Barley Twist Writing Desk
Mid-20th Century American Tudor Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American William and Mary Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Antique 1880s French Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique Mid-19th Century French Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Ta...
Oak
20th Century Spanish Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique Mid-19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Oak, Leather
Antique Mid-19th Century French Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Ta...
Oak
Antique 19th Century French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique 19th Century French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique 1890s French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique 1880s French Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique 1890s American Arts and Crafts Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Early 20th Century Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique 1880s French Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique 1880s French Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique Late 19th Century American Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Antique 18th Century French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique Early 18th Century Scottish Desks and Writing Tables
21st Century and Contemporary American International Style Desks and Wri...
Mahogany, Oak, Walnut
Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique 17th Century French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique Mid-19th Century French Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Ta...
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Spanish Colonial Desks and Writin...
Walnut
Antique Mid-19th Century French Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Ta...
Oak
Antique 1850s English Victorian Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique 1860s Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century Spanish Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Wrought Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Rustic Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Antique 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique 19th Century Irish Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Antique 1880s French Renaissance Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Walnut
Antique Late 19th Century Swedish Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing T...
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century Spanish Baroque Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Neoclassical Desks
Leather, Birdseye Maple, Mahogany
Antique Late 19th Century French Renaissance Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
Antique Mid-19th Century French Renaissance Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Antique 19th Century English Desks and Writing Tables
Antique 18th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
2010s Lebanese Futurist Desks and Writing Tables
Birch
Antique Early 1900s English Edwardian Desks and Writing Tables
Boxwood, Olive, Walnut
Antique 1870s French Renaissance Revival Desks
Oak
Antique 1730s Indonesian Dutch Colonial Desks
Bone, Rosewood, Walnut
Antique Mid-19th Century French Renaissance Revival Desks
Oak
Antique Mid-19th Century French Louis XIII Side Tables
Walnut
Antique 19th Century French Louis XIII Sofa Tables
Oak
Antique 1790s British Louis XIII Sofa Tables
Oak
Antique 19th Century English High Victorian Desks
Brass
Early 20th Century Jacobean Tables
Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century French Louis XIII Bookcases
Oak
Antique 19th Century Victorian Tables
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century Swiss High Victorian Musical Instruments
Brass, Steel
Antique 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
20th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
Antique Late 17th Century Spanish Baroque Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Antique Mid-19th Century British Baroque Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Antique 1830s French William IV Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Antique 1860s French Louis XIII Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
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Barley Twist Writing Desk For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Barley Twist Writing 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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