Design Within Reach's Otto Desk:



Growing up I was fascinated by my father's huge roll-top desk he had custom made when we lived in Taiwan. It has so many compartments that I used to be convinced that it has a secret compartment only he knows about, and I really wanted a desk just like it. But then I grew up and developed my own taste (which obviously runs completely counter to my dad's foundess for huge, old, clunky pieces), and decided a roll-top desk would not be for me. Until I saw Spanish designer Ricard Vila's desk, that is. This is truly a 21st century desk— it features a cable management compartment, a telephone jack, an electrical outlet, an overhead fluorescent light, and a built-in pencil holder. And it probably has a secret compartment, too.