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Desks and Writing Tables For Sale
Excellent Harvey Probber Curved Slim Walnut Desk Mid-Century Modern
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Sculptural modern "Advent" model walnut desk, designed by Harvey Probber, American, circa 1960s. Beautiful graining to the wood. This particular desk is in wonderful vintage condit...
Category
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Rare Maple Desk with Return by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti, 1970
s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Simply gorgeous maple desk with return and generous storage by Italian design great Giovanni Offredi for the internationally acclaimed Saporiti company. Meticulously designed and ins...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Maple
Boomerang Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Milano, 1950s Italy
By Osvaldo Borsani, Tecno
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Architectural black boomerang executive desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Milano. Finished with leather desktop inclusion. Floating pedestal on right side and longer return on the le...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Aluminum
Mahogany twin pedestal desk
Located in Cheshire, GB
Mahogany twin pedestal desk, the moulded square edge top, inset with tooled hide, above one large and two short frieze drawers. The pedestals having an arrangement of graduated drawe...
Category
19th Century British Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Custom Mahogany Crossed Sabre Leg Writing Table
Located in Woodbury, CT
Bespoke English mahogany crossed sabre leg writing table with gold-tooled leather, hand-rubbed finish with subtle distressing. Three working drawers ...
Category
2010s English Chippendale Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Mahogany, Oak
$9,950 / item
Svend Aage Madsen Model "200" Desk for Sigurd Hansen Møbelfabrik, Denmark 1950s
Located in Utrecht, NL
Firm believers in Functionalism, Danish designers and cabinetmakers avoided short-lived aesthetic trends, instead they concentrated on crafting with quality materials. This model "20...
Category
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Venezia Rialto Writing Desk
By Morici
Located in Milan, IT
Effortlessly enriching any modern interior - from a conference room, office, home study - this sculptural piece will create a timeless and elegant focal point. Entirely crafted of wo...
Category
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
$8,760 / item
Large L Shape Customizable Contemporary Corner Study Desk
By &New
Located in Leicester, GB
A beautiful large L Shaped Study desk made with a butternut powder-coated steel frame and a beige linoleum top. The furniture linoleum provides a natural satin matt surface made from...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel
19th Century French Louis XVI Wooden Writing Table with Fluted Legs
Located in High Point, NC
This 19th-century French writing table captures the refined neoclassical elegance of the Louis XVI style. Crafted from solid wood with a light natural patina, the table features deli...
Category
19th Century French Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
The Square Desk, Square Armchair, Carbonized Finish with Shou Sugi Ban, Japanese
Located in São Paulo, SP
The Square Desk was inspired by the design of Brazilian modern furniture from the 1950s and 1960s, featuring straight lines and Indian straw weaving. It's delicate and highly comfortable for everyday use, seamlessly blending functionality and elegance. The wood's ebonization is achieved through the Japanese technique of charred wood known as shou sugi ban. Crafted from solid freijó wood and adorned with a drawer featuring natural Indian straw.
* As they are natural materials, wood, straw and leather may have different tones and textures than those shown in the photos.
About the designer:
Amilcar Oliveira hails from São Paulo, the capital city. He studied Radio and TV at ECA-USP and worked as a director at production companies like Sentimental Filmes and Your Mamma. Currently, he's part of the directorial roster at Mixer. In parallel, he studied carpentry at the Cosi de Legno school under Piero Calò, carrying on the teachings he received from his father and grandfather, who were both carpenters deeply passionate about this craft. Amidst the pandemic, he created his debut piece, the Square Armchair...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Straw, Wood
Midcentury Giancarlo Piretti Blue "Platone" Folding Desk by Castelli, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Fabulous and incredibly rare midcentury blue "Platone" folding desk designed by Giancarlo Piretti and produced by Anonima Castelly in Italy during the 1970s. The desk is in spectacul...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
Mid-Century Table with Wheels, Italy, 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Mid-century table with wheels realized by italian manufactory in the mid-20th Century.
