Wilkinson Eyre are great architects.  They’ve done an amazing job.  Perhaps part of their skill is knowing who to approach for interiors to match that vision. We’ve featured the ground floor information desk.  It’s honed Jura limestone, like the paving, with gilded aged bronze cladding.

Previously a four storey book stack, it’s now a vaulting, open area faithful to Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s original design.

The breathtaking roof level reading room is the only new build element. OpusMagnum staff are already masters of their crafts. But you could say that furnishing these rooms has qualified us for a doctorate in deskology.

Our field was defined by the main contractor, Mace.  With Wilkinson Eyre as ‘thesis supervisor’, we developed prototypes for rigorous scrutiny by the library authorities.

The result is these European oak desks with a flush lino inset.  The central bands, cable management flaps and unobtrusive LED strip lighting gantry are  wax finish bronze

Picture three is our imposing new home for the Blackwell Collection.  Three metres high and almost five long, it is postlipped in solid oak with bronzed metal glazed doors.

The reading desks in the next four images look simple.  But appearance can be deceptive.  Those with gaps on the end plinth are adjustable.  And not by the usual paltry few centimetres.  They can be raised 30cm – or lowered by 10cm for wheelchair users.  They’re very popular.  Cable management is push button operated.

A particularly nice feature emerged during prototyping.  Once we knew the chair design, we made the desk under-chamfer correspond with the angle on its arms, allowing them to tuck neatly under.

Altogether, we worked on more than 200 separate items.  Desks were also tailored to the research material: for example, foam wedges support fragile spines and some are extra wide for maps.

80 historic desks were adapted for cable management and lighting.

Considering the scale and the scholarly context, this project is jockeying for position as OpusMagnum’s Magnum Opus – so far.  All we need now is that PhD certificate.

Let’s start with the detail and work out to the bigger picture. First, the thin, cantilevered shelves; developed by us to be moveable while remaining totally safe.

The bookends are chunkier but the proportions serve to rebalance and complement the horizontal lines.

The entire structure is amazingly stiff and stable. Nothing’s resting on the floor.

As a bonus, the design produces these vibrant three dimensional crenellated sides.

The big bookcase is also a room divider.  A staircase is just visible through it.

Opus Magnum manufactured the reading tables too.  They are in rotary cut figured birch, some with full length Corian light boxes overhead.

Produced to a school budget, the whole installation shouts ‘quality’.

Ernst & Young, M Moser Associates.  An expansive area where circular backlit Corian against a blue panorama of clock faces and screens seems to say “we’re on watch 24/7”.

Royal London Hospital, HOK.  We supplied a series of concrete and steel desks.  Sometimes the glass had to be bullet proof.

CIPD, GMW Architects.  Deliberately understated in curved backlit PETG acrylic.  The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development serves its members, as they serve the businesses they work for across the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Seymour Street, Fielden & Mawson.  A desk strongly rooted in the company culture with a plane tree veneer.  They manage many of London’s signature plane trees and wanted that as their signature too.  Dramatically cantilevered off a clad concrete block, this desk’s actual roots go down a long way: it’s bolted to the floor below.

Davis House with Joanna White.  We love Joanna’s cheeky ‘peek-a-boo” effect.  With the lights off, the desk is plain smooth Corian.  Flick them on, and the sculpted reverse becomes translucent, like the wall in the distance.

Whatever you want to say, we’ll make sure your visitors get the message.

If anything, data management is our USP, to use the jargon.  So, taking Holden’s original pieces and discreetly retro fitting power and data sockets was right up our alley.  Now they should be good for another eighty years.

All the new fittings we added are in complete harmony with that interior.

The work was in two stages.

Stage One was rewiring and refitting the Deco tower and Catalogue Hall with its Hornton stone columns and bronze gilded metal panels.

Our main picture is a detail of the additional gilding.  Chemically aged to match the original, the university was delighted with the result.

Those desk tops are solid walnut.  And that stonework is from the original source.  It looks like it’s been there for ever.

On the second row of images is the reception area with its listed travertine walls.  The new desk is silicon bronze with a travertine base.

The arch uses metal structurally as well as decoratively.  The university emblem is etched into the glass panels.

You can also see the reading rooms.  The desks here are all new, featuring solid walnut edges, lino panels and a bronze lighting gantry.

The third row is Stage Two.  It is in a post-war wing.  So it’s a bit different.

Desks have individually controlled LED lights. The display cabinets are in crystal clear low iron glass.  Their sliding doors have concealed runners.

