Bureau Plat Desk
Antique Early 19th Century French Charles X Secretaires
Wood
Antique 19th Century French Desks
Metal
Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XIV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Bronze, Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Desks
Bronze, Ormolu
20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Vintage 1950s French Hollywood Regency Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Vintage 1950s French Regency Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Antique 1880s French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Bronze
20th Century French Desks
Antique 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Antique 1880s French Louis XV Desks
Tulipwood
Vintage 1950s Desks
Wood
Antique 1880s British Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
Antique 1890s French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
Antique 1890s French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
20th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Vintage 1930s French Louis XIV Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
Vintage 1930s French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Directoire Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Spruce, Palisander, Rosewood
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Vintage 1980s Empire Desks
Kingwood
Late 20th Century American Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Early 20th Century French Directoire Desks and Writing Tables
Cherry, Leather
20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Antique 18th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Lacquer
Vintage 1940s French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
Vintage 1940s Italian Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Vintage 1960s American Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Antique Mid-19th Century French Victorian Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
Antique 1890s French Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Kingwood
Vintage 1920s French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Vintage 1950s French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Ormolu
Antique Mid-18th Century Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Oak
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Antique Early 1900s Desks
Kingwood
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Desks
Bronze
Antique 1890s Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Giltwood
Early 20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Vintage 1970s Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Kingwood
Vintage 1970s French Desks and Writing Tables
Antique 19th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Vintage 1930s French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
Early 20th Century French Desks
Lacquer
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Bureau Plat Desk For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Bureau Plat Desk?
Finding the Right Desks-writing-tables for You
Choosing the perfect writing desk or writing table is a profoundly personal journey, one that people have been embarking upon for centuries.
Queen Atossa of Persia, from her writing table circa 500 B.C., is said to have been the originator of the art of handwritten letters. Hers was reportedly the first in a long and colorful history of penned correspondence that grew in popularity alongside literacy. The demand for suitable writing desks, which would serve the composer of the letters as well as ensure the comfort of the recipient naturally followed, and the design of these necessary furnishings has evolved throughout history.
Once people began to seek freedom from the outwardly ornate styles of the walnut and rosewood writing desks and drafting tables introduced in the name of Queen Victoria and King Louis XV, radical shifts occurred, such as those that materialized during the Art Nouveau period, when designers longed to produce furniture inspired by the natural world’s beauty. A prime example is the work of the famous late-19th-century Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí — his rolltop desk featured deep side drawers and was adorned with carved motifs that paid tribute to nature. Gaudí regularly combined structural precision with decorative elements, creating beautiful pieces of furniture in wood and metal.
Soon afterward, preferences for sleek, geometric, stylized forms in furniture that saw an emphasis on natural wood grains and traditional craftsmanship took hold. Today, Art Deco desks are still favored by designers who seek to infuse interiors with an air of luxury. One of the most prominent figures of the Art Deco movement was French decorator and furniture designer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. With his use of neoclassical motifs as well as expensive and exotic materials such as imported dark woods and inlays of precious metals for his writing desks, Ruhlmann came to symbolize good taste and modernity.
The rise in appreciation for Scandinavian modernism continues to influence the design of contemporary writing desks. It employs the “no fuss” or “less is more” approach to creating a tasteful, sophisticated space. Sweden’s master cabinetmaker Bruno Mathsson created gallery-worthy designs that are as functional as they are beautiful. Finnish architect Alvar Aalto never viewed himself as an artist, but, like Mathsson, his furniture designs reflected a fondness for organic materials and a humanistic approach. Danish designers such as Hans Wegner introduced elegant shapes and lines to mid-century desks and writing tables, often working in oak and solid teak.
From vintage desks to contemporary styles, 1stDibs offers a broad spectrum of choices for conducting all personal and business writing and reading activities.
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