The Now Iconic Boomerang Desk Has Been Hiding Ugly Tech Cords Since 1969

"At the time, he concluded, it was too often covered with unsightly new gadgets and long, tangled cords. His solution? A fiberglass-and-polyester (a.k.a. plastic) design that would "hide all that" mess with a swooping shape and built-in electronic circuitry for telephone, intercom, and a television monitor. In the same way he might begin a sculpture, he realized the positive out of hand-hewn plaster."

""Some even had a cigar lighter," reveals Serge, Calka's son, who now handles his late father's estate. "He loved sports cars, and you see a lot of that inspiration in this design." The first version of the desk, dubbed the Bureau PDG or CEO desk, also included an integrated swivel chair. But fewer than 10 of these were ever produced. (As Calka quipped, "Only a CEO could afford it.")"

"trading interior tech for a sleek, space-age silhouette that worked in a range of environments. Serge recalls spotting an orange one at a local driving school, when he was a child. Indeed, the desks were manufactured in a rainbow of colors, but Serge estimates only some 100 were ever made before production halted by the mid-1970s. In recent years Serge has been crafting a version of the desk in CNC-machine-carved, hand-finished wood."

Maurice Calka designed a desk in 1969 that concealed telephone, intercom, and television electronics within a fiberglass-and-polyester shell. The design used a swooping, space-age silhouette to hide gadgets and long cords and drew inspiration from sports cars. The original Bureau PDG or CEO version featured an integrated swivel chair and extensive built-in circuitry, but fewer than ten units were produced. Calka adapted the concept into the Boomerang model with a streamlined exterior and fewer interior systems. The desks appeared in many colors, with roughly 100 produced before production ended in the mid-1970s. Later, CNC-carved, hand-finished wood versions were made.

Read at Architectural Digest