These photos by Sanna Fisher-Payne capture a more contemporary feel that retains echoes of the 1930s.  Like the stunning panelled wall we built in the main lecture theatre.

Influenced by an original detail on the building facade, it’s visually very strong.  It’s just one colour. That textural richness comes from the variations in thickness and sheen of its interlocking panels.

On a conscious level, all this harmonisation may pass most students by.  But it means they can absorb the same experience as their predecessors.

However tight the schedule, cutting corners was never an option.  Indeed, with facilities like telepresence involved, cable management was extra tricky.

But we got there.  The veneering is beautiful.  American white oak, with a delicate bronze inlay.  The modesty panels have a pigmented polyester lacquer facade.

Besides fixed training desks, there were ‘Exchange’ flip tops and slim credenzas, sporting bronze powder coat legs plus shadow gap handles.

And, as the clock ticked down, we made full scale templates to locate the floor boxes precisely.  The tables went in. That complex cabling disappeared.

Job done.  Deadline met.  Phew.

We get a thrill from the vibrant atmosphere they generate and their use of colour.  That’s clearly demonstrated in our first photograph.

This seemingly modest credenza oozes refinement.  The right hand door is on a mitre hinge.  The adjoining shelf lining is mitred too.  The way they meet is a joy.

All the furniture is a combination of polished stainless steel and straight grain oak.  And TD Bank was definitely thinking big.

The flip-top tables were amongst the largest we’ve ever made – 2800mm x 1500mm.  They’re pictured linked almost seamlessly in sets of three, using swivel plates.  The rest would connect up too, if required.

But it’s more likely that they’ll be separated and cleared to make room for functions.  From the size and extra thickness, 40mm, they look both very solid and dauntingly heavy to move.  They’re not.  They’re constructed around a lightweight honeycomb core.

In addition, all the tables have Opus Magnum’s retractable CAT6 data cable spool; eliminating the need for fly leads.

We were not aware of it being used this way before.  Laminated in plywood with an olive wood veneer, the weight reduction was dramatic.

Inside, the contrasting gold finish highlights the beauty of the scrolls of the Torah with their velvet covers and silver ornaments.

The use of olive wood, with sapwood specifically requested, is not simply decorative.  The tree has great symbolism in Judaism, hence its choice for the Ark and the Bimah – the plinth from which the Torah is read.

It was also used for the ceiling canopy with its eternal lights.

We also developed all the furniture from Francesco’s designs.

It’s coming from the back of credenzas encased in seamless white Corian.  Steel legs bolt them to the floor.

Some of the credenzas are curved.  The one pictured is with a lectern that has electronic height adjustment.

This tender also covered several large conference tables.  Matching credenzas were sandblasted to accentuate the grain and give a driftwoody effect.

The deli area is interesting too.  Now, some businesses look to change their decor like most of us change shirts.  But not here.  These tables and benches have an extra thick veneer.  S J Berwin wants them to last – and that’s how we build them.

All were fitted and installed by us with the same attention to detail and craftsmanship that we bring to any of our furniture.

Of course, being a brewer, SAB Miller had a lot of bottle.  That reception desk top.  What do you think?  Corian?  Marble?  It looks like stone but it’s actually recycled bottles.

If you want to sample the company wares before they’re emptied and broken up, head for the bar we installed.

And, for somewhere to put the beer, how about this dramatic catwalk table in the main reception.

Made from stainless steel and back painted glass, its nine metre length offered plenty of space to display the latest brewing fashions.

He encouraged us to push our boundaries and to cherish precision.

His draughtsmanship was superb – everything was hand drawn.

Over a long series of great projects together, we learned so much about proportion and line and how restraint makes its own statement.

Here are a small sample.  They are classic Ron Carter.  They speak for themselves.

The ziggurat desk, curved credenza and oval desk were for a music business.  A guitar owned by the Beatles was displayed under the glass.

The Bank of England is an institution that spans the centuries.  So, these chairs are built to last. One hundred years?  Easy.

And the dining room at Hinxton Hall.  Look closely, those ebony like dots in bog oak are replicated on the chairs.  A brilliant touch!

Ron died in 2013.  We miss his genius.  We miss him.

Can you see the slight shadows on the glass stinger?  Those dots are magnetic flush caps for microphone sockets.

The desk itself looks like solid European oak.  That’s down to a radial veneer extending to the edge, with an under chamfered solid lipping.

This was also when we developed the special low level castors we’ve referred to elsewhere.

