“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”

Inspired by Wittgenstein’s line above, this desk explores the gap between our mental pictures of “stool,” “chair,” and “desk,” and their actual function. The desk was designed without a consciously formal or functional method. The rather unacademic process synthesized a functional surface arrangement with an ironic composition of found-furniture and furniture archetypes.

Compressed-air pistons from the hatchback of a junked ’83 Mazda counterbalance the 45-pound upper surface. Placement of the ends of the pistons required extensive calculations involving the pressures necessary to compress and those necessary to maintain equilibrium along the length of the throw of each piston, and those measured loads in relation to the angle at which the pistons meet the desktop — itself varying in effective weight as its pitch increases. The result is a drafting top that remains fixed at what ever angle it is placed. The locking center post is required only for excess loads on the surface.