Slide Show: Phloem Studio
November 12, 2012
The finished product: the Laura Desk. It's the latest in Ben Klebba's small line of handbuilt furniture, designed and produced at the Beam & Anchor workspace in North Portland.
The prototype, made from plywood and maple scraps. Klebba always mocks up a piece at full scale in inexpensive materials to test not only its lines and proportion but also its comfort.
Plywood core gets a maple veneer of 1/16" instead of the typical 1/32", to provide a sturdy and long lasting writing surface. Obviously Klebba believes the pencil will never be entirely replaced by the computer.
The tapered drawers with their geometric cut outs, perfect for pencils or paper clips or any other small items that shouldn't get lost in the back of a desk drawer.
Some assembly is required, but that allows the desk to be shipped in a box. A mere eight Allen head bolts fit the pieces together.
The tapered drawer up close. In early designs, the sides of the desk top were flat, not tapered, but looking at prototypes in crit sessions with fellow workers at the Beam & Anchor shop led Klebba to taper the desktop (and its drawers) to harmonize with
