Modern Desks and Writing Tables
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
Mid-20th Century Swiss Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Onyx, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Stainless Steel
Late 20th Century French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Aluminum
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Glass, Acrylic, Laminate
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Oak, Wood, Plywood
1960s Italian Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Wood
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Walnut, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
2010s French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Plywood, Walnut
Early 2000s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Gesso, Mirror, Wood
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
1930s Swedish Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Plywood, Ash
2010s Indian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Straw, Wood
1990s French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Sycamore, Wenge
2010s French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Amethyst
2010s Canadian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Stainless Steel, Cut Steel, Steel, Bronze, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Resin
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Ash
Mid-20th Century European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
Late 20th Century American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Acrylic
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
1970s American Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Birdseye Maple, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Plywood, Walnut
2010s Canadian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Aluminum, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal, Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Marble, Travertine, Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Silver Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut, Lacquer





