Airia Desk and Media Cabinet

Overview

Airia combines a desk and complementary media cabinet designed by Ayako Takase and Cutter Hutton of Observatory. The desk organizes work across a main surface, a slightly raised secondary level, slim drawers, and cable cutouts.

Construction

The official page identifies a walnut frame, white aluminum work surface and tapered legs, and cork-lined drawers. Herman Miller's chip chart specifies Walnut for the wood-and-veneer top and White for the base finish.

Drawing values

The desk drawing prints 56, 30, 30.5, and 28.75 inches, but does not name the axes. The separate media-cabinet drawing prints 35, 16, and 24 inches without axis labels.

An intelligent desk

Observatory set out to acknowledge both technology and the objects that accumulate during work without making either dominate the desk. Cutouts route cords away from the main surface, while shallow drawers and a raised shelf divide storage by type.

Connection through use

Takase and Hutton describe design as a way to create an emotional bond between an object and its owner. Airia expresses that idea through the contrast of walnut and aluminum, surfaces intended for touch, and an accompanying cabinet that extends storage and display beyond the desk.