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Blockfront Desk

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

Vintage Thomasville Georgian Flame Mahogany Blockfront Secretary Desk
By Thomasville
Located in Germantown, MD
This Georgian style traditional block front secretary desk is matched flame grain mahogany is
Category

Late 20th Century Georgian Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Diminutive George III Walnut Block Front Slant Front Bureau Bookcase Cabinet
Located in Germantown, MD
walnut, dovetailed and functioning as intended. Bottom section features 4 blockfront drawers and sitting
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century American George III Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Glass, Walnut

Early 19th Century American Mahogany Slant Front Desk
Located in Charleston, SC
Early 19th century American mahogany slant front desk. Probably Boston, has the blockfront shape
Category

Antique 19th Century American Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Mahogany

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 Federal Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

People Also Browsed

Antique 19th Century English Georgian Slant Front Desk or Secretary
Located in Casteren, NL
This classic slant front desk or bureau was made in England in the early 19th century. It was made in the finest quality watered European oak. The secretary is elevated on bracket ...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century English Georgian Secretaires

Materials

Brass

'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

Antique English Adams Decorated Satinwood Drop-Front Desk, 18th-19th C
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique English Adam decorated drop-front desk offers satinwood construction with slant front having neoclassical reserve of woman and cherub in countryside setting, opening to wr...
Category

Antique 19th Century English Adam Style Desks

Materials

Wood, Satinwood

Mahogany Secretary Desk
Located in Annville, PA
This Mahogany Secretary Desk from Niagara Furniture has all the outstanding qualities of an antique original. Made of select mahogany solids and mahogany veneers, the desk has four ...
Category

2010s Renaissance Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

Mahogany Secretary Desk
Mahogany Secretary Desk
H 42 in W 40 in D 21 in
Antique Chippendale Style Drop Front Mahogany Desk for Restoration
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A well made and very decorative Drop Front Desk with boldly carved Scallop Shells, intricate brass Bat Wing pulls and escutcheons, four dove tail construction drawers, Gallery top an...
Category

Antique 19th Century Chippendale Desks

Materials

Mahogany

Antique 18th Century American Chippendale Maple Secretary Desk Writing Bureau
Located in Dayton, OH
Exquisite and Rare antique American Chippendale Period secretary writing desk or Escritoire. Made from maple featuring a flip top that opens to a fan carved interior and multiple dra...
Category

Antique 18th Century Chippendale Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Maple

18th Century Italian Drop Front Bureau Burl Walnut Marquetry Cabinet
Located in Milano, MI
An Italian bureau with flap dating back to the second half of 18th century. A slightly curved front, three deep drawers and a fall-front opening to reveal an interior with two small ...
Category

Antique 1770s Italian Directoire Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Cherry, Walnut, Burl

Queen Anne Secretary Desk
By Maddox Furniture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Antique style drop front secretary desk, made in Queen Anne style with brass hardware. Petite size, with 22x17" desk space, great for small space. Please confirm location NY or NJ
Category

Mid-20th Century Queen Anne Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Queen Anne Secretary Desk
Queen Anne Secretary Desk
H 40 in W 24 in D 17 in
Georgian Mahogany Slant Front Secretary Desk
Located in Bradenton, FL
A very attractive Georgian Mahogany Secretary Desk with reeded quarter columns sitting on splayed ogee feet. Mahogany, pine and Quarter saw Oak secondary woods. Original hardware a...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century George IV Desks

Materials

Mahogany

19th Century Drop Front Secretary Desk
Located in Mt Kisco, NY
A lovely architectural form secretary with marquetry inlay doors.
Category

Antique 19th Century English Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

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

American Federal Mahogany & Satinwood Butler's Desk with Paw Feet. NY, C. 1810
Located in Charleston, SC
American Federal mahogany butler's desk with a carved molded edge, three upper drawers with original brass knobs, sliding fall front interior desk with Satinwood drawers and pigeon h...
Category

Antique 1810s American Federal Desks

Materials

Brass

Antique Victorian Chippendale Mahogany Secretary Desk
By Thomas Chippendale
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Transport your workspace into another time and place with this exquisite antique secretary desk. Made of carved red mahogany with a generous lacquer, this piece opens up to reveal a ...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century English Chippendale Secretaires

Materials

Metal, Brass

English Secretary, Cabinet with Mahogany Glass Top, circa 1850, Victorian
Located in Berlin, DE
High rectangular carcass, two doors. over it extendable writing board provided with several drawers and shelves. Rear-mounted glass top with rung glazing. Extremely rare in this vers...
Category

Antique 1840s English Victorian Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

19th Century Glazed Secretaire Bookcase in Walnut, England
Located in Brussels, Brussels
Glazed secretaire bookcase in walnut from the second part of the 19th century of very good quality from England Very beautiful secretary of small size which is unusual composed of...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Antique 18th Century Dutch Oak Drop Front Bombe Secretary Desk Secretaire
Located in Casteren, NL
A beautiful Dutch Baroque style secretary with a 3-drawer bombe front and carved ball and claw feet. The drop front opens up to reveal an oak writing area and stepped drawers. This ...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century Dutch Baroque Commodes and Chests of Drawers

Materials

Brass

Recent Sales

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

Bliss Family Blockfront Desk
Bliss Family Blockfront Desk
H 43.5 in W 42.75 in D 23.25 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
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
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
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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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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