Way back when, I profiled the work of Giancarlo de Astis, a designer who had the inspired idea of rifling the famed "boneyard"-otherwise known as Davis-Monthan Air Force Base-for the cast-off components of retired military aircraft. De Astis re-claims these skeletal remnants to forge intriguing side and conference tables with a decidedly industrial aesthetic. Artist Donovan Fell III of So-Cal's MotoArt shares De Astis' admiration for these estimable artifacts. Since 1998, Fell has been rescuing propellers, rudders, galley bars, fuel tank cradles… It seems MotoArt can employ just about any component to fashion compelling bars, beds, credenzas, and desks.

C-130 Conference. Designed by MotoArt.

But for my money you can't beat a long length of wing-perhaps the most aesthetically distinctive commercial airplane part–and the most prominent feature of MotoArt's series of expansive Conference Tables. The voluminous and voluble pieces are constructed from long segments of the former wing in question, each of which owes its origins to a familiar commercial or military craft (in some cases both): the Boeing 727, the C-119, the DC-4, and the C-130. Fell's tables all share the long, swooping silhouette known for its uncanny ability to create the aeronautical phenomenon called Lift, but each is distinctive too. The 727 features a horizontal stabler atop anodized aluminum legs and topped off with a ½" thick slab of tempered glass; the C-119 employs the insides of an aileron (the "little wing" flap that minimizes side-to-side roll) for a dressed-up structure-on-display look that would do van der Rohe proud; the DC-4 contrasts a mirror-polished leading edge with a powder-coated interior and banks of vibrant red LED lighting; and the C-130 shows its high-powered, high-gloss finish to excellent effect, perching the wing segment flap atop 4" black anodized aluminum I beams and sealing the deal with a ½" sheet of plexiglass.

C-130 Conference. Designed by MotoArt.

C-130 Conference. Designed by MotoArt.

DC-4 Conference. Designed by MotoArt.

MotoArt offers each conference table as a bespoke piece. Options include specified lengths, ports for cable management, even customized application of company logos. Regardless of whether you choose to augment the former flyer that is your MotoArt conference table with that last detail, and irrespective of your choice of accompanying seating, MotoArt's Conference Tables can't help but "create a stunning presence for your company."