Central drawer.
Good condition.
Category
19th Century Italian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
$412 Sale Price
25% Off
Louis XVI Style Desk With Leather Top
Located in Austin, TX
Writing table desk in the Louis XVI style made of Mahogany. The desk has been ebonized and finished in a lustrous Museum quality French polish and boasts an embossed leather top. Fea...
Category
1920s Louis XVI Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
$3,950 / item
19th Century French Hand Carved Oak Desk with Iron Stretcher
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Design
19th French hand carved oak wood table desk with iron stretcher.
This antique French hand carved oak wood desk features a bea...
Category
Late 19th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
A French Art Deco Mahogany 5-Drawer Writing Desk with Leather Top
Located in San Francisco, CA
the inset leather top within a a stepped molded frame above an apron fitted with 5 drawers with oak secondary wood; the side panels centering carved floral clusters; the finished pan...
Category
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Extraordinary Pierre Jeanneret Library Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
We are very pleased to present this exceptional and rare Pierre Jeanneret illuminated reading table with provenance from DAV (Dayanand Anglo-Vedic) College Chandigarh which was built...
Category
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
Calista Console with White Marble and Solid Walnut
Located in Houston, TX
The modern Calista console elevates the Classic runway Silhouette. With your choice of exotic marble, it makes for an amazing statement piece. We have also used it as a desk, a buffe...
Category
2010s American Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Marble
$6,800 / item
French 19th Century Leather Top Louis XV Style Writing Desk or Bureau Plat
Located in Hopewell, NJ
French writing desk beautifully finished in walnut, leather and inlaid burlwood veneer, is a fantastic piece of 19th century French design in the Louis XV style. The bureau plat is...
Category
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Antique 19th Century Campaign Metamorphic Desk, Ca. 1850-1875
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Antique metamorphic table to desk, circa 1850-1875. Beautifully constructed in Campaign style in honeyed light brown wood, the table features a hinged flip top that opens to a desk w...
Category
19th Century Campaign Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Wood
Scandinavian Teak Desk by Nanna Ditzel Søren Willardsen, Denmark, 1960s
Located in Rosendahl, DE
Teak Desk by Nanna Ditzel
Søren Willardsen, Denmark
Teak desk with three drawers by Nanna Ditzel. The desk has a particularly beautiful grain.
Designer
Nanna Ditzel
Manufacture...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
Ico Parisi "Urio" Executive Desk, MIM Roma, Italy 1950s
By Ico Parisi, MIM Roma
Located in Roma, IT
Extraordinary and incredibly rare "Urio" executive desk designed by the mastery of Ico Parisi and produced by MIM (Mobili Italiani Moderni) in Italy during the 1950s.
In fabulous co...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Aluminum, Steel, Metal
Xitle Desk with 2 Drawers
By ADN Studio
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
The "Xitle" desk is part of ADN Studio´s Volcan Collection. This collection seeks to go back to basics. It is a subtle and refined interpretation of the archetypical modern furniture...
Category
2010s Mexican Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Primitive Antique Northern Swedish Trestle Table, Made by Hand in Solid Pine
Located in Kramfors, SE
Primitive antique trestle table from northern Sweden made by hand around 1820 in solid pine. The pine has never been painted which has resulted in a natural surface with patina and t...
Category
Early 19th Century Swedish Country Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Demi-Lune Art Deco Desk in Black High Gloss Lacquered Wood, France 1930s
Located in Ulm, DE
This refined demi-lune desk combines timeless Art Deco elegance with a compact, versatile footprint. Its distinctive half-round silhouette softens the geometry of the piece, giving i...
Category
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Beech
Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Leather Top Desk by Baker Furniture
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Dimensions - H: 31 in W: 48 in D: 24 1/4 in
This Louis XV Style Bronze and Leather Top Desk by Baker is truly an incredible piece! Crafted of the highest quality this piece is bound...
