Zimbabwe, Southern Africa
Convertible Desk
Piece #F019 · Year Made: 1867
$6,495
Shipping individually quoted
One of a kind, a single original that will never be made again
Design & materials
- Wood
- Antique Red Jarrah, made in 1867
- Joinery
- Wooden dowels only, no screws
- Size
- 38 x 22 x 47 in
Origin
Zimbabwe, Southern Africa
Medium
Antique Red Jarrah Wood
Wood made
1867
Dimensions
38 x 22 x 47 in
Item
F019
Description
The Antique Railroad "Convertible Desk" is a desk that is about duality. Closed, it looks like a handsome cabinet with a slanted front. Open, the front folds down into a writing surface with small drawers inside, and two cabinets below hold files and supplies.
The desk is 47" tall and hand carved from Red Jarrah in a deep, dark brown. The wood is dense and heavy, giving the solid, luxurious feel of a piece built from nothing but solid wood.
When the work is done, close the front and your workspace is tucked away. It is a smart choice for a living room, bedroom or study where space is limited.
- Condition: Excellent, not previously owned, undamaged
- Sourcing: Fair Trade
- Certificate of Authenticity: Available Upon Request
- Provenance Report: Available Upon Request
The Story
Antique Railroad Furniture
Every piece in this collection is made from heavy wooden beams that lay under the tracks of an African railway for a hundred years, holding the rails in place.
More than a century ago, railways plowed across Africa, swallowing up unlimited amounts of precious hardwoods which had been growing and maturing since ancient times. Laid under the tracks, these immensely dense Jarrah timbers were subjected to the full rigors of a subtropical climate. Nature herself stamped each beam with its own individual character.
The Jarrah was brought from Australia to build those railways. When the old railways were taken up, the old beams were saved rather than burned, and craftsmen in Zimbabwe made them into furniture.
Each piece is made by hand and keeps the marks of its past, including the marks left by the railway spikes, so no two pieces are alike.
Jarrah is rare and very hard to find today. York's Shona Gallery is the only gallery in the United States where you can find Jarrah railroad furniture.
- Wood
- Australian Jarrah
- First used
- Under railway tracks a century ago
- Made
- By hand in Zimbabwe
- Every piece
- One of a kind
Three colors of Jarrah
- Red JarrahA deep red brown, the color most people know
- Black JarrahDarker and rarer, close to black in places
- Yellow JarrahA lighter, golden tone
Origin
Zimbabwe
Southern Africa
"When I was first exposed to African art, I felt a deep connection to it. It is hard to explain. It resonates with me spiritually."
Michael, Founder
York's Shona Gallery was the first in New York City to bring African sculpture to American collectors. Every piece in our collection is acquired directly, ensuring authenticity and fair exchange with the artists and communities who create them.
In your home
Loading the room...
Surfaces
Pedestal
Styled with and outdoors
Rooms
The wood
Wood from 1867, made by hand into a convertible desk
The Jarrah in this piece dates to 1867, which is why the collection is called Antique Railroad and why the wood behaves nothing like new timber. Craftsmen in Zimbabwe later used this antique wood to make the convertible desk by hand.
Jarrah, a species of Eucalyptus unique to the southwest region of Western Australia, is a spectacular hardwood known for its remarkable durability, extreme density, and warm, rich colors. Its distinctive blend of beauty and practicality lends it to use for both elegant furniture and innovative construction. Jarrah is an excellent choice for everything from tables and desks, to countertops and cabinets, to headboards and doors.
Jarrah is an ecologically correct timber. It is logged from a 5 million acre farm owned by the Australian government and carefully controlled by the Department of Conservation and Land Management. The volume of timber harvested annually is closely monitored.
The wood has personality, and one of the interesting qualities of Jarrah is its ability to merge seamlessly with a variety of decorating styles and settings. A Jarrah piece can instantly become the focal point within any room or simply complement the space’s visual impact. Jarrah is a rich reddish brown hardwood with a clean smooth surface and dense grain. No two slabs are identical. Each one possesses its own sophisticated “thumbprint”, ensuring a unique finished product. Each item of furniture is painstakingly assembled by hand incorporating the natural imperfections, which in turn become cherished possessions and heirlooms for tomorrow.
