Stunning Dutch Colonial Writing or hall table early 19 Century
Located in Den Haag, NL
Superb Dutch Colonial Writing desk or hall table . Manufactured in the Dutch Indies early 19
Oak
$3,335
H 31 in W 54 in D 34 in
Dutch Colonial Teak Desk with Drawer and Turned Legs, Early 20th Century
Located in Yonkers, NY
An antique Dutch Colonial teak desk from the early 20th century, with single drawer and turned legs
Teak
$3,545
H 9.45 in W 28.75 in D 22.05 in
Large Dutch Colonial Amboyna and Ebony Indonesian Writing Desk, 18th Century
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A large Indonesian amboyna and ebony portable writing desk with brass mounts Indonesia, 18th
Ebony, Amboyna
East India Dutch Company Captains Writing Desk
By Southeast Asia
Located in London, GB
A captivating piece of history, the Dutch East Indian Captain's Writing Desk. This extraordinary
Bone, Rosewood, Walnut
Unavailable
H 33.47 in W 59.06 in D 27.56 in
Desk with Matching Stool in a Modernistic Dutch Colonial Style, 1930s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
The rectangular and asymmetrical shape of the desk is inspired by the New Hague School (1925-1940
Teak
Unavailable
H 27.96 in W 31.89 in D 18.12 in
Mid-18th Century Cuban Mahogany Dutch Marquetry Inlaid Writing Table
Located in Uppingham, Rutland
Very pleased to offer you this absolutely stunning and very original 18th century Dutch marquetry
Mahogany, Sycamore, Holly
Early 20th Century Magnificent Custom Handcrafted Nedun Wood Desk
Located in Houston, TX
This is a superbly handcrafted Nedun wood executive desk from Galle district in Sri Lanka. Nedun
Wood
Unavailable
H 30.5 in W 56 in D 26 in
Early 20th Century Superbly Crafted Solid Teak Wood Ladies Desk from Sri Lanka
Located in Houston, TX
This desk is made up of three parts. Made of solid teak wood in the 1920s. Specially made for
Teak
Sold
H 30 in W 73 in D 31 in
Large Vintage Javanese Dutch Colonial Teak Desk with Carved Painted Drawers
Located in Yonkers, NY
A large vintage Dutch Colonial style teak wood desk from the mid-20th century, with burl wood inset
Wood, Teak
Sold
H 30 in W 69.5 in D 30 in
Late 19th Century Dutch Colonial Desk with Drawers, Diamonds and Gilt Rosettes
Located in Yonkers, NY
Antique Indonesian Dutch Colonial desk, 2 drawers, ancestry. An antique Dutch Colonial desk from
Wood
Dutch Colonial South African Laurel wood table
Located in New York, NY
A Dutch Colonial South African Baroque style Laurel wood (stinkwood*) table with four cabriole legs
Vintage One Drawer Desk from Indonesia
Located in New York, NY
A dark wood Dutch Colonial-style desk with a single drawer, turned legs and side stretchers with
Wood
Central Java Desk, 100 Years Old
Located in New York, NY
Wooden desk or table from Central Java. The desktop is one solid teak piece. 100 years old. Two
Teak
Antique Late 19th Century Dutch Marquetry Ladies Writing Desk
Located in Westfield, MA
This late 19th-century Dutch marquetry ladies writing desk is a splendid example of the ornate
Mahogany
Dutch Colonial 19th Century Teak Wood Breakfast Table or Desk
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Dutch Colonial teak wood table from the late 19th century. This antique table from Indonesia is
Wood, Teak
Sold
H 31 in W 73 in D 38.5 in
Dutch Colonial Teak Wood Table or Desk from the Late 19th-Early 20th Century
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Dutch Colonial teak table from the late 19th-early 20th century. This turn of the century Dutch
Wood, Teak
Mid 20th Century Wood Desk from Inle Lake, Myanmar
Located in New York, NY
A singular one-drawer desk or writing table from Inle Lake, Myanmar (formerly Burma), circa 1930
Wood
Indo-Dutch Colonial Partners Desk or Table
Located in Richmond, CA
Rosewood and Satinwood desk of exceptional quality. It is a partners desk wtih drawers on both
Rosewood, Satinwood
Early 19th Century Dutch Walnut Marquetry and Inlaid Bureau
Located in Uppingham, Rutland
Super quality and condition early 19th century Dutch marquetry and inlaid bureau with the most
Walnut
Connecticut Desk, Indonesia circa 1920
Located in Jersey City, NJ
short Connecticut desk, with drawers
Wood
Murano Sputnik Spherical Green Glass and Brass Chandelier
Located in Roma, Lazio
A fantastic emerald green sputnik, with a surprising design and for its very low height, which allows it to fit in both high and low ceilings. Very elegant, it will furnish and decor...