Category
20th Century Unknown Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Mahogany Twin Pedestal Partner
s Desk of Antique Quality from the 1920s
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique mahogany twin-pedestal partner's desk of exceptional quality.
The desk boasts fantastic proportions, a rich color, and a well-developed patina. Remarkably, there is no evide...
Category
Early 20th Century Victorian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$1,242 Sale Price
30% Off
Refurbished 1960
s General Fireproofing Tanker Desk
Located in Alhambra, CA
1960s General Fireproofing "Modemaker" single-pedestal tanker desk, newly refurbished with a gloss white (WH 12) powder-coat. The desktop has a lowered section (which was originally ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel
Art Deco Era Ebonised Desk with Stainless Frame
Located in Troy, MI
Found in England, this circa 1930s Art Deco desk has a streamlined machine age / industrial style. Desk top with three functional drawers and stainless steel leg and base. Unknown ma...
Category
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Stainless Steel
17th C Style Solid Italian Walnut Refectory Writing Dentil Edge Table options
Located in Encinitas, CA
Old Walnut LIRA Scrivania writing table handcrafted in aged solid Italian walnut with a carved dentil edge under the top surface, lyre-shaped bases, and hand forged iron cross stretc...
Category
2010s Italian Baroque Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
$8,500 Sale Price / item
26% Off
Swedish Gustavian Antique Table Desk Grey White Carved Detail, C.1860-1870
Located in Lewes, England
Beautiful Gustavian writing table desk from the second half of the 19th century with stunning patina in a grey white painted finish with the usual marks of age. It has a lovely feel...
Category
Mid-19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
$3,015 Sale Price
20% Off
Rare
Kono
Dining Table / Desk by Lella
Massimo Vignelli for Casigliani, 1984
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This exceptionally rare and large 'Kono' table, which works excellent as either a dining table or a desk, by Lella Vignelli and Massimo Vignelli was designed in 1984 and this example created in the mid-to-late 1980s by Casigliani in Pisa, Italy. This rare example of the 'Kono' design features a monumental Black Granite slab for the top, two thick slabs of Imperial Red Granite which connect together to form one of the bases, and the Vignellis signature Patinated Copper cone which forms the other base.
The 'Kono' design was normally made as coffee tables so it is quite rare to find examples made scaled up in dining table size. In addition, typical Kono tables were made with glass tops and a single slab granite base. This example however, the Vignellis selected Black Granite instead of the typical glass tops. Also, rather than using a rectangular single-slab base, this example features an L-shaped base constructed with two slabs that connect together along one angled edge. It still employs the cone-shaped patinated copper base typical of Kono tables, however this example is much larger of course than cocktail table versions.
The Vignelli Center for Design Studies, which houses the artists’ archive, confirmed this table to be one of two known drawings by the Vignellis (a copy of the Vignelli sketch, which they provided, is included in the photo gallery) though it is unknown if the other table was ever produced, making this table potentially an important one-of-a-kind.
The Black Granite top in lower light settings is dark, deep and mysterious. With direct sunlight its luminosity is intense - see the photo gallery for images of the table in direct sunlight from our skylight above. It glows, shines and shimmers with incredible vibrancy, similar to diamonds - to see it in person is quite exquisite and remarkable. While we only had it set up under our skylight for a couple hours, I would describe the experience as recharging - I felt like I had just spent a couple hours meditating, this would be incredible to wake up to every day before leaving to work.
The Vignellis described the 'Kono' table as: “This design exploits the relationship between geometrical figures and material finishes." Over the course of their four-decade-long design practice, Lella and Massimo Vignelli collaborated on projects that ranged from product design and brand identity to interior and furniture design. Whether designing New York City’s subway map...
Category
1980s Italian Post-Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Granite, Copper
$34,500 Sale Price
28% Off
Imperial Furniture Grand Rapids Mission Oak Arts
Crafts Writing Desk
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional antique Mission or Arts & Crafts writing desk or library table
In the manner of Stickley Brothers
By Imperial Furniture Co.
