apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

That is a cool idea for a desk.

Amy Butler's husband, David? Isn't that a bit of a putdown? Surely, he is a real person in his own right.

We've used an old piece of plywood covered with an ugly vinyl tablecloth in our kitchen for over 2 years, trying to find a good oval shaped top & pedestal base for a banquette. At first we considered a quartz countertop, but a salesman pointed out that it would be extremely heavy and hard to move. SO the plywood stayed and stayed. We started working on some other project and came across a small amount of ipe wood used for decks and after planing and gluing it together, now it's only one more weekend away from being finished and installed!

Yes, David Butler has his own design studio with quite the client list:

http://www.artofthemidwest.com/studio/index.php

The desk sort of reminds me of an autopsy table, though.

I sincerely applaud Mr. Butler's creativity, but I am with robinette--kinda makes me shudder, a little.

You have to acknowledge the craftsmanship and creativity demonstrated in this conversion, and old clinical equipment can have a clean beauty to today's eye. But this is truly ghastly: if this is actually a hospital gurney, the project demeans the memory of everyone who may have suffered pain or fear while on it. Astonishing, and not in a good way.

Right now, mine's just a couple of our "cleaner" looking cardboard moving boxes and an unfinished piece of wood from ikea, working out well so far:)

I really like this, but I've got a couple of questions:

1. Is it level? It seems like it would be easy for it to get wonky.

2. Do your legs bump into the supports underneath the table/gurney? There doesn't seem to be a lot of room under there.

That is one cool desk. Love those wheels.

I love industrial chic. I never would have thought it was an old hospital gurney... doesn't bother me at all. I have furniture and items of clothing that have been with me through difficult times in my life and good times. I don't think about those things. I'm certain many people were seriously injured while on this gurney and many were saved by it. Glass half empty or glass half full?

It's a bit morbid but I don't think it makes sense to say that people's pain is demeaned by it being repurposed. Is it less demeaning that it end up in the landfill amongst rotting garbage? Or that it be melted down or made into something else? There's really no giant message about dignity or pain or mortality here. It's a utilitarian object, not a sacred object.

Thank you, luckypeach. Does renovating the kitchen in my 60 year old home demean the life lived by the folks who lived here before? Come on.

I use an ironing board. It's perfect. I can't put a ton of weight on it, but I prefer a long, shallow desk for laying out all my books and paperwork while I work on my laptop. I can also adjust the height easily and fold it up when I need to use the room for guests. The padded, washable canvas ironing board pad also is comfy for my wrists. And I'm broke. I already had the ironing board and do most of my ironing on my bed anyway.

right now i am using two taboret cabinets i got from a school replacing all of their furniture, and then a piece of steel on the top (my brother-in-law works for a steel company).

I am tired of the industrial look though and just made a nice birch plywood top this weekend for it, just need to seal it with some poly.

I think the gurney is cool. I used to have a dentist chair chair in my house. It would never occur to me that people may have suffered pain and fear while in that chair. We only saw it as a fun and comfortable chair for lounging and reading. I guess it depends on whether you are a negative or a postive person.

I like the inventive and practical reuse...

...and it sure beats the coffee tables made from mortuary carts.

I agree Luckypeach and Fruitcrackers! If we thought that way then we would need to consider car parts from cars that were in accidents and used clothes that belonged to people that have passed.

He isn't using the item in a joking manner but rather a useful manner and probably salvaged it. I love the shiny metal and roughness of it against some of the softer pieces he has there!

"the project demeans the memory of everyone who may have suffered pain or fear while on it. Astonishing, and not in a good way." Are you kidding? How about the project celebrates everyone who survived life threatening situations that were cured by modern medicine? or "The project reflects the glory of the nursing profession, which brings so many people so much comfort." Get over yourself.

I used a raise-panel antiqued solid core door maybe 50 years old and straddled it across some nice sawhorse supports. It had a window, but the glass was broken; I secured like a cradle in the hole and use it to nestle a big rectangular vase. I also stretched some leather over some plywood to fill one of the sunken panels so as to provide a writing surface flush to the rest of the desk door...

My friend actually sold something just like this on ebay and was told by the buyer it was really a morgue table.. HAPPY Thought!!! Right...

I have seen a desk made from part of an airplane wing such as the one pictured here: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/02/19/deborah-airplane-wing-desk-by-reestore/

I think it's a great reuse!

My desk is made from an old hollow core door and a bookshelf. I cut a hole in the door for the bookshelf to slide through and secured it with wood screws, making a work space on each side. The rest of the door is supported by galvanized pipe fittings as legs (2 on each side) The backside of the bookshelf has a cork board for the munchkins notes etc and the front is, of course, a bookshelf. It works wonderfully and I didnt spend a dime to make it as I had all the parts around the house already.