Werk is a small series of furniture and products inspired by my experiences from primary school. The series seeks to share those experiences with the user, while facilitating the creation of new experiences and moments between the user and the objects.
Throughout the design process for this piece, I was inspired by the desks used by schoolchildren in the past. The desks often featured a flip up tabletop, or drawer space which functioned as a storage space for various materials. The flip up tabletop made getting ready for class, or preparing to work an event, as the tabletop had to be lifted, supplies taken out and arranged accordingly before beginning work. I wanted to recreate and repackage this event for adults, aiming to evoke childhood memories of their experiences in school.
Several different ideas and concepts were explored in the initial phases of conception for the Werk product line before settling on an overall concept. Only after could a design and concept for the desk be developed.
Initial development of the writing desk began with an overall concept which was further refined towards a prototype.
From sketches, the design was taken into Rhino and rendered on Keyshot, in order to determine the final materials and to give an impression of the final product.
While a relatively simple design, production proved to be a long and much more complicated process than originally anticipated.
Beginning with the legs, baseplates and the main supports of the legs were fabricated from steel before powder coating.
Angles proved to be difficult to join, well, as clamping them together proved to be difficult.
Tests were done to determine the best way to mill slots for the hinges.
Precision proved to be the greatest challenge in the build, with minimal tolerances allowed.
The inside of the desk had to be finished before proceeding to the exterior.
Laminate proved to be an effective and inexpensive way to finish the exterior of the desk, as other materials proved to be too costly to be practical.
Solid walnut siding was attached after the exterior was finished.
Final touch ups and hardware installation.
