• Design Jobs
  • Firms
  • Awards
  • Conference
e

Core77

Sign In / Join Now;
e
  • Topics
    • Product Design
    • Process
    • Technology
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Materials
    • News
    • Furniture
    • Tools
    • Transportation
    • Education
    • Footwear
    • Impact
    • Reference
    • Video
  • Features
    • Features
    • Yo! C77 Sketch
    • Photo Galleries
    • Bizarre Inventions
    • Design Calendar
    • Weekly Maker's Roundup
    • DiResta's Cut
    • Industrial Design Tips
    • Hand Tool School
    • Tools & Craft
    • Design Experience that Matters
  • Shopping Guide
  • Projects
    • Projects
    • Firm Projects
    • Reader Projects
  • Forums
    • Forums
    • General Discussion
    • Students & Schools
    • Design Employment
    • Sketching
    • Software & Technology
    • All Forums
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • About
    • Contact
    • Advertise

How Much Would You Pay for a One-of-a-Kind Desk... Designed by Jony Ive & Marc Newson for Bono's (RED) Charity Auction?

By Ray Hu - Oct 10, 2013

  • Join Core77 Today
  • Submit your projects for publication
  • }Favorite This
  • Y1
  • m1
  • U1
  • X1
  • H1
  • 18 Comments

There's still no release date set for the new Mac Pro (it's still "coming later this year" as of press time), but Jony Ive fans will have a chance to bid on his latest project on November 23, when Sotheby's holds it's second (RED) charity auction, featuring a selection of design objects selected and customized by Apple's design lead and Marc Newson. And while their ultra-clean take on the Leica M has been making rounds for the last two days or so, the desk is the only brand-new, never-before-seen design in the auction.

When it came to designing a completely new object specifically for this auction, Jony and Marc knew they wanted to work in aluminum, a material that has long fascinated them. Their creation is a monolithic desk with an aerodynamic form machined from solid pieces of aluminum. It was produced by Neal Feay Studio in Santa Barbara, and the firm's principal considers The (RED) Desk to be a "historic piece with no precedent." The edge of the desk is extremely thin, almost blade-like, but perhaps the most entrancing aspect of the desk is its surface, with a unique cellular pattern that the designers liken to a jigsaw puzzle, with 185 pieces that seem to fit together. With its sublime combination of scale, detail, and refinement—and an innovative manufacturing process that made it possible—this desk is a perfect exemplar of the ideals embodied in Jony and Marc's curation of the (RED) Auction. This unique piece is inscribed to mark the occasion: Designed by Jony Ive & Marc Newson for (RED) 2013 edition 01/01.

Whereas the Leica has a sticker price that will surely be eclipsed by covetous bidders, it's all but impossible to determine an estimate for the sui generis desk. I'd actually be curious as to which item fetches the highest price, as both the camera and the desk will be auctioned alongside some 40 other luxury goods, including:

...a Steinway & Sons Parlor Grand Piano and a 2012 Range Rover, both customized by Jony and Marc; a unique version of Hermès' iconic Cavale saddle created in red leather with custom red stitching; a one-of-a-kind pair of classic Apple EarPods in solid rose gold; a Russian cosmonaut suit; a pair of Damien Hirst 'Spin Chairs' designed by Jasper Morrison; a custom Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos "561" Clock with unique red accents created for the auction; and a Dom Pérignon Œnothèque 1966 Magnum with custom red foil label, red ice bucket cooler and limited edition protective case.

If the design itself looks a little more Newson than Ive, I must say the photography—assuming that they are indeed photos and not renderings—is very much in keeping with Apple's immaculate product photography. (Andrew Zuckerman shot all of the items for the limited-edition catalog, which will feature introductory essays by Stephen Fry and Bono, as well as commentary from the designers; it may well be the only thing that most of us could even consider buying from the auction.) I was also interested to see that the donation of the desk itself was credited to Neal Feay studio, who fabricated the piece. President Alex Rasmussen cited the company's three generations of experience as instrumental to producing a desk that "embodies the virtues of outstanding design and production in the most striking of forms."

Organizer Bono worked with Damien Hirst on a similar fundraiser back in February 2008, when works by the likes of Banksy, Anish Kapoor and Marc Quinn brought in over $40m for (RED). All of the proceeds from Jony and Marc's (RED) Auction will benefit The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The work will be on view at Sotheby's New York HQ in the Upper East Side for the week of the auction, starting on November 18. See the full details of the auction, plus images of some of the other items (and a cheesy one of Newson, Bono and Ive) on the event website.

The latest design news, jobs & events.
Straight to you every other week.

Join over 300,000 designers who stay up-to-date with the Core77 newsletter...