Rolls Royce wanted a boat-shaped table seating 24 that was movable while looking firmly fixed.  It definitely does: you’d have trouble spotting the wheels or the joins.  But it flips into six sections.

Opus Magnum’s cable management skills are fully present.  The flaps are in matching veneers and follow the table shape.  Cable exit routes are arranged on three sides of each flap.

We’re particularly proud of the beautiful flush handles on the credenza.

For Quilter Cheviot, HLW selected a finish in fumed European oak.  Tannin in the wood goes black on exposure to ammonia.

But you can have any veneer and tables of any size.

These legs are polished stainless steel.  There’s also a satin steel finish or a powder coating in any colour.

Kimber gives you lots of interesting options at very interesting prices.

Twelve years on, we take people to see how the four chambers are bearing up.  So far, so good.

If wear and tear does take its toll, well, those tables are solid European oak and can be resanded to pristine condition.

See the mikes?  Committee proceedings are recorded and can be broadcast across all media platforms.  The logistics are immensely complex.

Accommodating all that technology made the task of casting the bespoke steel legs fiendishly difficult.

The central voids links to a specially designed multi-pin plug in the foot which connects directly into sockets in the floor.

Then, we won the tender for refitting the magnificent Moses Room next to the House of Lords chamber.  It included the design as well as manufacture and installation.

The hall doubles for committee hearings and functions.

So, the furniture must be removable while retaining all the media capabilities.

This required deft styling and innovative thinking.

These tables are relatively light – the oak is braced by a concealed aluminium frame.  And they’re flip top.

Next, those steel floor boxes.  The top may look almost medieval.  But that’s because these boxes must be rock solid.

Here’s why.  When closed, the surface is flush. Open it, and a double pivot raises a stop locking each table exactly and instantly into place.  Cabling then just plugs in.  Nothing shows.  And the committee can meet.

First was the refitting of the Pantin library.

The bookshelves are clad in solid oak.  We prototyped and developed the design for the readers’ desks.

The curved help desk has a lot going on: different levels, glass, post lipping with flush veneer and a discreet brass bell.

That led to a project – still underway – within the college chapel, which was consecrated in 1642.

This requires a far more  traditional style.  But we are subtly employing modern technology to solve two tricky issues.

People are generally taller these days.  So, the hymn book stands now seem awkwardly low – a problem aggravated by poor light.

Slatted higher level rests with LED strips should help furnish an unintrusive answer, however huge the chorister.

In a lovely location near Central Park, it was more like a gallery than a fashion shop.

The couture was to be suspended from elliptical walnut rails that curved and tapered.  Some would remain horizontal, others descend to the floor.  Vertical rails would support elegantly convex walnut shelves.

The concept was one thing.  Working out how it could remain upright was another.

The designs were developed and fabricated here in London.  That meant the designer and Ms. Farhi herself visiting our workshop.

She looked sceptical.  “Will these rails be strong enough?” she queried.  And she rang her office to summon 20 heavy winter coats as a test.

No problem.  Inside the rails is a steel core, rigid but still able to flex like wood.  Those bronze escutcheons pictured concealed secure floor fixings.

We also made the ‘Abacus Table’.  Its silicon bronze frame holds 6,000 turned walnut beads.  It is a definitely work of art.

The upholstered benches, with a delightful side chamfer, are also silicon bronze.  And accessories were displayed in our walnut laminate trays.

Oh, and that union thing?  Well, Opus Magnum installs every job we do.  So, we arrived in Manhattan with our truck, as we would in the UK.  Back then, we didn’t know about US union restrictions.  And we were non-union labour.

After some fancy footwork and negotiation, it was all smoothed out.  When the job was complete, the union boss said “Guys, I’m gonna show you New York.  Tonight, your money’s no good.”

It was quite a night.

The pull out drawers have gas sprung acrylic lids and rubber seals.  They open automatically and soft close.  Each is different.

Full scale prototyping was needed to work out exactly the closing mechanism and force required.

The unit itself is housed in the museum’s Cocoon building.

The framework is laminated ash following the curved architecture of the Cocoon.  Steel hawsers and ceiling mounted ash braces maintain the stability.

These details have become an architectural feature themselves.

The public can’t enter the room.  But there is a viewing port

You may see Hans Sloane’s portrait, which moves along a steel track, watching over the room.  We hope he is happy with the way this irreplaceable archive is being kept for future generations.

Machining a boardroom table this size to get the side curvature perfect requires advanced computer programming.

