$12,000
H 95 in W 41 in D 24 in
Mahogany Chippendale Style Block Front Secretary Desk with Bookcase Top
Located in Milford, NH
A spectacular example of a two part mahogany secretary desk with bookcase top in the Chippendale style, featuring a swan’s neck split pediment with flaming urn finials surmounting tw...
Brass
$3,800
H 85 in W 36 in D 21 in
Tall Double Glass Doors Ball Claw Carved Finial Drop Block Front Secretary MINT!
By Kittinger Furniture Company, Baker Furniture Company, Drexel
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Tall Double Glass Doors Ball Claw Carved Finial Drop Block Front Secretary Desk Bookcase MINT!
Mahogany
$11,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 42 in W 42 in D 22.5 in
19th C Chippendale Style Mahogany Block Front Shell Carved Secretary Desk Lowboy
Located in Philadelphia, PA
19th century Chippendale style mahogany blockfront secretary desk. Item features solid mahogany wood construction, dramatic shapely legs terminating with ball and claw feet on the fr...
Mahogany
$2,996
H 41.5 in W 36 in D 22 in
Maddox Refinished Red Mahogany Block / Slant Front Secretary Desk with Key
By Maddox Furniture
Located in Germantown, MD
A refinished Maddox Red Mahogany Chippendale Block front, Slant Front Secratary Desk with Key.
Mahogany
American Block Front Dropdown Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Queens, NY
American (18/19th Century) block front mahogany secretary desk with a slant top drop front over 3 drawers supported on ogee bracket feet.
Mahogany
$10,500
H 42 in W 42 in D 22.5 in
Georgian Chippendale Style Mahogany Block Front Shell Carved Secretary Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique Mahogany Block Front Shell Carved Secretary Desk Lowboy. Item features solid mahogany wood construction, dramatic shapely legs terminating with ball and claw feet on the fron...
Brass
$3,550
H 43 in W 35 in D 20 in
Mahogany Block Front Drop Desk Secretary Bracket Foot 4 Drawers Dresser MINT!
By Councill
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mahogany Block Front Drop Desk Secretary Bracket Foot 4 Drawers Dresser MINT!
Mahogany
Mahogany Block Front Georgian Style Goffard Townsend Secretary Desk
Located in Stamford, CT
A mahogany block front Goddard Townsend secretary . This fine custom quality block front secretary desk done in the Georgian taste has a lower writing desk surface supported by three...
Sold
H 85 in W 36.25 in D 19 in
Pennsylvania House English Chippendale Cherry Secretary Writing Desk Bookcase
By Pennsylvania House
Located in Dayton, OH
1970s Vintage Pennsylvania House English Chippendale style cherry block front secretary desk with curio bookcase.
Cherry
Sold
H 83 in W 34.5 in D 17 in
Vintage Cherry Chippendale Block Slant Front Secretary Desk by Jasper Cabinet Co
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage cherry Chippendale style block slant front secretary desk by Jasper Cabinet Co.
Brass
Antique Chippendale Style Mahogany Block Front Secretary c. 1910
Located in Westfield, MA
A beautifully crafted early 20th century block front secretary in the Chippendale style, likely made around 1910.
Mahogany
Sold
H 44 in W 45.5 in D 24.25 in
American Chippendale Oxbow Desk on Ball and Claw Feet, Boston c. 1760
Located in Shippensburg, PA
Also, p. 241-246 f. 50 catalogues a Boston, Massachusetts c. 1765-75 block front secretary desk with the same pendant; the bottom of that desk is inscribed in chalk by William Foster...
Brass
Ornate Late Victorian Block Front Drop Front Secretary Desk
By R.J. Horner & Co.
Located in Petaluma, CA
This is quite an incredible desk. As a starter the handsome block front style drawers with some of the best brass handles we have ever seen show off the commitment to quality. The or...
Brass
American Mahogany Fall Front Secretary Desk
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Classic American mahogany block front secretary desk. The glass doored top with swan neck pediment resting on a four drawered fall front desk with Chippendale feet.
