Design: I Yearn For.... ... a special desk, says writer Alain de Botton

IT MUST be big - most desks are too small - and L-shaped so that it wraps around me and takes an enormous quantity of paper. There must be room to swallow a computer and still appear like there's lots of space.

It's really a cliche of an office desk. As I work from home, I need a desk that defines my space. It must have lots of drawers with a filing cabinet in one leg and holes to hide the wires. It should withstand spills and dents; I need to feel free to slam things down.

I once glimpsed this desk in a Swedish or German furniture show-room in Savile Row, along with tubular sofas and chairs. The desk appealed to me, though it cost thousands. Perhaps a reader might offer to buy it for me!

Alain de Botton will be speaking on "Intellectual Impostures" at the French Institute on 1 July at 6pm. Tickets, pounds 4, Tel: 0171-937 8432.