Italian Venetian Style Heavily Distressed Paint Decorated Writing Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Its versatile scale allows the piece to function beautifully as a writing desk, vanity table, dressing table, entry console, or decorative accent desk.
Metal
$2,120Sale Price|20% Off
French Louis XV Style Distressed Painted Desk Writing Table
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This French Louis XV style distressed painted desk writing table is a stunning example of antique-inspired craftsmanship blended with rustic charm.
Mahogany
Antique English Adams Style Distress Hand Painted Narrow Secretary Writing Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique English Adams Style Distress Hand Painted Narrow Secretary Writing Desk with a Unique Smaller Size.
Glass, Walnut
$2,556Sale Price|20% Off
Italian Venetian Style Distressed Paint Decorated Secretary Desk C. 1950's
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Dimensions - H: 78 1/4 in W: 35 1/2 in D: 16 1/4 in Capture the enchanting spirit of classic Europe with this Italian Venetian style distressed paint-decorated secretary desk, craf...
Metal
Antique French Country Primitive Black Distress Painted 1 Drawer Desk Work Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique French Country Primitive Black Distress Painted 1 Drawer Desk Work Table. Item features wooden plank top, black distress painted base, glass drawer pull, 1 drawer, tapered le...
Wood
Vintage French Country Pine Wood Distress Floral Carved 1 Drawer Writing Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage French Country Pine Wood Distress Carved One Drawer Cabriole Leg Writing Desk with Floral Carvings on all Sides.
Pine
French Rococo Louis XV Distress Paint Dressing Table Vanity Ladies Writing Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique French Rococo Louis XV Style Distress Painted Dressing Table / Writing Desk. Item features a shaped turtle top with diamond sunburst veneer, single hand dovetailed drawer, pu...
Mahogany
Mid Century Laminated Blonde Maple Parsons Desk
By Parsons
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Dimensions: 54” wide by 28” deep by 29.75” high Condition: Please see detail photos. The Desk is distressed with marks to the apron drawer, scratches to the wood as well as the gla...
Brass
Art Deco Style Leather Top Small Writing Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
What a unique piece this Art Deco style writing desk is! It's a rustic and distressed desk that features a leather top surface and bank of drawers sitting on two round pedestal suppo...
Mahogany
Antique Swedish Rococo Style Writing Desk Early 20th Century
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Antique Swedish Rococo Style writing desk in Black distressed paint finish, cabriole legs, five drawers with lovely carved brass hardware, simple half round top edge.
Wood
French Farmhouse Painted Distressed Desk c.1920's
Located in London, GB
This French farmhouse painted distressed desk, dates back to the 1920's and exudes French provincial charm.
Pine, Paint
Large Antique Style Desk
Located in Westwood, NJ
Large Elizabethan style dark oak distressed desk paneled sides and drawers, turned pendants, exposed butterfly joints to the top and an H-stretcher with carved volute feet.
Oak
1920s General Fireproofing Desk with Distressed Patina
By General Fireproofing Company
Located in Alhambra, CA
Very early model single pedestal tanker desk by General Fireproofing, c. 1920s. Its incredible patina is a combination of several layers of paint distressed over decades.
Steel
Stamped Jansen French Distressed Painted/Gilt Partners Desk
Located in Stamford, CT
Beautiful French Louis XV Style distressed, white painted with gold hi-lights desk.
Distressed Campaign Desk with Faux Bamboo "X" Base
Located in North Miami, FL
Three drawers and distressed finish throughout. It looks fantastic as is.
Brass
Distressed Oak Horseshoe Desk and Matching Rod Iron Chair
Located in North York, ON
A rustic and worldly combination, this desk is made of distressed oak paired with a rich inlaid black leather top accented with gold tooling.
Metal
Sold
H 29.93 in W 72.45 in D 47.64 in
ANTIQUE HUGE DISTRESSED PARTNERS DESK WITH NAVY BLUE LEATHER TOP j1
Located in Pulborough, GB
We are delighted to offer for sale this Huge Partners Desk With Navy Blue Desk. An antique huge distressed partners desk with a navy blue leather top is a magnificent and imposing...
Leather, Oak
Antique American Gray Distress Painted 1 Drawer Small Work Table Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique American gray distress painted one drawer small work table desk.
Wood
Sold
H 30.5 in W 55.5 in D 32.25 in
Romantic Distressed Carved and Painted Wood Desk with Rich Cherry Top
Located in Hopewell, NJ
A large romantic French style desk having a warm cherrywood top that contrasts beautifully with the painted distressed ornately carved base with cabriole legs.
