( CNN ) -- The Mojave boneyard in the California desert is where old airplanes go to die -- a wasteland of decrepit planes , titanic heaps of titanium and aluminum waiting to be scrapped for metal in India or China . Plane boneyards are a rich source of spare parts for MotoArt to create their functional furniture . But for Dave Hall and Donovan Fell , the boneyard is only the beginning . They own MotoArt , a company based in California that turns old aircraft parts into high-end furniture and functional art . From beds and desks to light fixtures and wall partitions , Hall and Fell say they are doing more than reinventing cast-offs from retired planes , they 're creating pieces of aviation history . `` Once they are gone we can never get them back again , '' said Hall of the abandoned planes at Mojave . `` So what we like to do is actually take these aircraft parts and preserve them and give them a second life in some really fun , functional art . '' MotoArt began in 2000 when Hall and Fell , former co-workers at an architectural sign company in Los Angeles , collaborated on an art exhibition that showcased Fell 's polished B-17 bomber propeller sculptures . See before and after photos of recycled plane parts » . `` We sold out the entire show , and the gearheads all loved it , '' said Fell . It was then that the duo realized their unique art project could have a much wider audience . Encouraged by the success of the exhibit , the duo began exploring the nearby Mojave boneyard for more than just propellers -- B-25 rudders for desks , 747 jet engine cowlings for beds , F-4 ejection seats for , well , ejection seats . `` Who 's never wanted an ejection chair ? '' laughs Fell , sitting in the company 's studio in Los Angeles , where the MotoArt team bring back the treasures they find in the Mojave Desert . Watch Dave Hall at work at the Mojave boneyard » . The duo 's most popular pieces of 'functional art ' are their desks , ranging from the sleek 8-foot DC-9 tail stabilizer desk , which retail at around $ 15,000 , to the imposing 14-foot DC-4 conference table , which costs a whopping $ 60,000 . According to Hall , hundreds of hours are sometimes spent cutting , sanding , polishing and surfacing a single piece . It took the MotoArt team 220 hours to turn a single 747 cowling , the large shiny aluminum strip covering a jumbo jet engine , into a spectacular 8.5-foot diameter chrome receptionist 's desk . Hall said it takes hundreds of hours to produce a fuselage partition , from using a chainsaw to slice 10-foot sheets out of the main section of a plane , to polishing and readying it for the showroom floor of the Dutch carmaker Spyker , which has commissioned MotoArt to create exhibitions for the company around the world . Hall and Fell began the company out of their garage , and now have 15 employees and a 12,000 square-foot studio with a showroom that could double as an aviation museum . `` It 's like a larger version of my room when I was 10 years old , '' says Fell of the MotoArt headquarters . But MotoArt is anything but child 's play -- in just nine years the company has carved out a niche in the high-end furniture market , creating a multi-million dollar business thanks to a wide range of corporate clients . The company counts Boeing , Microsoft , Red Bull and the United States government as happy MotoArt customers , as well as a number of airplane enthusiasts and celebrities . But for Hall and Fell , it is the preservation of the planes that gives them the greatest satisfaction . `` It 's heartbreaking to see these planes that have serviced our country for decades being crunched up and destroyed , and it gives us a little piece of heart that we are able to recycle this and give it a second life , '' he said .
Men at MotoArt build homes for old aircraft parts to recycle into furniture . They use airplane rudders for desks , 747 jet engine cowlings for beds . MotoArt prides itself on preserving aviation history with functional design .