Mission Style Waste Basket

Inspired by the Arts Crafts style in England, which rebelled against the mechanization of the Industrial Revolution with a proud emphasis on handcrafted design, American Craftsman style similarly pushed against the lavishness of the Victorian era. Coined by Wisconsin-born Gustav Stickley, a furniture designer and publisher of The Craftsman magazine, American Craftsman furniture would influence homegrown styles that followed, such as Mission and the Prairie School.

Like the popular early 20th-century Craftsman houses — which feature meticulous woodwork on everything from built-in bookcases in the living room and cabinetry in the kitchen to earth-toned exteriors with exposed rafters — American Craftsman furniture was all about handmade storage cabinets, bedroom furniture, chairs and other pieces built with organic materials. “Simplicity and straightforwardness of construction has always been the leading characteristic of Craftsman furniture,” Stickley stated. And while he is often credited with most of the designs at the Craftsman Workshops in Eastwood, New York, others such as Harvey Ellis were influential in shaping the straight-backed chairs, beds with vertical slats and tables with exposed joinery that came to define the style.

Highly utilitarian with no unnecessary flair, American Craftsman furniture was designed to emphasize the essence of its modest construction and promote the natural beauty of the wood. Solid oak, cherry, walnut and mahogany were all favored by the movement’s principal figures. Another attribute commonly associated with the style is the integration of subtle details like tooled leather, inlaid metal and hammered iron handles.

Owing to the outbreak of World War I, the popularity of American Craftsman style waned as consumer spending dropped and furniture companies shifted to the production of wartime materials and goods specified in government contracts. Yet, by the 1960s, there was a renewed appreciation for this foundational modern American style, with Stickley and his contemporaries in demand for the clean, simple lines and sturdy construction of American Craftsman furniture.

Find a collection of antique American Craftsman chests, nightstands, seating, decorative objects and more furniture on 1stDibs.

Whether you’ve carved out a space for a nifty home office or you prefer the morning commute, why not dress up your desk with antique and vintage desk accessories? To best tiptoe the line between desk efficiency and desk enjoyment, we suggest adding a touch of the past to your modern-day space.

Desks are a funny thing. Their basic premise has remained the same for quite literally centuries: a flat surface, oftentimes a drawer, and potentially a shelf or two. However, the contents that lay upon the desk? Well, the evolution has been drastic to say the least.

Thank the Victorians for the initial popularity of the paperweight. The Industrial Revolution offered the novel concept of leisure-time to Europeans, giving them more time to take part in the then crucial activity of letter writing. Decorative glass paperweight designs were all the rage, and during the mid-19th-century some of the most popular makers included the French companies of Baccarat, St. Louis and Clichy.

As paper was exceedingly expensive in the early to mid-19th-century, every effort was made to utilize a full sheet of it. Paper knives, which gave way to the modern letter opener, were helpful for cutting paper down to an appropriate size.

Books — those bound volumes of paper, you may recall — used to be common occurrences on desks of yore and where there were books there needed to be bookends. As a luxury item, bookend designs have run the gamut from incorporating ultra-luxurious materials (think marble and Murano glass) to being whimsical desk accompaniments (animal figurines were highly popular choices).

Though the inkwell’s extinction was ushered in by the advent of the ballpoint pen (itself quasi-obsolete at this point), there is still significant charm to be had from placing one of these bauble-like objets in a central spot on one’s desk. You may be surprised to discover the mood-boosting powers an antique — and purposefully empty — inkwell can provide.

The clamor for desk clocks arose as the Industrial Revolution transitioned labor from outdoors to indoors, and allowed for the mass-production of clock parts in factories. Naturally, elaborate designs soon followed and clocks could be found made by artisans and luxury houses like Cartier.

Find antique and vintage desk accessories today on 1stDibs.