This desk was inspired by an old and weathered chicken coop that I saw driving in South Central Wisconsin.   The solid oak construction employs bridal and sliding dovetail joinery.  The holes in the drawer were created in nature by oak tree borers, and the decaying edges of the horizontal slats are all natural edges from the slabs of wood cut for this project.

The desk is 72″ x 32″ x 28″ and fits two rolling file boxes 18″ x 14″ x 17″.

The oak was given a patina by way of fuming and ebonizing.  These traditional processes for darkening and richening the color of oak are possible by the tannins found in the wood.  Fuming was apparently discovered by observing how the oak beams in stables would darkened on exposure to the fumes from horse urine.

Commissioned for the studios of Dolan Geiman.