The Arco system was designed by Studio BBPR for Olivetti in the 50’s and 60’s. The desk alone looks like it’s going for around $2500 on the used market. Way too much for a desk, but would be nice to have such a classic design as inspiration every day.
Some details on the desk from this auction:
Olivetti
Italy, 1963
lacquered steel, vinyl, plastic
63 w x 66 d x 30 h inches
Desk features three locking drawers and return features five shallow drawers. Signed with molded manufacturer’s mark to desk drawer: [Olivetti Arredamenti Metallici].
Some images via 1st Dibs
I could spend hours going through the Old S.F. website. Some interesting ones I found were the San Francisco Civic Auditorium, Union Square, Hunters Point, and Seals Stadium, but my favorite set has to be these interior shots of the Marina Branch Library.
Marina Branch Library was the 23rd branch established in the San Francisco Public Library system and originally opened to the public in 1954. It was designed by the architectural firm of Appleton and Wolfard at a cost of $156,742. Furnishings cost an additional $12,926.
Recently the branch underwent renovations and reopened in 2007 at a cost of $3.9 million. It’s a shame that libraries and offices rarely look like this anymore. Anyone else find any hidden gems on the site and care to share?
via Old S.F.
Not a whole lot of info on this one as the page is in Japanese, but Wakui Works has some nice shots from 1960’s Japan featuring Eames / Herman Miller furniture in it’s natural habitat. Whenever I see shots like these I imagine the lucky people who found all this discarded in an alley somewhere around 1994.
Wakui Works via Brian From Concentrate
Came across this workstation concept over at Unplggd. The Novanta was designed by Luke Riggall and features — among many other things — Speakers, a USB and Audio Hub, Monitor Stand, and iPod Dock. It’s definitely eye catching and a logical extension of your Mac setup, but it seems a little bulky to be practical. The apparent lack of adjustability would be a big problem for me too. But the cable management system looks very useful and the whole thing has a very utilitarian vibe that I’m liking. I don’t think this could be my main work desk but it would make a great secondary for the print room or a smaller office space.
On that note I’ve been really geeking out on desks lately. My last desk was a little too wide for my needs and the surface was pretty thick. It was getting in the way of my outboard rack and I figured something a bit more svelte would open up the space a little. I’ll try to post some pics next week.
