The alternative to a stand-alone concealed office,  is the made-to-measure built-in style of this desk and cabinetry.

In this case, I was already familiar with Dianne's tastes after working through the design process with her on the "French Cherry" jobs I had done. Therefore, with that personal familiarity already established, I was able to take the many measurements and her list of wants and dive right into the design process and get going relatively quickly. I've found that repeat customers are happy to jump into the game again with more comfort and even more eagerness. I guess they have seen how I can assess their needs and wishes, and how it works into a stew of ideas that always turns into a unique and successful piece.

This desk was completely customized for Dianne's sitting position, her storage needs for letter and legal files, binders and books above, and the placement of the computer tower, screen and pull-out keyboard. I also had to consider that this smaller room was a walk-through and had a sitting area with full windows on two sides. I went with the lifted legged file cabinet design on the bottoms to keep it more open, so as not to crowd the room with overly bulky looking cabinets. The light colour of the curly maple also made it less imposing. We resisted staining the curly (this would've been too loud for the room); a clear coat on finely sanded curly maple with black hardware sings quite well, the grain shows just fine still. Also, there's so much natural light in the room, which gives it a contemporary cottage feel, so no need to bring in anything heavy and dark.

This project gave me the chance to try a technique I had toyed with: a veneered crown to match the veneer used on the door panels. I used PVC pipe to make the well sized cove molding, which worked out great. It was basically the same material combo used as on the post in "Judy's Wine Bucket Stand", but a concave curve this time.

Since Dianne hadn't decided exactly how the computer wiring was going to be managed, it unfortunately was a bit of a rat's nest in the pictures, but it's all tucked away now.

A solid hard curly maple desk top is quite a prize; you can see the holographic grain in it, feel the smooth laquer finish, and it has a really nice knock to it.

I want one!

(picture taken before the cables were all tucked away...)