Furniture
Lady's Desk
Curtis Erpelding / Erpelding Furniture

“This desk was made for the exhibit ‘Knock on Wood’ at the Bellevue Art Museum, which ran from October 2014 through March 2015. My goal was to create a piece inspired by a type of 18th century desk called a ‘Lady's Desk.’ The form is usually small with a front that slopes back and is characterized by refined shapes and details and provision for storing and securing intimate items such as letters, jewelry and keepsakes. My intent was to modernize the form, both in look and construction techniques. I kept the lines fluid and continuous and restricted embellishment to the lattice veneer pattern and the shaped crest and tambour pulls and slats. The construction involved compressed air bladder and vacuum formed ply shells that were veneered and joined to create the shape. Where the curved shells met I created a rabbet filled with a bent laminated bead that functioned similar to purfling on a guitar body. The choice of technique ensured a clean and stable result. The use of veneer made the piece possible, both in terms of design and technique. The lattice motif parquetry of the kingwood veneer draped over the curves of the desk suggests a fine patterned fabric and gives a feminine feel worthy of the name ‘Lady’s Desk.’ The herringbone border pattern allows the body of the desk, both on the top and bottom sides, to morph into the legs without any visual break. The tambour slats have a shaped MDF core veneered with satinwood, keeping the long narrow pieces straight and true. Even the ‘purfling’ that joins the curved shells is bent laminated with regular thickness kingwood veneers. When heated, the epoxy laminated strips could be formed into the necessary compound shapes. The interior of the desk is veneered in satinwood to match the tambour and to insure a stable interior construction which won’t stress the outer shape like solid wood would. As in most of my work the use of veneer was integral to the concept, the execution, the success, and the long term survival of the project.”

Judges’ comments:

“Clean and clear form, a faired flow from the top to the legs. Exploring the inside and seeing those little compartments...very nice work.” - Paul Schurch “Elegant! Those curved legs...typically we do not want legs to distract from the whole and these worked wonderfully. This was a difficult piece to construct. I appreciate the technical skill.” - Gene Wengert