MINE. is a series of products, designed using the same minimal design language and manufactured using my personal skill set, for my own use. These projects are meant to feature my aesthetic, thought process, and design skills. The first product to be designed was my personal desk.

This project came about because I 1. couldn’t find anything that fit my personal taste and needs at a reasonable price and 2. I’m a cheap bastard. This cheapness also became a constraint for the design of the desk. I didn’t want to pay to have anything fabricated, so I did it all myself. So, the first problem to solve: how to utilize my garage as a machine shop.

This is, of course, an artfully constructed sketch page with far more time spent on these sketches than the real ones I made in a coffee shop months ago, but thy help to show my thought process as I was ideating. I personally don’t need much storage on the desk itself (it’s for my bedroom) and therefore the profile can be incredibly simple. It comes down to construction, and because I’ve moved around dozens of times in the past 7 years, I wanted to make the desk easy to break down. Therefore, I didn’t want to make any construction needing tools. Every time I had an idea like building in a power strip or a keyboard, I once again forced myself to keep it simple; the more I add, the harder it will be to build and upkeep. On top of that, the more minimal it is, the more flexible its uses.

The next phase of the design process was to ideate proportions and finalize them in CAD. Starting in Illustrator and moving into Rhino, I figured out what materials, sizes, and dimensions I needed to source, along with tolerances for parts and building 3D printed parts.

The point of this project was to design and build myself a desk, but I also want others to be able to build it as well. So I’m going to describe how to do it.

To start, I sourced the metal materials I needed online. These may or may not have been more expensive due to certain tariffs imposed upon the world markets.. The table top and legs I kept aluminum because there were areas I wanted to expose for polished reveals, while the steel was chosen to help the struts weight the desk down when assembled.

The first processing I completed was to cut the legs to length as well as the rings for the feet and leg caps, and manually CNC (with a drill and file, lol) notches for the struts.

At the same time, I cut the steel to length to then cut and file inverse notches into the struts. This was the most labor intensive part of this endeavor (jeez, steel is tough to file away). I needed to do this for 3 long struts and 4 shorter ones.

Most of the cutting work for the table top was done before me, as it was ordered at the standard 2’ by 4’ size. I just needed to cut the corners and notch via a template and then drill quarter inch holes out for the cap bolts.

The next phase was to 3D print and assemble cartridges for the joinery features. This included 4 caps, 4 feet and 8 total (tops and bottoms) leg inserts. These cartridges were designed into this desk because I can’t weld, and I certainly can’t weld aluminum, AND as I said before, I’m cheap so I didn’t want to pay someone to weld fasteners. To get around this I built pockets into the outer surface of the cartridges and cut notches into the inside of the aluminum pipes so that when I expoxied the cartridges into place, there was maximum surface contact and adhesion. As I sit at the desk now, I can say that it did the job and holds incredibly well. The washers were also built into the cartridges to spread the forces exerted onto the cartridges across the plastic.

Once the leg components were assembled, finishing could begin. Finishing was a three part process starting with metal glaze (because I like getting cancer and a silky smooth fill) and sanding, priming and sanding, and then a final series of enamel coats and a clear matte enamel protective layer.

Because I sourced materials online instead of picking them in person, they were a bit marked up, so I had to fill, prime, and sand all of them. Once the legs and brackets were finished with enamel coating, I adhered thin rubber layers onto any surfaces that contact other surfaces.

The table used a ton of paint, but eventually even that was covered in enamel and the edge revealed and polished.

I sourced the thick felt from FilzFelt. The purpose of the felt is similar to the recent trend of covering consumer electronics with fabric: though aluminum is sturdy, it’s also cold. I don’t want to be sitting my wrists on a cold surface every time I type and the sound of keys being placed on metal is awful. I waited to cut the felt until everything else was completed mostly because I couldn’t figure out the best way to cut it. I considered sending it to a laser cutter (even against my own rule of outsourcing) but even that wasn’t available because apparently no laser cutters like the smell of burnt animal hair. Who knew? So, after a few test cuts, I was surprised that with sharp scissors, even 5 mm felt cuts pretty easily. After tracing the table top, I cut out the felt. It obviously wasn;t as accurate as a laser, but it surprised even me how well it came out.

Once completed, final assembly was a breeze. The struts locked into place with just a tiny bit of force and the leg caps sealed the table top onto the legs. The leg caps also act as locating features for the felt cover.

I’m cheap. I’ll admit it. But ultimately, what that means is that I curate what I own. Each piece of gadgetry, artwork, or furniture is chosen because it adds to the collective whole. Not because it’s the best at what it does, but because it’s the best for me. I designed Desk of MINE. because I couldn’t find another on the market that fit my style, needs, and price point. I hope you’ve enjoyed the process and visuals of its creation, and even if it’s MINE., you can make it yours if you want.