USA, Circa 1910
Solid quarter sawn oak...
Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Copper
Large Danish Vintage Executive Desk
Located in London, GB
An outstanding and very large Danish vintage executive desk. This was made in Denmark, it dates from the 1960’s.
It is a fantastic size, the quality is exceptional. This has a huge ...
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Felt
Venetian Painted Italian Louis XV Style Writing Table
Located in Forney, TX
A most charming vintage, circa 1960, Italian Venetian writing table (desk - vanity - console) with beautifully aged heavily worn distressed pati...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Gesso, Wood, Paint
1954 Coen de Vries Desk in Birch with Ebony Base, Red Drawer and Formica Top
By Devo, Coen de Vries
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great little writing desk in birch wood with ebony x-base, red drawer and Formica top. Coen de Vries is one of the Dutch pioneers of industrial des...
Category
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Formica, Birch, Ebony
$1,295 Sale Price
23% Off
Small Walnut Veneered Desk Inlaid With Different Woods, Tuscany, Late 18th Centu
Located in Atlanta, GA
This late 18th-century Tuscan writing desk is constructed with a walnut veneer and detailed with contrasting inlaid woods that define its linear edges and emphasize its geometric cla...
Category
18th Century Italian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
20th Century Lacquered and Painted Wood French Writing Desk, 1950
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
French writing desk from the mid-20th century. Beautifully proportioned and beautifully crafted furniture is crafted from carved, lacquered, and hand-painted wood with floral decorat...
Category
1950s French Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Organic Modern Armona Desk, Walnut, Brass, Onyx, Handmade Portugal by Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Armona Desk, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple.
The Armona stone desk draws inspiration from the serene landscape of Armona Island, embodying a...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Organic Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Marble, Quartz, Onyx, Stainless Steel, Brass
1980s Herman Miller Burdick Group Post Modern Industrial Design Modular Desk USA
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
A rare opportunity to buy a stunning Post Modern desk designed in 1981 by Bruce Burdick for Herman Miller.
Burdick’s first product for Herman Miller was the 'Burdick Group System', ...
Category
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Aluminum, Steel
Danish Oak Two-Sided Desk Attributed to Henning Kjærnulf, 1970s
Located in Round Top, TX
Danish oak two-sided desk attributed to Henning Kjærnulf, circa 1970s. This beautifully crafted piece exemplifies the refined simplicity and enduring quality of mid-century Danish de...
Category
Late 20th Century Danish Brutalist Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Pine Library Table
Located in Miami, FL
A rustic antique pine work table, showing the honest wear and patina of decades of daily use. The rectangular top bears a beautifully worn surface with marks and tonal variations tha...
Category
19th Century Belgian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
$2,300
Antique English Georgian Walnut Slant Front Secretary Desk
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An antique slant front secretary desk with graduated drawers (one over two short, over two long) with retracting supporting brackets...
Category
Mid-18th Century English Georgian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Walnut
Handcrafted Colonial Teak Campaign Table with Folding Legs
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Circa 1890's
Solid teak hand crafted Campaign folding table from the days of the British Raj. Has flaps that pivot outwards and tuck away ben...
Category
Late 19th Century British Indian Ocean Territory Campaign Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
$3,920 Sale Price
20% Off
Queen Anne, Mahogany, Brass, Writing Desk, England, 1900s
Located in Manhasset, NY
Queen Anne, Mahogany, Brass, Writing Table or Desk, England, 1900s
A Queen Anne style mahogany and brass writing desk designed and produced in late 19th/early 20th century England. ...
Category
Early 1900s English Queen Anne Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Mid-Century Modernist Rattan
Bamboo Wrapped Desk signed Bielecky Brothers
Located in New York, NY
This elegant Mid-Century Modernist desk, crafted by the esteemed Bielecky Brothers, exudes sophistication with its meticulous rattan and bamboo wrapping. Made in America around 1970,...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bamboo, Rattan
Svend Aage Madsen Teak Desk with Front Bookcase
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Svend Aage Madsen for Sigurd Hansen teak desk with front bookcase. Desk has a slight graceful curve with a rolled edge to the back of the desk. Beautiful size and scale! Legs are exp...
