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Blockfront Desk

19th C Chippendale Style Mahogany Block Front Shell Carved Secretary Desk Lowboy
19th C Chippendale Style Mahogany Block Front Shell Carved Secretary Desk Lowboy

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

Category

Antique Late 19th Century American Chippendale Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Kindel Winterthur Collection Mahogany Goddard Townsend Secretary Writing Desk
Kindel Winterthur Collection Mahogany Goddard Townsend Secretary Writing Desk

Kindel Winterthur Collection Mahogany Goddard Townsend Secretary Writing Desk

By Kindel Furniture

Located in Dayton, OH

Kindel Winterthur Collection Mahogany Goddard Townsend Blockfront Secretary Writing Desk. Made from

Category

Late 20th Century American Federal Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Recent Sales

Bliss Family Blockfront Desk
Bliss Family Blockfront Desk

Bliss Family Blockfront Desk

Unavailable

H 43.5 in W 42.75 in D 23.25 in

Bliss Family Blockfront Desk

Located in Litchfield, CT

A Fine Chippendale Blockfront Slant-Lid Desk Boston, Massachusetts Mahogany; pine secondary wood

Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier American Chippendale Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany, Pine

Fine Chippendale Style Carved Mahogany Blockfront Kneehole Desk
Fine Chippendale Style Carved Mahogany Blockfront Kneehole Desk

Fine Chippendale Style Carved Mahogany Blockfront Kneehole Desk

Unavailable

H 32.5 in W 39.25 in D 22.25 in

Fine Chippendale Style Carved Mahogany Blockfront Kneehole Desk

Located in Providence, RI

While we rarely handle material out of period, this kneehole is an exception because of the virtuosity of construction and materials used. Note the carved claw and ball feet with she...

Category

20th Century Chippendale Desks

Materials

Mahogany

A Rare Diminutive Chippendale Block Front Desk and Bookcase
A Rare Diminutive Chippendale Block Front Desk and Bookcase

A Rare Diminutive Chippendale Block Front Desk and Bookcase

Located in New York, NY

-FRONT DESK AND BOOKCASE The blockfront desk-and-bookcase is one of the most highly

Category

Antique 18th Century and Earlier American Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany, Cedar

Cherry Shell Carved Chippendale Blockfront Dropfront Desk C. 20th
Cherry Shell Carved Chippendale Blockfront Dropfront Desk C. 20th

Cherry Shell Carved Chippendale Blockfront Dropfront Desk C. 20th

Located in Big Flats, NY

A Chippendale style desk offers cherry construction with drop front over block case having four

Category

20th Century Desks

Materials

Brass

Antique Chippendale Style Shell Carved Mahogany Ball and Claw Drop Front Desk
Antique Chippendale Style Shell Carved Mahogany Ball and Claw Drop Front Desk

Antique Chippendale Style Shell Carved Mahogany Ball and Claw Drop Front Desk

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Antique Chippendale style smaller sized blockfront carved mahogany secretary desk. Item features

Category

Antique Mid-18th Century American Chippendale Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

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Italian Green Silk Blend Brocade Fabric with Red Roses and Gold Floral Patterns

Located in Firenze, IT

A gorgeous roll of Italian rose pattern fabric 100% MADE IN ITALY there are 20 mt. available and ready to be shipped at the moment. This fabric is 140 cm width. A special discount wi...

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19th Century Walnut Pair of Bookcases Boiserie de Bibliothèque
19th Century Walnut Pair of Bookcases Boiserie de Bibliothèque

19th Century Walnut Pair of Bookcases Boiserie de Bibliothèque

Located in Vosselaar, BE

A rare pair of heliocodal French Directoire library bookcases in solid walnut. This type of bookcases is also known as 'boiseries de Bibliothèque' as they often, together with pannel...

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Antique Early 19th Century French Empire Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

Henredon Georgian Walnut Drop Front Secretary Desk With Bookcase Hutch
Henredon Georgian Walnut Drop Front Secretary Desk With Bookcase Hutch

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...

Category

Late 20th Century American Georgian Desks

Materials

Brass

'Plissé White Edition' Pleated Textile Table Lamp by Folkform for Örsjö
'Plissé White Edition' Pleated Textile Table Lamp by Folkform for Örsjö

'Plissé White Edition' Pleated Textile Table Lamp by Folkform for Örsjö

$1,155Sale Price / item|30% Off

H 16.1 in Dm 11.5 in

'Plissé White Edition' Pleated Textile Table Lamp by Folkform for Örsjö

By Örsjö Industri AB

Located in Glendale, CA

'Plissé White Edition' pleated textile table lamp by Folkform for Örsjö. This unique table lamp was awarded “Lighting of the Year 2022” by Residence Magazine Sweden, who called it “...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps

Materials

Textile

Mid-Victorian Moorish wrought & cast iron pergola or decorative garden structure
Mid-Victorian Moorish wrought & cast iron pergola or decorative garden structure

Mid-Victorian Moorish wrought & cast iron pergola or decorative garden structure

Located in London, GB

A monumental Moorish mid-Victorian wrought iron Pergola or Decorative Garden Structure, a unique masterpiece in High Victorian Ironwork design. Our research confirms it is French, da...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century European Moorish Architectural Elements

Materials

Wrought Iron

George III Bureau Desk or Secretary Chest of Mahogany from the 18th Century
George III Bureau Desk or Secretary Chest of Mahogany from the 18th Century

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, ...

