English Mahogany Oval Sea Captains Leather Top Desk, Circa 1800
Located in Charleston, SC
English mahogany oval sea captains desk with hinged leather top concealing two upper hidden compartments, single front drawer, original brasses, ebony string inlay, two hinged lower ...
Brass
Certified Maison Bagues Ship Chandelier - iron and crystal
By Maison Baguès
Located in Paris, FR
Certified Maison Baguès Chandelier - iron and crystal Finish: Gold or Silver gilding Re-edition of its old model "Le Bateau". UL listing available for an additional charge.
Crystal, Iron
Rosso Glass Wall Mirror
By Specchi Veneziani
Located in Milan, IT
Crafted in the finest Murano tradition, this exquisite Venetian mirror is a true work of art. Assembled with crystal and gold elements, and adorned with red glass flowers, each piece...
Glass
$595
H 1.5 in W 4 in D 2.5 in
Colmont Ft Paris Mother of Pearl French Opera Glasses With Leather Case, 1890s
By Tiffany & Co.
Located in South Bend, IN
A stunning set of opera or theatre glasses in original leather case. By Colmont FT Paris France, Circa 1890s Gorgeous Mother-of-pearl and abalone inset on brass cylindrical body w...
Brass
$165,226
H 110.24 in W 127.56 in D 127.56 in
1 BANGA space age micro architecture prefab house bungalow by Carlo Zappa, 1971
By Carlo Zappa
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
here we offer one of 2 bangas, with black interior. the second one with light grey interior is offered in another listing. a banga shows ways in which we could live more sustainably...
Fiberglass
$4,900 / item
H 34 in W 86 in D 42 in
Custom Made Modern English Arm Sofa in Performance Linen Velvet - 86"
By Bloom Home Inc
Located in Old Town Orange, CA
This beautiful english arm sofa has a modern twist, with its single bench cushion, and beautiful curved apron sides. It’s upholstered in a Linen Velvet Performance fabric. Shown in...
Linen, Velvet
Exceptional Mahogany and Ormolu-Mounted Bibliotheque
Located in London, GB
The overhanging foliate cornice above a frieze with reliefs of female and male figures surmounted by ribbon ties and flanked by foliage and laurel leaves, above two pairs of glazed d...
Ormolu
$2,006,324
H 179.93 in W 90.95 in D 24.02 in
Monumental Fireplace Signed by Jules Allard and Louis Ardisson
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Located in the hall of a ballroom, this exceptional fireplace welcomed the 80 guests of Edward Julius Berwind's luxurious New York home in the Louis XV style. It attests to the true ...
Marble, Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble
$165,307
H 90.95 in W 61.03 in D 77.56 in
IMPORTANT BISHOP JAMES STANLEY 1508 KING HENRY VII ENGLiSH OAK TUDOR TESTER BED
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very rare and highly important, Museum quality, English Tudor King Henry VII Oak tester bed made for an...
Oak
$17,880 / set
H 87.01 in W 41.34 in D 88.59 in
Louis XVI Style Bunk Beds/Matching Pair of Single Beds Made by La Maison London
By La Maison London
Located in London, Park Royal
Louis XVI style bunk beds, exclusive to La Maison London: Hand carved featuring a band of intricate laurel leaves along the side bars and hand finished to order (picture shows a pale...
Wood
Extensive Augarten Porcelain Dinner, Coffee and Tea Service, circa 1935
Located in New York, NY
Special commission from the factory for the Brucknerstift St. Florian, a seminary located on the outskirts of Vienna. Blue crowned Bindenshield and Wien Mark, iron-red printed hash m...
Porcelain
$97,500 / set
H 124 in W 62 in D 3 in
Pair of Large and Great Quality Late 19th Century Hand-Carved Giltwood Mirrors
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Pair of Large And Great Quality Late 19th Century Hand Carved Giltwood Mirrors The tops shaped as a large shell, with floral designs and intercrossed weaves. The sides and bottom...
Wood, Mirror
$695
H 4.625 in W 7.5 in D 4.5 in
C. 1870 Antique English Tunbridge Ware & Penwork Regency Tea Caddy Box
Located in Atlanta, GA
English, circa 1870. A Regency Tunbridge Ware & Penwork Tea Caddy Box of Hexagonal form. Featuring a decorated Neo Classical taste top centering the goddess Ceres recumbent upon her...
Walnut
$482,146
H 16.15 in W 28.35 in D 20.48 in
Magnificent and large ormolu and hardstone Regency period ebonized wooden casket
Located in London, GB
Magnificent and large ormolu and hardstone mounted ebonized wooden casket English, 19th Century Height 41cm, width 72cm, depth 52cm Exceptionally fine and richly adorned, this beau...
Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Ormolu
19th Century Watch Winding Display Cabinet
Located in New Orleans, LA
This incredible, one-of-a-kind watch display cabinet brings together the beauty of an antique with the functionality of modern technology. Crafted of mahogany, this 19th century jewe...
Mahogany
$11,158
H 99.61 in W 92.13 in D 16.54 in
Quality Mid 19th Century Mahogany Breakfront Library Bookcase
Located in Petworth,West Sussex, GB
A superb quality mid 19th-century, William IV, early Victorian period four-door breakfront mahogany library bookcase. It features a moulded cornice above four original glazed doors e...
Mahogany
Swiss Gold and Enamel Musical Vinaigrette
Located in New Orleans, LA
A musical movement distinguishes this wonderful early 19th-century gold vinaigrette box. The vessel is covered in delicate engraving highlighted by blue and white champlevé enamel de...
Metal
There’s no reason that the corner of your home you’ve dedicated to work shouldn’t also reflect your personality and sense of style. A collection of unique vintage and antique desks can be found on 1stDibs today.
The right desk can be a good fit for your space and help keep you organized when you need it most. For many, the word “desk” can have a negative connotation. Derived from the Latin desca, meaning “table to write on,” the word can understandably evoke memories of stuffy classrooms or monotonous workdays.
As working from home has become more widespread for part of the workforce, many professionals who work remotely park themselves at the dining-room table or at the kitchen countertop to do so. If you’ve got the space, it's healthy to set aside an area in your home designated for work. A good desk can keep you on track and keep your newly minted home office free of clutter and distractions.
Within your own walls, an office area can be both personal and productive, decorated exactly to your taste or just an unobtrusive addition that aligns with the energy of the space as is. When shopping for a desk, keep height, space and specs in mind. It’s helpful to know if you’ll need the desk to offer storage, such as drawers or a hutch, or if it should fit alongside your bedroom wall as cleanly as possible.
An antique writing desk, for example, will offer a spacious, streamlined work experience with a desktop that affords real estate for your notebooks, pens, laptop and research materials. Secretary desks reveal small inner storage compartments — pigeonholes, cubbies, recesses or drawers — when their hinged leaves are folded out.
Maybe you'd prefer a vintage mid-century modern desk that seamlessly incorporates drawers for storage.
Nebraska-born designer Don S. Shoemaker became inspired by Mexico’s tropical woods, such as cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and he decided to work with the material in the postwar years to create desks and other furnishings. Elsewhere, made according to the same high standards as the company’s chairs, celebrated mid-century manufacturer Herman Miller produced desks over the years in a number of versions, created by designers like George Nelson, Gilbert Rohde and Bruce Burdick.
Whether you want a dramatic rolltop-style furnishing akin to the 18th-century secretary commissioned by Louis XVI or a contemporary piece made of everything from linoleum to fallen trees, a new desk and clever arrangement of desktop accessories can brighten the workday in any home.
For every passion project, year-end report or spontaneous million-dollar app idea, find the desk you need on 1stDibs.