Mahogany
TOMLINSON Crotch Mahogany Block Front Secretary Desk with Blind Bookcase
By Tomlinson
Located in Charlotte, NC
Upper blind bookcase has two lockable doors that reveal two adjustable wood shelves and two pull out candle slides at bottom. Lower desk is block front with automatic desk top suppor...
Brass
Sold
H 81 in W 36 in D 15.5 in
JASPER "Legacy" Cherry Chippendale Bonnet Top Block Front Secretary Desk
By Jasper Furniture Company
Located in Charlotte, NC
A Chippendale style secretary desk by Jasper Cabinet Company, their "Legacy" model.
Brass
Sold
H 91.75 in W 38.5 in D 21.5 in
MADDOX Cherry Chippendale Block Front Secretary Desk with Blind Bookcase
By Maddox Furniture
Located in Charlotte, NC
Upper blind bookcase has three doors, one being bi-fold, that reveal three separate compartments with two adjustable wood shelves in each, two pull out candle slides at bottom and ha...
Brass
$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
$2,695
H 82 in W 36 in D 18.5 in
Henredon Georgian Walnut Drop Front Secretary Desk With Bookcase Hutch
By Henredon
Located in South Bend, IN
A beautiful Georgian or Queen Anne style bureau with drop front secretary desk and bookcase hutch top By Henredon USA, Circa 1980s Gorgeous figured walnut, with original bra...
Brass
$20,567
H 39.38 in W 47.64 in D 25.99 in
19th Century French Louis XV Style Ormolu Mounted Writing Desk
Located in London, GB
19th century French Louis XV style ormolu mounted writing desk French, Late 19th Century Height 100cm, width 121cm, depth 66cm Crafted in the late 19th century, this writing desk i...
Ormolu
Petite Queen Anne Style 1880s Walnut Slant-Front Desk on Cabriole Legs
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A late 19th century Queen Anne style small walnut mini slant front desk on stand resting on graceful cabriole legs ending in pad feet. The slant drop front, topped with a Chippendale...
Walnut
$6,895
H 44 in W 47 in D 23 in
George III Bureau Desk or Secretary Chest of Mahogany from the 18th Century
Located in Austin, TX
A fine George III slant top desk or bureau secretary chest of patinated mahogany, c.1770 - an inlaid slant front drops to reveal a series of small drawers and document compartments, ...
Metal, Brass
$61,702
H 88.98 in W 70.87 in D 94.89 in
Renaissance Style Oak Tester 4 Poster Bed Armorial Tapestry Bedspread King Size
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
A vintage king size oak tester or four poster bed in the Renaissance style. Hand carved with Adam & Eve carvings in the headboard, figurative sculptures in the bedposts, three carve...
Oak
$260,400Sale Price|25% Off
H 68 in W 55 in
A Magnificent Pair of French Royal Paintings "Aurora and Diana" "Night and Day"
Located in Queens, NY
Jacques-Francois Delyen (1684-1761), Court Painter of King Louis XV. A Magnificent Pair of Palatial "French Royal" Allegorical Paintings "Aurora and Diana" "Night and Day" A truly ...
Oil
Antique Walnut Slant Front Secretary Desk, Queen Anne Style, 1880s
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Late 19th century English Queen Anne style slant front desk with three drawers & inner compartments.
Walnut
Mahogany Secretaire Bookcase, George III Style
Located in Bradenton, FL
Early 19th Century George III Mahogany Secretaire Bookcase. Bookcase features a broken swan-neck pediment with fretwork design, above a molded cornice. The upper cabinet features two...
Mahogany
$6,163
H 80.12 in W 102.37 in D 25.99 in
Outstanding Quality Large Victorian Antique Figured Mahogany Four Door Wardrobe
Located in Suffolk, GB
Outstanding quality large Victorian antique figured mahogany four door wardrobe having two moulded cornices and a figured mahogany pediment to the centre, two figured mahogany panell...