- Why the date matters
- Timber this old has finished moving, while new hardwood keeps shrinking and settling for years, which is what opens joints and splits panels
- Red Jarrah
- Most of the collection is Red Jarrah, a deep red brown, while Black and Yellow Jarrah are rarer
How it is built
Not a screw in it
Conventional furniture is held together with metal screws. Metal in wood is the joint that eventually fails, because the two move at different rates and the screw slowly wears its own hole wider.
- Dowels
- Red Jarrah dowels placed by hand, so wood holds wood and the joints move together, which is why furniture built this way lasts longer
- No plywood
- Not a scrap anywhere, so every part is solid Jarrah, even the parts nobody sees
- What it holds
- The density and the joinery together make it far stronger than furniture of the same size built with screws
Placement
In Your Home
Railroad furniture is solid, heavy and made to be used every day. Here is where each kind of piece works best in your home
Because every piece is made from solid Jarrah, it is very heavy. Measure the space and plan where it will stand before it arrives.
- Living room
- Bookcases, the corner bookcase, the storage unit, side tables and the king throne
- Dining room
- The dining set, the china cabinet and a mirror
- Bedroom
- Dressers, a trunk at the foot of the bed, a mirror and the corner bookcase
- Home office
- Desks, the secretary desk, the convertible desk, a chair and the corner bookcase
- Entryway
- A bench or a mirror
- Kitchen and bar
- Bar stools and the CD rack
Where it comes from
“These are folks we have known for over 40 years and have great relationships with.”
Sourced 100% fair trade from Zimbabwe. We are a small family business, and every piece is hand crafted by small businesses in Africa. A portion of each purchase funds education and hunger initiatives across the continent
Care
Caring for Jarrah
Jarrah needs very little care. It is dense and strong, and its rich color is the wood itself, not a finish that can wear off.
Treat it as you would any solid wood furniture. A soft, dry cloth is all it needs, and it will look the same for generations.
- Cleaning
- Dust with a soft, dry cloth
- Keep away from
- Radiators, direct sunlight, dampness and extreme hot or cold temperatures
- Polish
- Not needed
- Marks in the grain
- From its years under a railway, and part of the piece
Shipping
How Shipping Works
Buy your piece online and leave the shipping to us.
Every piece is large, heavy and one of a kind, so we plan the packing around the piece you choose. It works the same way for domestic and international orders.
- 1BuyBuy online and pay a shipping deposit at checkout
- 2PlanWe measure your piece and plan how it will be packed
- 3BalanceWe email you the remaining shipping balance
- 4DeliverYour piece ships with tracking, straight to your door
- Domestic
- 5 to 8 business days
- International
- 10 to 14 business days
- Tracking
- On every shipment
- Signature
- Needed for most deliveries
- White glove
- Available on request
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this antique furniture?
The wood is. It dates to 1867, which is what the collection name refers to.
The convertible desk itself was made by hand in Zimbabwe from antique Jarrah. So you are buying old wood, newly worked, rather than a restored Victorian piece.
Does it need assembly?
No. It ships fully assembled and ready to place.
What care does it need?
Very little. Dust it with a soft, dry cloth. The luster you see is the wood itself rather than a finish that can wear off.
Keep it away from radiators, direct sunlight, dampness and extreme hot or cold temperatures, as you would any solid wood furniture.
Is it strong enough for daily use?
Yes, and considerably stronger than furniture of the same size built with screws. The dowelled joints move with the wood instead of against it, and there is no plywood anywhere in the piece.
Can I buy several pieces together?
Yes, and it is the cheaper way to do it. Shipping is quoted per order rather than per piece, so a room bought at once costs far less than the same pieces sent separately.
Add them all to your cart and check out together.
The collection
Twenty one pieces, one shipment of timber
Every piece in the Antique Railroad collection is cut from the same antique Jarrah and built the same way. They were made to sit together, and shipping is quoted per order rather than per piece, so a room bought at once costs far less than the same pieces sent separately.
