A Mayhemtastic Desk. Built For Style. And to Last.

We recently had a small feature with Domino magazine sharing some of our creative space(s) in our home and by far, the question most asked about that feature, has been “where did you get that desk?“.

So I thought I’d share a little about how this favorite new piece in our home, came to be.

Last fall, we partnered with Formica on a project which cast Mayhem in photographs that would be used in marketing materials for their new products (which recently launched). As the photo shoot approached, we were asked an interesting question – “Hey, do you think Mayhem would like to design her own desk?”

I replied that I thought it could be fun for her, but I didn’t give it a ton of thought. I mean, to be perfectly truthful, I didn’t understand exactly what we were being asked. Formica, after all, is simply kitchen counters.

Or so I thought. (Because that’s what we have in our home.)

 And then we arrived for the photo shoot. And were subsequently introduced to the (as Mayhem put it) “most fashionable ping pong table in the world!

My ignorance quickly turned to curiosity, and I learned that Formica laminate is often used for a myriad of products. Ping pong tables, craft tables, desks, retail space counters, kitchen backsplash … and the list goes on and on. And once I saw the products, it all made complete sense. Formica has long been known for their durability and wallet friendly appeal, but now they’ve added some serious new style to the line up.

 I still didn’t have a clue how we should go about “designing” a desk (hey! I’ve never done this kind of thing before!) and we were instructed to just head over to Pinterest to get some ideas.

And so we did!
Actually, I left the designing to Mayhem. With a little help from dad. Together, they decided that a desk with some built in storage would be perfect for us. So they found some pictures and then even drew a few of their own. Keith jotted down the measurements of the current table we were using in our homeschool space. Since we were going to be replacing that table, we figured it should be close to the same size to fit in the same space.

And then came the tough part, or at least the part I thought would be tough. Choosing Formica syles for the desk.It took Mayhem approximately ten seconds to decide exactly what she wanted. The girl is nothing, if not decisive. She was quick to choose the Gray Josef Linen pattern from the Jonathan Adler Collection for the top. She had seen that pattern in person at the photo shoot and loved it so much, that she decided the top without hesitation. And then almost as quickly, she opted for the Slate Grasscloth (also from the Jonathan Adler collection) for the sides of the desk. When I asked why she chose that pattern, she simply said “I think it matches the top the best.” Fair enough.

 I took a photograph of the drawings that Mayhem had made, added the measurements Keith had supplied and sent those in an email along with a couple sample photographs from Pinterest, over to the team at Formica. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but almost instantly, I received a “this is perfect – we’ll take it from here!” response.

And so they did.

Within about two weeks, they contacted me to let me know the desk was ready for delivery and they couldn’t wait for us to see it. We scheduled the delivery and watched out the window on the day the truck pulled up with our custom desk. I predicted it would be nice, but I couldn’t have predicted just how fabulous this desk is.

First things first, Formica tasked Ohio Woodworking Company with the job of crafting our custom desk. Now, I’ve never had any type of furniture custom built, but now I know why people do. The craftsmanship is impeccable. And this desk is built to last. Forever and ever and ever. It’s easy to say that this is the most solid piece of furniture we own.

The desk ended up being absolutely perfect for our needs. I was actually able to get rid of a shelving unit in the room, since we can now store all of our homeschool supplies in the built in storage (which is on both ends of the desk), and I have to say, we LOVE the design. I wasn’t sure I was going to love the patterns that Mayhem chose, but per the norm, her pattern mixing was spot on.

Probably the thing I love most though, is the durability of the desk. The (wood) “kit” table we were using previously had lots of dents, dings and scratches from the normal wear and tear of a kid digging her pencil into her paper as hard as humanly possible. This is no longer a problem.

We now have a a work surface that I’m not afraid for her to use. And I don’t find myself constantly yelling “be careful!” or “don’t do that on that table!”. I can pretty much go with the flow and wipe the surface clean after the inevitable mess. The fact that the desk adds a truly stylish element to our space … well, that’s a pretty welcome bonus! Having a space that looks amazing, functions perfectly, and doesn’t bust the budget is, after all, my ultimate goal. Mission accomplished.

Thanks to the fine folks at Formica and Ohio Woodworking Company for providing us with such an amazing custom desk. While the desk was provided to us, all thoughts, opinions, and undying LOVE for this desk is my own!!!