Calling all modernists! Seamless lacquer desktop/countertop ideas?

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Project: home office but like, a real office

Objective: seamless glossy or lacquered pure white desktop to fit an 18’ row of cabinets.

Vision/design aesthetic: Judy Jetson and Eero Saarinen had a home office baby and then somehow agreed to put down a deeply saturated, sort of traditional wool rug that my husband bought in New Zeland before I financially crippled him.

I was going to do quartz but it would have seams and that's a lot to pay for seams. Anyone have any ideas? Should I just like get a cheap formica and then pay someone to put down an epoxy? Is that epoxy stuff really going to last? I'm willing to spend some money as this is my actual full time grown-up job workspace.

Featured Answer

M Miller

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

I have a similar row of cabinetry for my home office (though mine is a maple laminate not white), but I worked with an interior designer. I told her I was pretty obsessed with Noguchi's 1953 Cyclone Table, still being made by Knoll today. I had no place for the cyclone base, but told her I like the look of the top as my counter/desk material (not a round table). She was able to go to Knoll and get that same white laminate surface with the edging in a pale wood laminate made as a counter for my office cabinetry. It comes in many other colors too. (Edited to add: there are a couple seams, but I never thought about them until your post, and don't think they matter.)

I have found this surface from Knoll to be pretty indestructible, but I do have a desk blotter that I use to write on; my laptop and display are placed directly on the counter. If you can work with an interior designer, they can order any MCM-look counter you want from Knoll.

Knoll's Counter Surfaces Selection

My inspiration, the Noguchi Cyclone Table, I just wanted the top as a counter/desk surface:

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

ljbwilk
Original Author
4 years ago
Here!
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
Get a resin countertop done on site BTW it stinks and is not good to inhale so make sure you are not in the house for a couple of days until the resin cures
ljbwilk thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
Related Professionals
Lake Charles Interior Designers & Decorators · Jacksonville Interior Designers & Decorators · Middletown Architects & Building Designers · Gillette Architects & Building Designers · Casper Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Jackson Furniture & Accessories · Greensboro Interior Designers & Decorators · Bloomington Kitchen Remodelers · Vancouver Kitchen Remodelers · Athens Custom Countertops · Valdosta Custom Countertops · McComb Custom Countertops · Muskogee Custom Countertops · Charlottesville Custom Countertops · Marinette Custom Countertops
User
4 years ago
Useless and expensive snipe hunt. Gloss anything is a truly terrible surface for a desk top. Areas of use will become burnished and change appearance negatively.

Get plain white or walnut look laminate in a matte finish, just like the original MCM furniture came with, and which is still viable. Also, use a desk top blotter. They weren’t just to protect from ink. Hand and finger pulls ruins finishes. They break down into gummy goo.
ljbwilk thanked User
just_janni
4 years ago
Corian - but it's not glossy. It will be 100% pure white and seamless.
ljbwilk thanked just_janni
palimpsest
4 years ago
I second Corian. They can make invisible seams in that.
ljbwilk thanked palimpsest
Super Lumen
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
On-site poured epoxy is actually your only option. How do you believe someone will get an 18' run of countertop into that room?

Personally I think you're being ridiculous about quartz. It's one of the nicest surfaces in the industry. Acting like it will not look good enough as a desktop for your little office nook in your attic because it has a seam is borderline absurd.
ljbwilk thanked Super Lumen
palimpsest
4 years ago
I don't think quartz makes a great desktop surface though. Too hard and loud for a desk.
ljbwilk
Original Author
4 years ago
I am capable of juggling 4 little kids and a full-time job, but I am not capable of DIY countertops, haha. So whatever I do will need to be done by someone else. @User, is a DIY site-built laminate the same as Corian? A friend suggested that building it from wood, sanding and using special paint would be best but I would like to be able to rest a glass of ice water on it while working and maybe let my kiddos do projects up here from time to time. So durability is key. Is epoxy durable? I'm pretty sure that Quartz is just not worth the cost given the more visible seams in a pure white color-- especially since as @palimpsest noted, it'll be cold under my elbows. This is not a attic office nook. It's my only workspace and I have a grown-up job and paralegal here.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
4 years ago
"Corian - but it's not glossy. It will be 100% pure white and seamless."

Corian can be as glossy as a new car in a showroom. Perfect Finish by Dani Designs or MB20 stone polish will make it scream. Unlike laquer, it is easily restored when it inevitably scratches.
ljbwilk thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
Carolae
4 years ago
Solid white may not be the best choice for a hard working countertop if you want to keep it looking pristine. Have you considered butcher block in a lighter color than the floor?
ljbwilk thanked Carolae
ljbwilk
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
OMG @M Miller, I am having a pleasure overload right now are you kidding me with the star back painted white! Would love to see a picture of yours, BTW.

Thank you, everyone, for the incredibly helpful and constructive feedback!