The pair of desks above was made for a law office in Richmond, Virginia. The one on the left is used as the "main" desk, while the one on the right is used as the computer desk. They are designed to face each other so that you sit in the middle of them and can rotate your chair around and face either one. The desks are made from curly/tiger maple sourced from C.P. Johnson Lumber in Elkwood, Virginia. Most of the wood was sawn from the same log, which provides consistency and uniformity across both pieces.
The main desktop measures about 7' 6" long x 40" wide providing a large surface for spreading out work and/or meeting with a client.
The computer desktop measures over 6' 6" long x 30" wide providing ample room for laptop, monitor, keyboard, etc.
Functional features include:
Small light-duty drawers on the main desk to hold papers, etc.
A pen/pencil holder made of maple in the middle drawer of the main desk
Larger drawers on the computer desk for more storage and bigger items
Design features include:
A curve on the front edge of each desktop, tapered curves on the legs of each desk, curved breadboard ends on each top, and curved aprons on the end of each desk. These curves soften the linear design of each piece and tie the two together as a pair.
The curve on the front edge of each desk forms an oval (when the desks are facing each other) that invites you to sit down between them
Dovetailed drawers on both pieces
Dovetailed drawer boxes on the computer desk
Pegged mortise and tenon joinery where the legs and aprons come together that makes for a beautiful and strong joint
Click on the pictures below to see each desk in detail. There is a slideshow at the bottom of this page that shows some of the building process.