With this project we wanted to explore the effects that shaped the evolution of the Stube, as one of the greatest Tyrolean achievements and cultural export hits over the last seven centuries. Originally a “house in a house”, the Alpine Stube proved practical and popular, adaptable and versatile, a cosy space for living, meeting and working, with its spatial pattern and interior elements clearly defined. This DNA, the result of generations of individual craftsmanship embedded in the collective memory of the Tyrolean people, had a big effect on the development of modern room types as different as the private living room (Wohnstube), the office (Amtsstube), the hotel lounge (Gaststube) or even the baker ́s shop (Backstube). On our field-trips, we visited some of the best examples of the Alpine Stube, ancient and modern, rural and urban, in use and in museums, in order to examine the genius loci, the sensorial qualities of place, light and material. As practising designers, however, we never stop at just conducting research. We developed projects to show our appreciation of the Stube and its elements, as a source material for inspiration and a framework for facilitating new ideas about the interior, furniture and household goods.

I found this box-desk in the Gellner’s living room. What I like of it, it’s the concept that allow you to have a desk and at the same time a little box where you can put your objects, but also it has some space outside because you can lay books and objects on the upper part. The original measures are 100cm x 50cm x 35cm.

In my final prototype I wanted to keep the main features of the original one, but on the other hand I wanted to change the materials, the joints, the mechanism, and most important the measures and the proportion of the desk.

Starting from this point I decided to create a wooden box that could become a big desk where everyone could work without having space problems and that at the same time occupied less space on the wall. Combining this to aspects this kind of furniture could be perfect for all the people that need a bigger space to work but doesn’t want to sacrifice their space for objects.

The original desk was made by wood outside and of plastic materials inside. The wood was walnut, a really good wood but also very expensive and hard to model. The plastic in the internal part was useful to keep the object light, but on the other hand it wasn’t that kind of material that I wanted to keep in my final prototype.

I decided so that wood could be the only material for my final object. I have tried and researched different types of wood suitable for such a project and in the end I opted for the spruce thanks to its good vibration resistance.

After thouh I started to think what people that work a lot of time on a desk need from it, so I collected many pictures of my mate’s desks.

I started to analising all the features of this object and I divided them in different categories:

Proportion and structure:
- It seems comfortable but it’s very limited because there’s not enough space to work;
- In my opinion it comes too much out from the wall (50cm);
- The internal space it’s interesting but maybe it should be organising in a different way;
- The concept that allow you to have a desk and at the same time a little box where you can put your objects
- It doesn’t need a support on the door
- You can have space also outside because you can lay books and objects on the upper part

Details:
- All the details are too rough and sketchy
- Opening mechanism doesn’t seem really safe

After have analyzed all the necessities of a desk I wanted to concentrated on the final shapes and proportions. The final object have to stay in a small place and occupy less space ad possible, but at the same time has to be enough big for every kind of work a person could need to do.

The final prototype is completely made of solide wood, apart the part supporting it attached to the wall. In fact, this part is in plywood because the solid wood, due to its veins, would have broken in a short time. The internal space is enough large to contain a 15-inch laptop and various books and work objects.

The opening mechanism of the leaf can support up to 10 kilos of weight and thanks to the piston its opening is also slightly slowed.
Also there’s a little hole near the backside to make easier to use chargers adn other kind of cables inside the box.