Subscribe

Test it out; it only takes a single click to unsubscribe

  • }Favorite This
  • Y1
  • m1
  • U1
  • X1
  • H1
  • Furniture Design

Ray Hu

  • x
  • x

Ray is a writer, editor, and researcher

18 Comments

  • Marc
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    "How Much Would You Pay for a One-of-a-Kind Desk..."

    I got outbid by someone with $1.4 million. Maybe next time.
    !Report as spam
  • gabriel
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    In defense of Jonathan Ive... He was a couple of years ahead of me on the Design For Industry course at Northumbria University (UK). At that time his work ethic was already astounding the staff and, If I remember correctly, he won every student design contest he ever entered, and his work was also exhibited at the London Design Museum before he even graduated. High-tech design is most certainly not my thing, and I never knew Mr Ive (Sir now) personally at any level... But credit were credit is due - he couldn't be were he is now without inherently massive talent, and the drive to motivate both himself, and those around him, to great things.
    !Report as spam
  • cj
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    Let's hope they don't get sued by samsung ;P
    !Report as spam
  • andrew
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    Are they promoting the weight as a positive aspect of the design?
    !Report as spam
  • john g
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    Well when I reference Dieter Rams, I am speaking completely on the design side of things due to the engineering and design being done separately on this project.
    !Report as spam
  • Blah
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply

    To john g:

    I find it amusing that you laud the engineering aspect of this "design-art" object, and then you mention Dieter Rams' approach to "minimal design".

    !Report as spam
  • Blah
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    To slippyfish:

    Thank you (haha) for acknowledging that Jony Ives needs the assistance of others for his "accomplishments".

    !Report as spam
  • john g
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    Like I said earlier, you havnt seen it in person and most likely have no idea what goes in to engineering a desk that weighs 450lbs. Not only that, but its for charity! why are you hating so much! This is a very much so Dieter Rams approach of minimal design, its executed nearly perfectly, and Id really love to see you design AND manufacture something more impressive.
    !Report as spam
  • slippyfish
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    You can take all the credit you want when your title reads VP of Design. Everybody else works for you.
    !Report as spam
  • Blah
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    This should have been included in my first comment:

    Look! it's Apple Mouse flattened with legs! Real O.G. Jony.
    !Report as spam
  • Blah
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    To Mark:

    Is there a small, tiny, minuscule, 0.00000001% chance that I simply may not be a fan of injustice, big or small, and of people taking/accepting more credit than they deserve? Or, in your little world, it's either idolism or bitterness?


    Apple iPad co-designers:

    Akana; Jody
    Andre; Bartley K.
    Coster; Daniel J.
    Cranfill; Elizabeth Caroline
    De Iuliis; Daniele
    Hankey; M. Evans
    Howarth; Richard P.
    Inose; Mikio
    Ive; Jonathan P.
    Kerr; Duncan Robert
    Lemay; Stephen O.
    Nishibori; Shin
    Rohrbach; Matthew Dean
    Russell-Clarke; Peter
    Stringer; Christopher J.
    Whang; Eugene Antony
    Zorkendorfer; Rico


    Apple Mouse co-designers:

    Andre; Bartley K.
    Coster; Daniel J.
    De Iuliis; Daniele
    Hankey; Evans
    Howarth; Richard P.
    Ive; Jonathan P.
    Kerr; Duncan Robert
    Nishibori; Shin
    Rohrbach; Matthew Dean
    Russell-Clarke; Peter
    Satzger; Douglas B.
    Stringer; Christopher J.
    Whang; Eugene Antony
    Zorkendorfer; Rico



    etc.






    !Report as spam
  • viswamurthy
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    Perfectly perfectly said Rafael Morgan.......i was coming to tell that what you said
    !Report as spam
  • Mark
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    >BlahOctober 10, 2013 2:13 PM
    "Jony Ive is not even a genuine designer, he's a co-designer. He can't do anything himself"

    When you thought some core77 commenters couldn't be more bitter. Jealousy is a hell of a drug.
    !Report as spam
  • john g
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    Have any of you seen this in person? Do you have any idea what engineering goes in to making a 450lbs desk? Do you have any idea of the man hours it takes to make it as smooth and perfect of a surface as it is? Because if you have said no to any of the previous questions then you have absolutely no right to hate on it. It is design taken to its purest, and executed as good or better than anyone else In the world can do. You can stand on the farthest edge of the desk without the joints flexing a thousandth of an inch. It is a wonderful item that should fetch a large well deserved amount of money.
    !Report as spam
  • Ken J
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    The surface treatment is what sets this item off. If a student suggested it, it may come off as nice, but not practical as we often look at those projects with a pinch of skepticism. These guys have a legitimate plan for fabricating this and a track record to prove it. It makes quite a bit of difference. I would expect the finished product to look like the concept. I guess it's all about the expectations.

    That being said, Ive tends to dwell on the CNC'd aluminum a little too much IMHO. Neither of these two seem to really stress their boundaries at all.
    !Report as spam
  • Bepster
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    whoa, what's up with the negativity?

