Bates + Associates Reception Desk

Bates + Associates, a civil engineering and land surveying firm located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, challenged modus shop to design and fabricate their new reception desk using some of their own reclaimed barn wood. The resulting design mixes both rustic and modern materials with time-honored, traditional detailing. The desk surface is a locally sourced, live-edge oak slab with a rabbet jointed waterfall to one side. The vertical portion of the slab contained a large split, so to reinforce and prevent further splitting, three custom steel butterfly keys were strategically inserted and completed with a forge textured finish. The opposite side of the desk has a standing height sheet steel surface with a blackened finish that wraps to the floor. A modesty panel made from reclaimed barn wood planks wraps horizontally around the front of the desk, and a recessed black steel toe kick grounds the desk to the floor.