Brass
Handcrafted Farmhouse Fluted Porcelain Pendant With Trumpet Shape
By DBO Home
Located in Sharon, CT
Classic, elegant, with a perfectly imperfect touch. On their own they make a statement with their gentle flared bottoms and deep fluting. Hang in multiples for extra oomph. These cas...
Brass
Pair of Modern Walnut Side Tables
By Theodore Alexander
Located in Westwood, NJ
A Pacific walnut side table, the square top with rounded corners and a reeded edge above a similar under tier, on bobbin turned legs. Dimensions: 26" W x 26" D x 28.5" H.
Wood
King Size Mahogany Pencil Post Bed by Leighton Hall
By Leighton Hall Furniture
Located in Suwanee, GA
This is a new traditional king size mahogany Pencil Post Bed by Leighton Hall Furniture. It’s design was inspired by poster beds from the Regency period and features simple round tap...
Mahogany
$2,000 / item
H 8.5 in Dm 17.5 in
Vintage Inspired Handcrafted Fluted Farmhouse Porcelain Pendant Light
By DBO Home
Located in Sharon, CT
Classic, elegant, with a perfectly imperfect touch. We just love our new porcelain Parasol Fluted Pendants. Inspired by a vintage pie cover, we designed them to hang over our kitchen...
Brass
18th Century French Walnut Barley Twist Library Table
Located in High Point, NC
18th century walnut library table from France. The top is made from two planks and is banded with a beveled edge, following down to a simple apron, which contains a single drawer in ...
Walnut
$1,495
H 29.5 in W 39.25 in D 23 in
Late 19th Century French Henri II Style Walnut Writing Table or Desk with Drawer
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This late 19th century French Henri II Renaissance style hand pegged walnut writing table or side table is finished on all sides, allowing it to be placed in the center of a room. It...
Walnut
$115,649
H 240 in W 552 in D 120 in
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...
Wrought Iron
$780
H 15.36 in W 9.06 in D 1.19 in
18th Century Chinoiserie Table Mirror, Yellow Lacquered Wood, France
Located in LA CIOTAT, FR
This unusual table-top 'Psyche' table mirror dates from the 18th century, its wooden frame beautifully crafted from yellow-lacquered wood and decorated with hand-painted chinoiserie ...
Mirror, Wood
$2,280
H 28.75 in W 49.22 in D 32.88 in
Danish Baroque-Inspired Oak Desk / Dining Table with Barley Twist Legs, 1900s
By Pierre Chapo, Philip Arctander
Located in Odense, DK
This charming table blends rustic craftsmanship with decorative elegance. Made from solid oak, it features beautifully turned barley twist legs – a detail that became popular during ...
Oak
$3,360Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.5 in W 39 in D 23.5 in
French Louis XIII Style Oak Barley Twist Library Table Desk
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Fine 19th century French carved oak library table, or writing table desk made in the grand Louis XIII taste. Features thick barley twist legs conjoined on the bottom with barley twis...
Oak
Dutch Colonial Miniature Cupboard in Coromandel Wood, Ceylon
Located in Amsterdam, NL
A fine Coromandel wood miniature cupboard Sri Lanka, 18th century Measures: H 89.5 x W 60.5 x D 28.8 cm This entire four-door miniature cupboard is made of the finest Coroma...
Macassar
$16,163
H 29.53 in W 23.63 in D 11.03 in
19th Century Italian Roman Vanitas Bust Renaissance Revival Memento Mori Marble
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Masterfully carved & most impressive Italian Vanitas bust in solid marble from late 19th century. White Carrara marble skull combined with a Belgian Black marble Roman toga (robe)....
Marble, Belgian Black Marble, Carrara Marble
Capiz Shell Table Lamp, Model Cornelia
By Dusty Deco
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cornelia Table Lamp is a lamp that is made from capiz shells which gives the material an irregular structure. This makes each lamp unique, something that adds to its character and pe...
Brass
Portuguese Baroque Style Library Table by Alfonso Marina
By Alfonso Marina
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Amazing walnut library center table or writing table hand-crafted, labeled, signed, and dated by Alfonso Marina. For over 50 years Marina has created the highest quality timeless pie...
Brass
19th Century French Walnut Louis XVI Desk
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Beautiful 19th Century French Walnut Louis XVI Desk with immaculate new embossed leather writing surface. French Louis XVI bureau plat table desk with five spacious drawers and lovel...
Brass
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.