Cherry, Wood
Sold
H 30.25 in W 60 in D 32 in
Theodore Alexander Louis XVI Style Mirrored Églomisé Leather Top Desk Distressed
By Theodore Alexander
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This desk is a masterful blend of French neoclassical elegance and contemporary luxury, featuring a beautiful Églomisé reverse distressed silver leaf finish.
Leather, Mirror, Wood
Sold
H 30.12 in W 48.23 in D 24.02 in
Vintage Hardwood Twin Pedestal Partner Desk With Distressed Brown Leather Top
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
I am delighted to offer for sale this mahogany twin pedestal partner desk with original vintage brown leather top Please note the delivery fee listed is just a guide, it covers wit...
Leather, Hardwood
Sold
H 29.93 in W 41.93 in D 23.63 in
Vintage Distressed Burr Yew Wood Military Campaign Twin Pedestal Partners Desk
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this vintage Flamed & Burr Yew wood twin pedestal partner desk made in the Military Campaign style This is a good looking and well made piece, ...
Yew
Bodart Desk
By Jacques Bodart
Located in Winnetka, IL
This is a 1950s-1960s distressed painted wood bodart desk.
Paint, Wood
industrial Desk
Located in Surrey, BC
Great early foremans desk with heavy distressed top and green over paint on red base, with 6 drawers and bottom shelf
Steel
Vintage Green Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Add a charming, vintage touch to your space with this rustic green desk. Featuring a distressed finish and a single functional drawer, this piece is perfect for both decorative and p...
Wood
Pine Stand-Up Desk
Located in Baltimore, MD
An unusual stand-up desk featuring a distressed white painted base with replaced top from reclaimed pine.
Pine
Campaign Desk from England, circa 1910
Located in Miami, FL
Distressed black Campaign desk from England. Recently refinished in black with polished brass details.
Brass
Antique Industrial Steel Roll Top Desk
Located in Oakville, CT
Vintage Industrial Distressed Steel & Brass Roll Top Desk Overall Dimensions: 26 1/2" deep x 44" wide x 48" high Desk Space: 20" deep x 26" wide x 27 1/2" high Inside & Top Drawer...
Brass, Steel
Late 19th Century Swedish Black Painted Pine Desk
Located in Round Top, TX
Late 19th-century Swedish pine desk with an old black painted finish that has been distressed over time.
Pine, Paint
Adams Style Vernis Martin Paint Decorated Antique Cylinder Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Antique Adams style distressed paint decorated cylinder desk. Roll top desk containing storage, 2 drawers and a pull out writing surface over 1 drawer and 2 doors containing 1 shelf.
Wood
Sold
H 29.25 in W 69 in D 36.75 in
Dennis & Leen Belgian Louis XVI Neoclassical Style Library Table Desk
By Dennis & Leen
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Decorated with carved swag and rosettes having an aged, distressed painted finish. The desk has two hidden storage drawers on the front side.
Wood
Sold
H 27.5 in W 53.5 in D 29.5 in
Sligh Furniture Mid Century Tooled Leather Executive Office Library Desk 54"
By Sligh Furniture
Located in Dayton, OH
Vintage Sligh Office Desk. Features a distressed walnut finish with a green tooled leather top.
Leather, Hardwood
Sold
H 35 in W 20 in D 20 in
Vintage French Provincial Louis XV Cream & Blue Ladies Writing Desk Chair Set
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage French Provincial Louis XV Style Cream & Blue Distress Painted Ladies Writing Desk and Chair Set.
Wood, Paint
Sold
H 31 in W 62 in D 31 in
Contemporary Custom-made Primitve English Country Style Solid Oak Writing Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a beautifully made and custom-made solid oak desk designed in the English country manner. The desk is designbed to look antique with mortice and tenoned pinned joinery and fa...
Oak
Napoleon III Style Desk
Located in Highwood, IL
One drawer Napoleon III style distressed black lacquered desk with gold leaf details.
Gold Leaf
Sold
H 30.12 in W 53.35 in D 29.14 in
VINTAGE BURR WALNUT TWiN PEDESTAL PARTNER DESK WITH REGENCY GREEN LEATHER TOP
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
This is one of the most decorative types of these desks I’ve ever seen or had in stock, the timber colour is bright and vibrant, the top is the period Regency green leather gold leaf...
Leather, Walnut
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.
Top interior designers show — and tell — us how to create delectable spaces for hosting dinner parties.
Fans of the French film star may be surprised to learn that he had a flair for furniture with sleek lines and disco-era flash.
Like other pieces in the firm’s Candy Box collection, the cheerful limited-edition design showcases French craft.
Whether you’re just moving in or ready to give your home a makeover, our guide will give you pointers on tables that are fitting for every room, nook and hallway.
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.
The designer’s innovative use of an unexpected material gives this console a lift.
The stately piece brings both gravitas and whimsy to any work space.
Use them as tables or stools, indoors or out.