Writing Desk Bureau
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English Neoclassical Style Leather Inset Mahogany Bureau Plat Writing Table
Located in Louisville, KY
Second half of the 19th century; rectangular inset top over a three drawer frieze; raised on square tapering legs ending with brass casters. Hardware of later date.
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Neoclassical Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Pair of Boulle Bureau De Dame or Desks
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Matched pair of freestanding Boulle bureau de dame, circa 1860. The ebonized tops have a fretted
Category
Antique 19th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Tortoise Shell, Ebony
$4,455 / set
Early Georgian Chippendale Bureau Bookcase Desk in Carved Mahogany
By Thomas Chippendale
Located in Dorking, GB
An unusual and possibly unique example of a Chippendale design for a carved mahogany bureau
Category
Antique Late 17th Century English Georgian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany, Oak
A fine example of a 19th c. French Bureau Plat writing table
Located in Miami, FL
A fine example of a 19th c. French Bureau Plat writing table. The bureau plat is decorated with
Category
Antique 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Lovely French Antique Bureau, Original Desk with Bronze Work
Located in Lingfield, West Sussex
This is a beautiful french dressing Bureau/desk that has numerous drawers and flap down. As you can
Category
Antique 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Antique Georgian Oak Bureau Slant Front Desk, Scotland 1810, H802
Located in Vancouver, BC
Antique Georgian oak Bureau slant front desk, Scotland 1810, H802
Scotland 1810
Solid oak
Category
Antique 19th Century North American Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Early 20th Century Louis XVI Revival French Bureau Plat / Desk
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A good quality and of elegant proportions French, Louis XVI style, brass-mounted mahogany bureau
Category
Early 20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Writing Table/Bureau Plat Bronze-Mounted with Matching Chairs French late 19th C
Located in Uppingham, GB
French bronze-mounted mahogany writing table/bureau plat (19th century)
A superb 'Stand Alone
Category
Antique 1890s French Empire Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Antique Victorian Arts
Crafts Oak Twin Pedestal Clerks Desk Bureau
Located in Wisbech, Walton Wisbech
Antique Victorian Arts & Crafts oak twin pedestal clerks desk or bureau.
Wonderful patinated
Category
Antique Late 19th Century British Arts and Crafts Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Walter Wirtz for Wilhem Renz Secretary Bureau Desk Teak, Germany, 1960s
By Walter Wirz, Wilhelm Renz
Located in Vienna, Vienna
A rare vintage writing desk secretary in teak, designed by Walter Wirtz and manufactured by Wilhem
Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Teak
Compás Desk / Bureau by Pedro Miralles Claver for Punt Mobels, 1990s
Located in Chesham, GB
A cherry wood Bureau by Pedro Miralles Claver For Punt Mobels.
Designer - Pedro Miralles Claver
Category
1990s Spanish Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cherry
20th Century Louis XVI Cherry Tree Ebony Wood Bureau Desk RESTORED
Located in Toledo, Castilla La Mancha
Beautiful French Louis XVI center writing desk, early 20th century. Restored, cherry tree, ebony
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Sophisticated 18th Century French Louis XV Kingwood and Ormolu Bureau Plat Desk
Located in San Francisco, CA
A sophisticated 18th century French Louis XV kingwood and ormolu bureau plat desk, with one long
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Desks and Writing Tables
Vintage Danish Bureau/ Desk by Arne Hovmand Olsen for Mogens Kold, 1960s
By Mogens Kold Møbelfabrik, Arne Hovmand-Olsen
Located in Chesham, GB
A teak bureau by Arne Hovmand Olsen for Mogens Kold.
Designer - Arne Hovmand Olsen
Manufacturer
Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
English Mahogany Bureau
Located in London, GB
areas. This is a lovely desk for a home office and has the benefit of everything being neatly stored
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century British Victorian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$2,193
Neb Bureau Contemporary Desk with Flip Door Front in Brass by Per Soderberg
By Per Soderberg
Located in Stockholm, SE
Inspired by a Classic Scandinavian secrétaire, this contemporary desk / bureau by Swedish architect
Category
2010s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Louis XV Bureau Plat
Located in Paris, FR
Louis XV desk inlaid with ebony, darkened wood and brass.
This bureau plat is opening with two
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
$23,753
18th Century Oak Bureau
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
Wonderful 18th century English oak bureau in oak, with a great colour and patina, of small and
Category
Antique Late 18th Century English Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
$4,249
Cylinder Bureau, Austria, 1780
Located in Salzburg, Salzburg
Cylinder bureau Austria, circa 1780, richly inlaid with cherrywood veneered, secret drawer
Category
Antique 1780s Austrian Other Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cherry
Military Style Spanish Bureau
Located in Alicante, ES
A very handsome, extremely useful Spanish Military style Bureau on separate legs, for ease of
Category
Early 20th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Yew - Wood "Oyster" Bureau
Located in London, GB
green leather writing top.
