Nomos executive desk by Tecno with back-painted glass top and chrome backbone

Nomos by Tecno — the desk system with a Compasso d'Oro

Tecno

Norman Foster

Executive desk only
Nomos An icon of Italian design Executive desk only
$ 11,273

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Trade terms for professionals and design studios

Few desks come with paperwork like this. Designed by Norman Foster in 1986, Nomos took the Compasso d'Oro — Italy's most established industrial design award — in 1987, credited to Foster & Partners. When a project needs a name behind every piece, this is what a name looks like in a specification: designer, manufacturer, year and prize, all on record.

What the jury rewarded still works. A tubular metal backbone carries the whole composition — worktops, legs, supports, screens, shelf superstructures — and a black plastic vertebra lifts cables from the floor in one ordered run, with perforated-steel ducting hidden beneath the tops. Tecno calls it the pioneer of shared-structure systems: several workstations, one skeleton.

For the corner office it becomes a single sculptural table in back-painted tempered glass, white lacquer or wood veneer; for the boardroom, a meeting table built to custom dimensions on the same frame. La Mercanti ships Nomos to US projects with the composition drawn and confirmed in writing first — the award goes in the credentials page, the drawing goes to the installer.

Technical information based on data declared by the manufacturer.

Collection: Nomos System
Manufacturer: Tecno S.p.A. (founded 1953)
Design: Norman Foster, 1986
Award: Compasso d'Oro 1987 (design Foster & Partners)
Structure: load-bearing tubular metal backbone; legs, feet, supports, worktops, superstructures and screens attach to the shared frame
Cable management: black plastic vertebra fixed to the frame for orderly cable access from the floor; modular painted perforated sheet-metal ducting beneath the worktops; cable tray and hooks
Tops: high-pressure laminate, white or dark grey lacquer, wood veneers, back-painted clear or ultra-clear tempered glass; top arranged for a leather desk pad available
Frames: chrome, or nickel paint in white, dark grey or gloss black
Variants: Nomos workstation, Nomos meeting, Nomos table
Components: end, intermediate and front screens, modesty panel, upper shelves, side return tops
Compositions: different lengths and depths, from individual workstations to large meeting tables with custom dimensions

La Mercanti USA Llc — your partner for Italian design and contract supply.
Los Angeles, CA, USA · +1 855 335 8079 · info@lamercanti.us
Supply, quotes, specifications and project support across the United States and North America.

Documents and Catalogs

Nomos Catalogue Tecno Finishes & Materials

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FAQ

What is the Compasso d'Oro that Nomos won?
Italy's most established industrial design award. Nomos received it in 1987, credited to Foster & Partners — one year after Norman Foster designed the system for Tecno. It is the kind of pedigree that can be cited in a project's credentials, because it is documented.
Is Nomos a desk or a system?
Both. One tubular backbone carries tops, legs, screens and shelves, so the same structure becomes a single executive table, a shared bench or a boardroom composition. Tecno lists three variants: workstation, meeting and table.
Can we order a Nomos conference table in a custom size?
Yes — large meeting tables are built on the shared backbone with custom dimensions. La Mercanti closes the drawing with lengths, depths and cable positions before production, and confirms everything in writing.
How are monitors and power handled on a Nomos desk?
Cabling rises through a black plastic vertebra fixed to the frame and runs in painted perforated-steel ducting beneath the tops, with cable trays and hooks along the way. The desk surface stays clear without aftermarket grommets.
Which finishes suit an executive floor?
Back-painted tempered glass — clear or ultra-clear — and wood veneers carry the representative rooms; lacquer and HPL serve the working floors. Frames come in chrome or white, dark grey and gloss black nickel paint, so one palette runs through the whole project.

From spec sheet to boardroom: ordering Nomos in the US

Five steps that keep an Italian design-award system on schedule across the Atlantic.

Anchor the credentials
Record designer, year and award in the project book: Norman Foster, 1986, Compasso d'Oro 1987. Approvals move faster when the pedigree is on paper.
Map the floor boxes
Locate floor power before drawing the backbone — the vertebra routes cables from the floor, so the spine should land where the building already delivers.
Size the compositions
Fix lengths and depths for each area: single tables for offices, shared benches for teams, a custom-dimension table for the boardroom.
Lock finishes early
Glass, veneer, lacquer or HPL tops and the frame color are confirmed on one drawing — mixed finishes on one spine are possible when decided upfront.
Confirm in writing
Composition drawings, cable runs and delivery scope are agreed in writing before production starts; the installation then follows a plan, not a guess.

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