With computers and mobile devices becoming an important part of our work or school lives, it is almost inevitable that cables will snake their way onto desks, twisting and tangling into a sordid mess. As if keeping desks tidy wasn’t already difficult, cable management adds another layer of complexity to that chore. There are desks that offer one solution or another, and those often rely on fixed and inflexible designs. Accessories do give a bit more freedom, but it’s often an all-or-nothing affair that bundles all those cables together in one place. This magnet-powered system, on the other hand, lets you decide where you want to keep those cables, and its beautiful PU leather base also protects your desk from scratches and spills.
Designer: Function 101
Even before computers started living on our desks, desk mats have been providing a combination of protection and decoration for sometimes plain or damaged tables. With our lives becoming a tad more complicated, these desk accessories have also started evolving to go beyond the call of duty, offering additional functionality ranging from temporary paper storage to even wireless charging.
Function 101’s Desk Mat Pro is part of this new breed, though you might not be able to tell at first glance. The PU Pebble Leather gives it an elegant and stylish character, and it would already fulfill its purpose just by itself, making your desk look more appealing while also keeping damaging liquids and sharp objects from ruining your desk. In reality, however, it serves as a base for a rather creative cable management system, thanks to a metal-infused inner layer that provides something for magnetic objects to stick to.
The heart of this cable management system is really the Cable Block XL, a minimalist cube with a cutout that lets you easily slide in any cable. Powerful neodymium magnets make it stay in place and prevent cables from dragging the blocks away. You can place the blocks anywhere you want or need them on the Desk Mat Pro or even on a bare metal desk. You can even combine blocks in a row to keep all the cables in one area or have them individually in different places for better space efficiency. You have complete freedom in how you want to design your cable management system and still look good, whatever you end up with.
Being a magnet-based system also opens the Desk Mat Pro to more than just blocks. There is, for example, an upcoming “coaster” that can fit an Apple MagSafe charger for iPhones, removing the need for a tall cube if all you really need is a low puck. It could also accommodate other magnetic accessories and decorations, ensuring that these don’t get accidentally knocked around and cause a domino effect that ends up spilling your drink. Then again, that’s what the Desk Mat Pro is also for anyway.
