’t had a metallic desk fabricated sooner than and it appeared like an attention-grabbing drawback that will yield a extraordinarily good consequence.
Proper right here was the inspiration:
Remi, a model new designer that works for me, was the enterprise supervisor on this job (or else I wouldn’t have gotten it completed and the details wouldn’t have been so obsessed over). We started toying with the idea of a inexperienced and white marble excessive (marble is certainly the material of the yr, correct?), nonetheless a slab that giant (9′ prolonged) would have been worth prohibitive. Remi went to the native stone yard and positioned some remnants which were truly pretty, so we shifted gears. We started pulling inspiration images and cherished the idea of inlaying the marble proper right into a custom-made made metallic physique. Actually the inlay pattern might very nicely be one thing – stripes, grid, geometric, and so forth. We messed spherical with only a few of them after which as quickly as we settled on a grid we moved on to the drawer state of affairs, which was wanted to supply them with a bit of little bit of storage and maintain points off that gorgeous new marble ground.
We seen these hanging drawers on a bit on the Vegas Design Current we went to earlier this yr and cherished how simple and architectural they’ve been. Remi began engaged on the rendering with our new inspiration.
The plan above displays the grid and was moreover used to confirm our builder was ready to assist the load of the marble. The thought was that if we made 6 smaller slabs with plywood backing we might get away with out welding cross beams beneath– which could compromise the thin, shiny profile. With this design we’ve been able to find some pretty mid-sized remnants of Alba Chiara Marble at Stoneland. The remnants worth $610 full whereas your entire slab would have worth $1600, give or take.
The entrance & side elevation further explains the location of the hanging drawers and sq. legs. In case you suppose figuring out all these particulars was easy and all these numbers merely fell into place, you may be improper. I did actually really feel an sincere amount of stress understanding that if one factor turned out wanting chunky, generic, or if the drawer hung too low, we may be the one ones accountable for that design mistake (speaking of which, be taught our feelings on these in this newest submit).
We had the legs custom-made comprised of a vendor on Etsy (FOR $290) and requested them to be despatched in unfinished raw metallic (reasonably than the black chance) so that we might have your whole physique and base powder coated at one time so that each one the finishes matched.
Since it’s a functioning work desk, we wished to make sure that the inlay could possibly be fully flush with the marble: “it ought to actually really feel like nothing when you run your finger over the seam.” Normally we work with our builder, Ansel, for model new assemble upholstery & reupholstery, so this was a model new enterprise for every of us.
When it received right here all the way in which all the way down to deciding the color of the physique & inlay, we went backwards and forwards between brass and black. On one hand, brass inlay is so pretty, nonetheless then once more brass powder coat can go unhealthy quickly. And on the third hand, we felt similar to the marble made enough of a press launch that mixing brass inlay & black legs would actually really feel too 80’s for the world. After loads debate, we chosen matte black. It is masculine, however refined, and the right reward to inexperienced veined marble.
A typical misunderstanding about marble is that it’s a very arduous and strong supplies. Greek ruins lead us to contemplate this, nonetheless in actuality marble is a very clean supplies that crumbles like feta cheese when hit the improper means. Since we solely found this marble in remnant gadgets, Ansel had one shot to cut the marble precisely with a hand seen. Luckily he succeeded, nonetheless after they went to go well with the marble to the physique one in every of many gadgets sadly cracked. There was a second of important panic as soon as we thought we’d want to provide & buy all new marble so that it matched, nonetheless thankfully Stoneland had a pair additional remnants of the similar marble. Catastrophe adverted and sanity saved.
The desk was launched on web site in gadgets and assembled proper right here so we might 1.) match it up the steps & by the use of the door and a few.) make certain that we would not damage anymore of the marble gadgets. First the physique legs have been bolted to the physique, then the marble format was decided. Like I said earlier, we employed a plywood assist system to confirm the marble was supported with out having to compromise the slim profile of the desk excessive. The plywood was dropped into the physique after which the marble was fastidiously connected with vitality seize glue.
The ultimate step was inserting bumpers between the plywood and metal physique to ensure the marble tiles have been fully flush with the black inlay that runs in between the slabs. We designed the ‘metal inlay’ to actually be part of the physique, the place as with a traditional inlay a channel is carved from the marble & a strip of metal or stone is positioned inside which allows for the metal & ply tiles to pop in and out of the physique for easy disassembly and shifting, we did this so that we might merely transport the marble and switch if wanted, and as well as because of we did not have an unlimited margin of error when it received right here to marble gadgets and presumably making an attempt to carve a channel in each of them.
With every custom-made job there are on a regular basis some take aways out of your enterprise, stuff you’ll have acknowledged to call out or do in one other means. We specified full extension drawer {{hardware}} (who wouldn’t want full range of drawer entry, am I correct?) which is not hid all through the drawer, nonetheless instead connected on each side of the drawer. You’ll see the problem throughout the image labeled attaching marble to ply (above). Since sliding {{hardware}} cannot be powder coated (the ball bearings will stick), the final word {{hardware}} was uncovered and silver. An unfortunate eyesore nonetheless merely mounted with a pair coats of matte black paint. All in all we’re kinda in love with the final word product, what do you guys suppose? 
We LOVE the way in which it turned out. Sure, it wasn’t low price, easy or fast nonetheless its such a fairly piece that we’ll hopefully have perpetually. 
That inexperienced throughout the marble goes to be carried all by means of the room. 
The sconces are from Rejuvenation, chairs from Objective (for $70) and the curtains are from Loom.
Actually an important draw back now could possibly be that any house that we switch into has to have a room for a 9 foot prolonged desk. I’m nearly accomplished with the rest of the room and we’ll have the reveal shortly. Preserve tuned and have an outstanding weekend.
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