    I like it in it's refined simplicity but pretty stunning surface treatment. I think it looks great.

    I'd pay quite a bit actually but most likely not nearly enough.

    !Report as spam
  • Blah
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    Jony Ive is not even a genuine designer, he's a co-designer. He can't do anything himself, he needs to work off other people's work. And, then he allows the design industry, the naive, etc. to give him all the credit.
    !Report as spam
  • Rafael Morgan
    5 years ago
    Z
    Z
    Reply
    Ask yourselves: What would you think of this table if it was a students work?

    Is it really that good, like a work coming from two rockstar designers should be?

    In my opinion, it's not even close...It looks like someone designed it in five minutes while learning to use a 3D modeling software.

    When fame and name are more important than the work itself, then things become meaningless.

    The work should speak for itself, and this work simply doesn't.
    !Report as spam

Core77's Design Directory

View all Design Firms »

Hot On Coroflot

Fashion Sketchbook 2016-2018 Jeffrey Brown
Gigi Hadid x Reebok Classic Leather Diamond Chris Hill (Chrisco.)

Recent Posts

  • SmartBowl: Homeware from Hardware

    By Joshua Skirtich - a day ago

  • A Dental Industry Tool for Getting the Last Drop of Product Out of a Squeeze Tube

    By Rain Noe - a day ago

  • Watch Nicole Gibbons' "How to Disrupt an Oversaturated Market" Talk at the 2018 Core77 Conference

    By Core Jr - a day ago

  • These Bolts Change Color When Tightened Properly

    By Rain Noe - a day ago

Continued Reading
  • Furniture Design

    By Core Jr - Oct 01, 2013

    London Design Festival 2013

    Photography by Sam Dunne & Anki Delfmann for Core77 Now in its 11th year, London's annual design festival has expanded from its focus on furniture and design objects to include a strong a fashion, graphic and (most notably) digital component. Not represented in our photo gallery of highlights—but worth mentioning—was the really...

  • Furniture Design

    By Ray Hu - Sep 30, 2013

    Beijing Design Week 2013: Studio LL Launches with Du Pin & Drum Stools at Caochangdi

    Image courtesy of Studio LLOnce again, the Caochangdi Artist's Village is hosting several BJDW ongoings, and the Red Bricks cluster of studio/gallery spaces is home to several installations, events and initiatives in conjunction with the weeklong festival. Naihan Li, best known for her CRATES series from 2011, led us on...

  • Object Culture

    By Rain Noe - Sep 26, 2013

    Ron Paulk Bonus Footage, Part 2: On Self-Taught Design, How He Became a Contractor, and Why YouTube is a Great Place to Learn

    Ron Paulk has already got his own following, independent of Core77; while we don't have the demographic breakdown, we assume they're mostly DIY'ers, builders, and fellow contractors. These video extras from our chat with Ron will be of interest to Ron's following, as we get into some topics that Ron...

  • Furniture Design

    By erika - Sep 24, 2013

    Things That Were Other Things: Furniture Made Out Of Old Car Parts

    Cabinet, formerly two doors from a Mazda LantisWe obviously love seeing old things being given new life and functionality, so we were glad to see that Israel-based designer Ronen Tinman has found an alternative use for luxury car parts. In a world where car enthusiast decor is friends with the...

K

{

Welcome

  • YSign In with Facebook
  • mSign In with Twitter
  • USign In with Linkedin
OR
  • jSign In with Core77 Account
  1. Forgot password?
  • Cancel

Don't have an account? Join Now

K

{

Welcome

Create a Core77 Account

  • YJoin Now with Facebook
  • mJoin Now with Twitter
  • UJoin Now with Linkedin
OR
  • jJoin Now with Email
  • Cancel

Already have an account? Sign In

By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use

K

Reset Password

Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.

  • Cancel
Today On the Core77 Network...
  • ]Design Jobs

    • Foundations of Art/Graphic Design Teacher

      St. Andrew's School Middletown, Delaware
    • Industrial Designer/Design Strategist

      The Clorox Company Pleasanton, California
    • Industrial Design/Design Strategist

      The Clorox Company Pleasanton, California
    • Project Manager

      Muse and Company, Inc. Oakland, California
    • Post A Job
    • View All Jobs
  • ]Design Directory

    View other design services:

    • *Hot On Coroflot

      • Jumpstart Charging Systems

        Ryan Paul
      • Beverage Dispenser

        Jonathan Smith
    •  

      • ET TOY WORK

        Rurik Tyler
      • ECCO Biom Venture TR

        Ventsislav Nikolov
    • © 2019 Core77, Inc. All rights reserved.
    • Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    • About
    • )
    • m
    • Y
    • '
    • S
    • © 2019 Core77, Inc. All rights reserved.
    Advertise Here