But then come the older craft skills, creating a sense of proportion through the use of veneers.

This straight grain finish is book and slip matched. The effect draws the two ends together.

A solid walnut profiled post lipping complements the effect as well as extending the table’s life span.

The general meeting tables are similarly post lipped.  And the column legs are centrally positioned for maximum legroom.

The limestone reception desk has a cantilevered American walnut shelf for wheelchair users.

All you see is the perfect flat grid the architects wanted for the outside of the HSBC boardroom at Canary Wharf.

Then there’s this swish granite table we did for Foster.  And ‘swish’ isn’t referring to the design, though it is that too.

Spanning 2750mm, the 1800mm centre is a weighty revolving glass Lazy Susan.

“My first version worked all right,” says John Baulkwill. “But it did sound a bit like a freight train.  So I had to rethink it.  Now, it’s more of a ‘swish’.”

It takes the gentlest of touches to get this 38kg disc gliding round on the millimetre flat surface.  The laser cut steel skeleton and rollers supporting its smooth action are invisible.

The table was for a private residence at Albion Riverside.  We also made these cupboards with their huge 3000mm high polyester gloss doors.

Take these screens we made with them for the Design Council. They don’t look cheap, with their patched handle links and curved laminate corners, but they were.  The smart solid wood kitchen tables are archetypal Eldridge Smerin.

This elegant but inexpensive library unit cleverly contains a quiet seating area.

No doubt it’s their concept.  But making it work is where we come in.  It takes a lot of development, sketching and so many meetings that the chairs can get  worn out……

…which is no problem with these beautifully made seats, upholstered in multicoloured felt. When one layer gets worn or dirty, you just peel it off.

It looks so simple.  But there’s a lot going on.

Other collaborations include seating for a department store in Kuwait, domestic projects and, more recently, offices for the Oppenheimer group.

“We understand the architects’ language,” says Chris Turner, one of our founders. “It’s the ease of working with us that makes us different. Architects know they can delegate as much as they like to us.”

Let’s start with the boardroom. The table has a leather perimeter with stainless steel inlays and a central walnut panel. Look closely for the cutout housing the screen.

The bespoke chairperson’s desk is supported by columns with a computer access door.  It has bespoke screen covers and the table edging is classic Opus Magnum quality in the detail: leather to walnut with metal inlay and shadow gaps.

Around the offices, the circular steel meeting tables have the same inlays. Unfussy and functional, the shape encourages the free exchange of ideas

Moving on to the staff canteen, granite may be very hard but it’s also very heavy and quite fragile.  This giant refectory table stretches an impressive 4500mm.  To maintain the visual impact, all the supports had to be concealed.

It included an impressive underwriters’ hub with a different veneer from the mill.  Note the graceful central lectern fixed to the floor.

The boardroom table has several features worth mentioning.  The curve follows the arc of a large circle, with the veneer as spokes radiating from the centre.  That’s easier to see in the picture taken during manufacture at our London workshop.

The inlay is leather.  That arrangement is reversed in the second boardroom table

We also designed furniture for meeting rooms, a library area, executive offices and broker pods with acid etched glass tables.

The Supreme Court is a constitutional departure for the UK but one steeped in history.  It’s located in the former Middlesex Guildhall, part of a quadrangle bounded by Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Treasury.

So, you get the idea.  This was very special.  Both ancient and modern.  Everything had to be top notch and pitch perfect.

Right, let’s go to the courts.  Two are in panelled rooms – the fittings reflect that.  One is a new build – and ditto.

Courtroom One, pictured, is the grandest.  This is a nice example of radial veneer on a timber clad steel structure.

In this listed room, we restored and reused the original carved pew ends on new  public seating with leather upholstering.

Court Two has a lighter, more contemporary oak veneer.

The detailing for the Justices’ offices upstairs varied according to seniority.

The bureaus are post lipped, with replaceable leather pads.  Tomoko added some lovely finesses, like the finger pull on this pedestal.

Beside the desk is the what-not.  Lady Hale, the Court’s Deputy President asked for them.  Popular in the nineteenth century for displaying china, ornaments and what not, here they convey case papers and files.

One modern touch: the marquetry emblem is laser cut.

So, a historical setting meeting judicial needs today – and for future Justices not yet at primary school, let alone law school.

Did we get it right?  Well, you decide.  You can watch the televised proceedings or, better still, pop along and try out our fantastic public benches.

Making our legal system more accessible was one of the drivers behind establishing the Court.  Being part of that is another reason this was such a lovely job.