Category
Antique 19th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Louis XVI Period Bureau-plat
Located in Banbury, GB
A FINE & RARE LATE 18TH.CENTURY LOUIS XVI PERIOD BRASS & EBONY BANDED MAHOGANY BUREAU-PLAT, WRITING
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
$17,136
Louis XV style bureau plat
Located in Charlottesville, VA
Louis XV style bureau plat with tooled leather writing surface and three short drawers on cabriole
Category
Antique 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
17th Century French Bureau Mazarin
Located in Antwerp, BE
The ‘Bureau Mazarin’ is a 17th century desk form named in memory of Cardinal Mazarin, premier
Category
Antique 17th Century French Renaissance Desks and Writing Tables
French Oak Bureau Plat
Located in Chicago, IL
This piece was purchased in Paris and has fine carvings and a lovely proportion. The oak has a warm caramel color that highlights the distressed old leather of the top. The piece has...
Category
20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak, Leather
$15,000
Late 18th Century Bureau Plat
Located in Stamford, CT
Late 18th century to early 19th century writing table.
Category
Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
19th Century Louis XV Bureau
Located in London, GB
Napoleon III Bureau depicting scrolling acanthus leaves and flowers throughout. Inlaid in King and
Category
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
18th Century Mahogany Bureau Bookcase
Located in Salisbury, GB
Mahogany bureau bookcase. Oak drawer linings, secret drawers, swan pediment with finial. Has
Category
Antique 18th Century English George III Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
19th Century Biedermeier Bureau, Germany, 1850s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Below its desk top, the writing desk features a drawer which can be locked. The desk top rests on
Category
Antique 1850s German Biedermeier Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Guillerme et Chambron Votre Maison Bureau
By Guillerme et Chambron, Votre Maison
Located in London, GB
Solid oak wall-mounted bureau by Guillerme et Chambron for Votre Maison. The drop down desk surface
Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Early 19th Century French Bureau Plat
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An early 19th century French mahogany bureau plat with embossed black leather top. This desk has
Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
French Empire Style Mahogany Bureau Plat
Located in Salt Lake City, UT
An elegant 19th century mahogany writing desk with inlaid leather writing pad in tabletop, with
Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ormolu
Bureau Rognon after Paul-Charles Sormani
By Paul-Charles Sormani
Located in Bergen, NL
A gilt bronze-mounted kingwood parquetry and fruitwood floral marquetry bureau rognon after Paul
Category
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Fruitwood, Kingwood
French Louis XVI Style Bureau Plat
Located in Natchez, MS
French Louis XVI style bureau plat, mahogany with bronze mounts and leather top.
Three drawer
Category
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Robsjohn Gibbings Campaign Style Bureau Plat
By T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Robsjohn gibbings Campaign style bureau plat, simple and beautiful.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Desks and Writing Tables
Italian Walnut 18th Century Bureau Plat
Located in Natchez, MS
Italian Louis XVI walnut bureau plat with three drawers, having carved rosette and swag decoration
Category
Antique 18th Century Italian Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
LOUIS XV WALNUT PROVENCAL BUREAU PLAT
Located in Natchez, MS
Louis XV Walnut Provencal Bureau Plat with leather top and original ormolu mounts. Great size.
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut, Leather
George III Elm Bureau, circa 1770
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Unusual George III elm bureau, circa 1770. The piece has a beautifully figured elm top with
Category
Antique 1770s George III Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Elm
Small Proportioned Arts
Crafts Oak Bureau
Located in Buckinghamshire, GB
Small proportioned oak Arts & Crafts bureau having a pierced gallery above a sloping fall front
Category
Antique Early 1900s English Desks and Writing Tables
Louis XV provincial fruitwood bureau plat
Located in San Francisco, CA
Louis XV provincial fruitwood bureau plat, the rectangular leather-inset top with molded edge above
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
18th Century Louis XVI Bureau Plat
Located in Paris, FR
Rectangular shape bureau, mahogany and mahogany veneer.
It comprises three drawers on the front
Category
Antique Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
18th c southern french bureau plat
Located in Los Angeles, CA
old french desk waxed wood with antique french hardware .
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French French Provincial Desks and Writ...
Regence Kingwood Bureau Plat With Ormolu Mounts
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Franch regence ormolu-mounted kingwood bureau plat with leather writing surface
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ormolu
Italian Louis XVI Satinwood parquetry bureau plat
Located in Charlottesville, VA
Italian Louis XVI Satinwood parquetry bureau plat with oblong black leather inlaid writing surface
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Louis XIV Brass-Inlaid Mazarin Bureau
Located in Paris, FR
Boulle marquetry en contrepartie
It contains six drawers in boxes on three rows separated by crossbars, and a drawer en ceinture surmounting a set back leaf.
It rests on light ...