Other
$42,500
H 101 in W 164.5 in D 27 in
Antique English Break-Front Bibliotheque Bookcase in Mahogany, circa 1870
By S.E. & R. Johnson. Warrington
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
A handsome and very well crafted English break-front bookcase or bibliotheque in solid mahogany by S.E. & R. Johnson of Warrington, England, circa 1870. Features six doors with glass...
Mahogany
$187,500
H 102 in W 84.5 in D 22.5 in
Exceptional 19th Century English Chinoiserie Pagoda Display Cabinet
Located in Houston, TX
Large-scale 19th century English display cabinet executed in the Chinoiserie tradition. Constructed in carved mahogany and conceived as a tripartite architectural façade, each glazed...
Glass, Mahogany
$6,817Sale Price|20% Off
H 13.39 in W 13.78 in D 9.85 in
Bronze Jewelry Chest In Neo-gothic Style From The Napoleon III Period
Located in NICE, FR
We present you with a large jewellry chest crafted in bronze with medal patina in the neo-gothic style and hailing from the Napoleon II period. It boasts practical dimensions (34cm ...
Metal, Bronze
$46,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 27.25 in W 22.5 in D 27.25 in
Louis XVI Style Gilt-Bronze Mantel Clock by Henri Picard & Fedinand Barbedienne
By F. Barbedienne Foundry
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Very Fine French 19th Century Gilt-Bronze Figural Mantel Clock, Horloge à Poser, by Henri Picard and Fedinand Barbedienne - ‘F. Barbédienne & Cie. / A Paris’, after the model by É...
Bronze, Ormolu
$1,330
H 38 in W 33 in D 20 in
18th Century George III Mahogany Bureau Desk. Slant Front Writing Secretary.
Located in Vero Beach, FL
18th Century George III Mahogany Bureau Desk. Slant Front Writing Secretary. This 18th century English bureau desk has 3 rows of graduated hand dovetailed drawers and is raised on 4...
Brass
$14,950
H 98.5 in W 36.5 in D 21.5 in
Red Queen Anne Style Burton-Ching Chinoiserie Secretary Desk Bookcase
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Red Queen Anne Style Burton-Ching Chinoiserie Secretary Desk Bookcase.
Wood, Lacquer
Of all the vintage storage cabinets and antique case pieces that have become popular in modern interiors over the years, dressers, credenzas and cabinets have long been home staples, perfect for routine storage or protection of personal items.
In the mid-19th century, cabinetmakers would mimic styles originating in the Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI eras for their dressers, bookshelves and other structures, and, later, simpler, streamlined wood designs allowed these “case pieces” or “case goods” — any furnishing that is unupholstered and has some semblance of a storage component — to blend into the background of any interior.
Mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts will cite the tall modular wall units crafted in teak and other sought-after woods of the era by the likes of George Nelson, Poul Cadovius and Finn Juhl. For these highly customizable furnishings, designers of the day delivered an alternative to big, heavy bookcases by considering the use of space — and, in particular, walls — in new and innovative ways. Mid-century modern credenzas, which, long and low, evolved from tables that were built as early as the 14th century in Italy, typically have no legs or very short legs and have grown in popularity as an alluring storage option over time.
Although the name immediately invokes images of clothing, dressers were initially created in Europe for a much different purpose. This furnishing was initially a flat-surfaced, low-profile side table equipped with a few drawers — a common fixture used to dress and prepare meats in English kitchens throughout the Tudor period. The drawers served as perfect utensil storage. It wasn’t until the design made its way to North America that it became enlarged and equipped with enough space to hold clothing and cosmetics. The very history of case pieces is a testament to their versatility and well-earned place in any room.
In the spirit of positioning your case goods center stage, decluttering can now be design-minded.
A contemporary case piece with open shelving and painted wood details can prove functional as a storage unit as easily as it can a room divider. Alternatively, apothecary cabinets are charming case goods similar in size to early dressers or commodes but with uniquely sized shelving and (often numerous) drawers.
Whether you’re seeking a playful sideboard that features colored glass and metal details, an antique Italian hand-carved storage cabinet or a glass-door vitrine to store and show off your collectibles, there are options for you on 1stDibs.