Category
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
Italian 1930
s Burl Walnut Writing Desk
Located in New York, NY
A very fine Italian 1930's burl walnut writing table or desk, the large rectangular surface is supported by an elegantly curved apron consisting of two large drawers atop robust angl...
Category
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
19th Century Swedish Writing Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
This elegant 19th-century Swedish writing desk exemplifies the timeless charm of Gustavian design, combining functionality with understated beauty. Crafted from solid pine wood, the ...
Category
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Late Regency Mahogany Writing Table
Located in Essex, MA
With a tooled olive green leather writing surface with wood border and molded edge over two drawers on front and back. Brass ring handles. Supported on turned tapered legs with casters.
Category
1820s English Regency Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Raw Steel Desk in Handcrafted Colorless Varnished Steel
Located in Paris, FR
Desk raw steel in handcrafted
steel, dark finish. French manufacture,
colorless varnished.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel
Desk in Wood Design Italy 1970s Mid-Century Modern
Located in Palermo, IT
Rectangular desk made entirely of dark wood and enameled cream with plastic stationery compartment on the top. Made in Italy between the late 60s and early 70s.Exceptional for placem...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Plastic, Wood
Antique 19th Century Fine Quality Mahogany Writing Desk / Dressing Table
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique 19th Century Fine Quality Mahogany Writing/Dressing Table – Also Ideal as a Desk or Side Table
This elegant antique table, dating from the 19th Century, features clean lines...
Category
19th Century Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$1,914 Sale Price
30% Off
Organic Modern Pontes Desk, Green Marble Brass, Handmade Portugal by Greenapple
Located in Lisboa, PT
Pontes Desk, Contemporary Collection, Handcrafted in Portugal - Europe by Greenapple.
Designed by Rute Martins for the Contemporary Collection, the Pontes ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Marble, Brass
Well Figured Refinished Antique Tiger Maple Writing Table
Located in Bridgeport, CT
An antique writing table with fine traditional form and graining. The table with a shaped open back splash and a single apron drawer with fine brass knob pull. Raised on finely turne...
Category
Late 19th Century Chippendale Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Studio BBPR for Olivetti Small
Spazio
Desk with Drawers
By Studio BBPR, Olivetti
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' desk with drawers, steel, vinyl, plastic, Italy, design 1959/60, production 1960s
In 1954, Olivetti, the Italian office equipment manufacturer, h...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel
Vintage Wood Island With Drawers
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A stunning vintage wood island with a naturally weathered finish, featuring six drawers for storage and a lower shelf for open display. Its generous length and rustic charm make it a...
Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
Antique quality Georgian revival mahogany writing side dressing table desk C1905
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique quality Georgian revival mahogany writing side dressing table desk C1905. Lovely age colour and patina.
No loose joints. Full of age, char...
Category
Early 1900s Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
$954 Sale Price
30% Off
Vintage Hooker Furniture Solid Wood Archivist Desk
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Victorian style Hooker Furniture archivist desk. Made out of solid wood that looks like mahogany.
The top has three inserts in burgundy leather with brass trim. The desk has 5 drawer...
Category
20th Century High Victorian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
$600 Sale Price
40% Off
Pierre Chapo, desk and chair for Regain, 1960
Located in Saarbrücken, SL
Signed desk mod. B02 and chair S24 by Pierre Chapo in ash.
Functional design and traditional craftsmanship in a contemporary style.
Desk W 120 D 60 H 76
Chair W 50 D 40 H 82 Sh...
Category
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Ash
Mid-20th Century Executive Desk by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena, Italy
Located in New York, NY
Large desk, designed by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena in the 1960s. The desk stands on brass legs that are set back under the drawer elements, giving it an elegant, floating cha...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Antique and Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
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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