Category
Antique 1690s French Louis XIV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze, Copper
Louis XV Period Walnut Bureau Plat
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A Louis XV period walnut bereau plat with cabriole legs terminating in "pied de biche" feet.
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Kingwood Bureau Plat
Located in Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire
Large, excellent quality, very elegant French kingwood bureau plat with brass Ormolu mounts, oak
Category
Early 20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Swedish Bureau in Two Parts, circa 1790
Located in Antwerp, BE
Swedish bureau in two parts, circa 1790. With original locks and keys.
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Swedish Neoclassical Desks and Writing Tables
Rustic French Fruitwood Bureau Plat, circa 1840
Located in San Francisco, CA
Rustic French fruitwood bureau plat, circa 1840; with single drawer.
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
French Mahogany and Fruitwood Inlaid Bureau Plat
Located in San Francisco, CA
French Mahogany and Fruitwood Inlaid Bureau Plat circa 1870
Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
French Early 19th Century Elm Bureau Plat
Located in Sydney, AU
French early 19th century solid elm bureau plat with five drawers to front pull-out slides and
Category
Antique 1820s French First Empire Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Elm, Sycamore
19th Century Louis XV Style Bureau Plat
Located in Mosman Park, AU
A good quality 19th century French Louis XV style parquetry and ormolu-mounted bureau plat of
Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Dutch Walnut Marquetry Inlaid Bureau, circa 1860
Located in Edinburgh, GB
Dutch walnut marquetry inlaid bureau, circa 1860. The flap has a large marquetry urn with flowers
Category
Antique 1860s Dutch Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
"Bois Clair" Charles X Burled Ash Bureau
Located in New Orleans, LA
An ash veneer and string inlay desk with an embossed leather top over drawers, on finely turned
Category
Antique 19th Century French Charles X Desks and Writing Tables
Grunderzeit Bureau with wood Inlays, Germany, circa 1900
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Below its desk top, the writing desk features a drawer which can be locked. The desk top rests on
Category
Antique Early 1900s German Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
French Louis XV Ormolu-Mounted Amarante Bureau Plat
Located in Nice, Cote d
Azur
Rectangular top with tooled light brown leather writing surface within a gilt-surround, above three
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ormolu
19th Century Victorian Franglais Walnut Bureau de Dame
Located in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
A Victorian Franglais figured walnut Walnut Bureau de Dame with tulipwood and fruitwood marquetry
Category
Antique Late 19th Century English Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Fruitwood, Tulipwood
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Writing Desk Bureau For Sale on 1stDibs
With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the writing desk bureau you’re looking for. Each writing desk bureau for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using wood, metal and animal skin. If you’re shopping for a writing desk bureau, we have 899 options in-stock, while there are 12 modern editions to choose from as well. There are many kinds of the writing desk bureau you’re looking for, from those produced as long ago as the 18th Century to those made as recently as the 21st Century. A writing desk bureau is a generally popular piece of furniture, but those created in Louis XV, Louis XVI and Georgian styles are sought with frequency. François Linke, Maison Jansen and Scarlet Splendour each produced at least one beautiful writing desk bureau that is worth considering.
How Much is a Writing Desk Bureau?
The average selling price for a writing desk bureau at 1stDibs is $6,670, while they’re typically $171 on the low end and $1,844,713 for the highest priced.
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.
Questions About Writing Desk Bureau
- What is a writing desk?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertSeptember 25, 2019
A writing desk may refer to a desk with a top, often sloping, for writing on or to a portable case with compartments to hold writing materials and a surface for writing.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 19, 2021A writing desk with drawers is also called a secretary. It is a desk with drawers, one of which can be pushed out and the front of the desk lowered to create a flat writing surface. These writing desks have been made in a variety of styles over the years. Shop for a variety of writing tables with drawers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertOctober 12, 2021A small writing table is also called a davenport table or davenport desk. They normally feature a sloped or inclined top attached with hinges to the back of the table. On 1stDibs, find a variety of antique and vintage davenport desks.
- 1stDibs ExpertJune 15, 2023What an old-fashioned writing desk is called varies by design. Pieces with drop-down fronts are secretary desks (these are typically made of two parts: a chest of drawers on the bottom and a hutch or cupboard with shelves on the top), while ones that rest on two pillars, cabinets or bookcases are pedestal desks. A desk with a small writing surface positioned in front of drawers and cubbies is a bureau à gradin. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of desks.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 3, 2023In French, the term for a writing desk that often featured a drop-down writing surface is secretaire. This type of desk is called a secretary desk in English. Simply put, a secretary desk is a multifunctional piece of furniture with a hinged writing surface that folds open or drops down. When the leaf is folded out, small inner storage compartments, which are called pigeonholes, cubbies, recesses or drawers, are revealed. On 1stDibs, shop antique secretary desks from some of the world's top sellers.
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