Boomerang office, Jules Wabbes

Jules Wabbes (1919–1974), executive desk featuring a solid rosewood top and two blackened wood drawer units, dovetail-jointed and individually set within a steel blade frame.

• Curved Boomerang-shaped top in edge-joined solid wenge strips (African rosewood). Mobilier Universel edition, circa 1960.
• All components have been disassembled and restored by our restorer.
• Dimensions: H max 76 cm × W 196 cm × D 92 cm.
• Top thickness: 4 cm.
• Each pedestal: H 72.5 cm × D 54 cm × W 76 cm.
• Drawers: D 73 cm × H 4 cm (2 drawers) × H 12 cm (2 drawers) × H 15 cm (2 drawers) × H 25 cm (1 drawer).
• Minor signs of wear on the steel structure and a light scratch on the top (see photos).

Boomerang Desk by Jules Wabbes

Boomerang executive desk designed by Jules Wabbes (1919-1974), a major figure in 20th-century Belgian design. This iconic model exemplifies the structural rigor and functional elegance that established the designer’s reputation.

The top is crafted from thin strips of solid wenge, curved and edge-joined, a process offering excellent dimensional stability while preserving the visual nobility of solid wood. The two suspended drawer units in blackened wood feature beautiful dovetail joints and are set within an exposed steel frame.

The solid rectangular handles are made of nickel silver, an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel prized for its durability and understated luster. Initially flat on early examples, they became slightly concave from 1958 onward, a subtle evolution improving grip while refining the drawer fronts’ design. They are stamped with the name Wabbes in capital letters.

For Jules Wabbes, the quality of a piece of furniture was also judged by touch, which he considered essential. The restoration of this desk was carried out by our restorer in this spirit, preserving the materials, the precision of the surfaces, and the tactile sensation characteristic of the designer’s work.

Presented at the 11th Milan Triennale in 1957 in a Padouk version, this desk ranks among Jules Wabbes’s landmark creations. The deliberately visible structure, the honesty of materials, and the precision of joinery reflect a demanding modernist vision, still sought after today by international design enthusiasts.

The example offered has been restored by our workshop. It shows slight traces of use consistent with its period.

Bibliography

M. Ferran-Wabbes, Jules Wabbes 1919–1974: architecte d’intérieur, Dexia / La Renaissance du Livre, Tournai / Brussels, 2002, p. 100, 105, 106, 107, 137, 159, 249, 250.

Jules Wabbes. Furniture Designer , exhibition catalogue, BOZAR, Brussels, October 17, 2012 – January 13, 2013, pp. 15, 16, 36, 74, 75, 92–93, 102, 103, 170, 171.

Discover our other Jules Wabbes furniture.