Category

Antique 18th Century English George III Secretaires

Materials

Metal, Brass

Chippendale Style Mahogany Secretary Desk and Chair by Baker
Chippendale Style Mahogany Secretary Desk and Chair by Baker

Chippendale Style Mahogany Secretary Desk and Chair by Baker

$2,320Sale Price|20% Off

H 45 in W 66 in D 18 in

Chippendale Style Mahogany Secretary Desk and Chair by Baker

By Baker Furniture Company

Located in Pasadena, TX

Chippendale style mahogany secretary desk by Milling Street Baker 10 drawers with brass pulls. Desk has ample storage space, featuring 10 drawers. Middle section opens to wor...

Category

Late 20th Century North American Chippendale Secretaires

Materials

Burl

Portrait of Lady Caroline Price
Portrait of Lady Caroline Price

Portrait of Lady Caroline Price

By George Romney

Located in Miami, FL

DESCRIPTION: Perhaps the best Romney in private hands. If Vogue Magazine existed in the late 18th century, this image of Lady Caroline Price would be on one of its covers. The e...

Category

1970s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Early 19th Century American Mahogany Slant Front Desk
Early 19th Century American Mahogany Slant Front Desk

Early 19th Century American Mahogany Slant Front Desk

Located in Richmond, VA

Early 19th century American mahogany slant front desk. Probably Boston, has the blockfront shape that is typical to that area. Nice quality mahogany, exposed dovetails on top and oge...

Category

Antique 19th Century American Commodes and Chests of Drawers

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18th Century Lacquer and Gilt Chinoiserie Bureau Bookcase
18th Century Lacquer and Gilt Chinoiserie Bureau Bookcase

18th Century Lacquer and Gilt Chinoiserie Bureau Bookcase

Located in Chelmsford, Essex

18th Century Chinoiserie Lacquered Bureau Bookcase Item Code: S26-61 A striking 18th century chinoiserie bureau bookcase, decorated throughout in later red lacquer with hand-painted...

Category

Antique Late 18th Century English George III Bookcases

Materials

Oak

19th Century, Monumental Carved Boiserie Panels from Lartington Hall
19th Century, Monumental Carved Boiserie Panels from Lartington Hall

19th Century, Monumental Carved Boiserie Panels from Lartington Hall

Located in London, GB

The Lartington hall carved Boiserie panels by Signor Anton Leone Bulletti. A highly important suite of eight carved and patinated wood panels commissioned by Monsignor Thomas Edw...

Category

Antique 19th Century English Renaissance Revival Panelling

Materials

Wood, Pine

Dutch Secretary Desk, Around 1800, Mahogany
Dutch Secretary Desk, Around 1800, Mahogany

Dutch Secretary Desk, Around 1800, Mahogany

$4,500Sale Price|43% Off

H 41.74 in W 45.28 in D 23.63 in

Dutch Secretary Desk, Around 1800, Mahogany

Located in Belmont, MA

Dutch secretary desk, Netherlands, around 1800. This elegantly curved secretary desk has three spacious drawers in the lower part. The writing flap opens to a beautiful interior w...

Category

Antique 1790s Dutch Baroque Secretaires

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Mahogany

Fabergé Silver Service
Fabergé Silver Service

Fabergé Silver Service

$248,500 / set

H 10.25 in W 20.75 in D 16.38 in

Fabergé Silver Service

By Fabergé

Located in New Orleans, LA

This extraordinary 128-piece service by Fabergé is a rare treasure in more ways than one. Enclosed in its original oak chest, the exquisite service remains complete and in pristine c...

Category

Antique 19th Century Russian Sterling Silver

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Antique English Break-Front Bibliotheque Bookcase in Mahogany, circa 1870
Antique English Break-Front Bibliotheque Bookcase in Mahogany, circa 1870

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...

Category

Antique 1870s English Victorian Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

18th Century George III Mahogany Bureau Desk. Slant Front Writing Secretary.
18th Century George III Mahogany Bureau Desk. Slant Front Writing Secretary.

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...

Category

Antique 18th Century English George III Desks

Materials

Brass

Fantastic American Centennial Solid Walnut Philadelphia Carved Secretary Desk
Fantastic American Centennial Solid Walnut Philadelphia Carved Secretary Desk

Fantastic American Centennial Solid Walnut Philadelphia Carved Secretary Desk

$2,796Sale Price|20% Off

H 98.75 in W 42 in D 22.5 in

Fantastic American Centennial Solid Walnut Philadelphia Carved Secretary Desk

Located in Swedesboro, NJ

Discover timeless elegance with this fantastic American Centennial solid walnut Philadelphia carved secretary desk, a true testament to 19th-century craftsmanship. This exquisite pie...

Category

Antique 1870s American Federal Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

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Finding the Right Case Pieces And Storage Cabinets for You

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.

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