What Are Cocobolo Desks? Everything You Need to Know About the Desk ‘Better Call Saul’ Made Popular

Cocobolo desks are rare hardwood desks made of Central American cocobolo wood. The wood is the rare part. Not only is cocobolo elegant and flashy, but it’s hard to get. Few furniture makers work with cocobolo wood. 

Recently, many desk collectors have been made aware of cocobolo desks through the hit TV show “Better Call Saul,” but that doesn’t mean cocobolo desks are a fad. Rather, the show referenced the desk to begin with because of the prized nature of the wood.

Here’s everything you need to know about cocobolo desks.

Cocobolo is a rare, durable, and attractive wood. Not only does it display a beautiful array of colors — almost a “rainbow” — but it’s also difficult to work with. Due to the natural oils in the wood, many woodworkers find the material challenging.

This combination of rarity and beauty makes cocobolo desks very expensive. The cheapest cocobolo desk is often over $7,000, due to the materials alone.

You can see why people like these desks. The wood doesn’t just have a striking grain pattern — it has a lot of color variation.

Due to the materials used, a cocobolo desk is going to be extremely durable and attractive. More to the point, a cocobolo desk is very likely to be extremely well-made, and someone working with this wood is going to be a master woodworker.

There are many incredible hardwoods out there, but quite a few of them have been deemed unethical or unsustainable (which means they are purchased and imported in limited quantities). Even when hardwood is sourced ethically, there are fewer furniture pieces out there because they are all made by individual craftsmen.

A resurgence of interest in cocobolo desks is largely due to the “Breaking Bad” spin-off “Better Call Saul.” In “Better Call Saul,” Jimmy McGill purchases the desk when he gets a job at a law firm.

After he’s fired, he writes a check for the desk and asks someone to drive the desk from Santa Fe to Albuquerque. Unfortunately (and tragically), the desk ends up being dumped on the side of the road.

Interestingly, the desk that “Better Call Saul” uses is probably not a cocobolo desk. Cocobolo desks aren’t just incredibly rare. Most of the desks that are around are fairly small because of how rare the material is.

Today, some of the most prized cocobolo pieces in existence are by Don Shoemaker, a famous Mexican mid-century furniture designer.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Don Shoemaker defined and popularized elements of mid-century style throughout the world. His most famous product is his cocobolo sloucher, or “sling chair,” which is priced at thousands today.

The mid-century style was an abstract, futuristic style that was popularized in the ’60s and ’70s. Today, it remains one of the most popular styles not only for furniture but for architecture.

Its recent trendiness may also explain the renewed interest in cocobolo furniture.