1950s Maple Wood Desk with Six Drawers
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
This 1950s desk is a refined example of the design of that era, featuring a maple-veneered wood frame. Its elegant design is enhanced by a double column of side drawers, offering amp...
Maple
Desk from the 1950s-60s restored
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Desk with under-top drawers, solid beech wood stained and mahogany wood veneer, formica-covered top. Completely Restored.
Formica, Beech
$649Sale Price|20% Off
Piccolo Scrittoio Anni 50
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Scrittoio con sotto piano, legno di faggio tinto e piano in legno ricoperto in formica.
Formica, Beech
Unavailable
H 27.55 in W 48.42 in D 24.8 in
Jean Prouvé Dactylo Desk No. BD 41 & Black Standard Chair Circa 1948
By Jean Prouvé
Located in Longdon, Tewkesbury
Jean Prouvé Dactylo desk no. BD 41 & black standard chair Circa 1948 Rare and important mid century Ateliers Jean Prouvé Black Dactylo Steel & Oak Desk No.
Steel
Standard Furniture Mid Century Walnut and Cane Boomerang Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Standard Furniture mid century walnut and cane boomerang desk This desk measures: 73 wide x 36 deep x 29.25 inches high, with a chair clearance of 28 inches ?
Cane, Walnut
Standard Furniture Mid Century Walnut Boomerang Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Standard Furniture mid century walnut boomerang desk The desk measures: 84 wide x 33 deep x 29 high, with a chair clearance of 24.75 inches All pieces of furniture can be had ...
Walnut
Tremendous Mid-Century Modern Executive Desk By Standard
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Stunning executive desk with marvelous walnut grain and dramatic boomerang shape. Back is finished, sturdy tapered legs with brass tips, four drawers and pull out shelf. The desk top...
Mid-Century Executive Desk by Standard with Exaggerated Kidney Top
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Large Mid-Century Modern American made walnut executive desk by standard.
Brass
Sold
H 28.5 in W 78 in D 38 in
Standard Furniture Company Mid Century Walnut Brass and Cane Bowtie Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Standard Furniture Company mid century walnut brass and cane bowtie desk Desk measures: 78 wide x 38 deep x 28.5 inches high ?
Brass
Sold
H 28.5 in W 103.5 in D 40.5 in
Standard Furniture Co. American Dark Wood Veneer & Brass Executive Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Queens, NY
Contemporary Mid-Century-style dark wood veneer executive desk with an angular desktop supported by two column drawers with front privacy panel, resting on four tapered wood and bras...
Metal, Brass
Sold
H 29.34 in W 55.12 in D 27.76 in
Mid-Century 'Standard' Writing Desk by Pierre Guariche for Meurop, 1960s
By Meurop, Pierre Guariche
Located in Antwerpen, VAN
Nice minimalistic ‘Standard’ writing desk designed by Pierre Guariche in 1961 and produced by Meurop in Belgium. Made of warm teak wood with a modernist touch thanks to the black lac...
Metal
Sold
H 29 in W 83 in D 35.5 in
Walnut Executive Desk by William H. Sullivan for Standard Furniture Company
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This walnut executive desk features a unique boomerang-shaped left return. The table surface is walnut and is edged with a band of contrasting grain wood. A shared mechanism locks al...
Brass
1950s oak writing desk
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Vintage 20th-century Italian-made oak wood desk with drawers fully restored in our workshops.
Oak
1950s beechwood desk
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Elegant double-station desk with pull-out side shelf. Made of beech wood, the front drawer is "grissinato", formica top. Good conditions.
Beech
Scrittoio Anni 60
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Scrittoio fruibile anche da centro con piccola alzata a giorno e coppia cassetti sotto piano in legno impiallacciato legno esotico; un elegante complemento d'arredo, completamente re...
Wood
1950s Office Workstation
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Closeable workstation with desk top, under-top drawer and several open compartments. Maple veneer wood. Very good conditions, completely restored.
Maple
Wooden desk 1950s
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Elegant desk with under-top drawers. Wood veneer exotic wood. A very elegant desk, carefully restored by our workshop, the wooden part thus returns to the original brightness of the...
Wood
Scrittoio Anni '60
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Scrittoio vintage di manifattura italiana del XX secolo in legno di faggio con due cassetti e piano in formica nei toni del giallo.
Beech
Scrivania anni '70 in legno laccato arancione e bianco
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Scrivania vintage con due cassetti in legno laccato bianco e arancione.
Wood
Scrivania Vintage Anni 60
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Scrivania con doppia colonna cassetti laterali, struttura in metallo smaltato, legno impiallacciato teak.
Metal
Elegant Desk 50s-60s
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Vintage Italian-made desk with exotic wood veneer, four drawers with brass handles, back-treated glass top in shades of yellow.
Glass, Wood
1960s teak and mettal desk, with side drawers
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Desk with side drawers, enameled metal, teak veneer wood. Good conditions. A desk for a comfortable, albeit not bulky, workstation, restorable by our workshop with intervention invol...
Metal
English writing cabinet, 1960s
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Writing cabinet with pairs of side drawers, teak veneer wood. Restaurato.
Teak
50s-60s Desk
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Small vintage mahogany veneer wood desk with under-top drawer and pair of side drawers.
Mahogany
Danish Desk 1960s
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Desk with side drawer column, solid wood and oak veneer.
Oak
Scrivania Anni 80
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Scrivania con cassetti laterali in legno rivestito in formica, metallo smaltato. Una simpatica scrivania che ricorda le linee del Gruppo Memphis degli anni 80, con i suoi colori acce...
Metal
40s-50s desk
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Desk with side column with drawers and storage compartment with hinged door, footrest. Chrome metal frame, walnut veneer wood, black opal glass top. Good Condition
Metal
Scrittoio Anni 60
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Scrittoio con cassetti sotto piano in legno impiallacciato mogano e in metallo smaltato.
Metal
60s Desk
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Desk with side drawers and one central under-top drawer. Exotic wood veneer, brass, original back-treated glass top. Good conditions.
Brass
Desk 1960s Italian production, restored
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Elegant vintage Italian-made desk with mahogany veneer, features a rectangular top embellished with inlaid threading, a total of five drawers with brass handles. Truncated conical le...
Brass
Sold
H 30.52 in W 55.91 in D 28.35 in
Scrittoio Vintage Anni 50 con piano in formica completamente restaurato
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Elegante scrittoio con cassetti laterali e piano tiretto estraibile, in legno di faggio tinto e impiallacciato pioppo, frontali con cassetti e piano ricoperti in formica. Condizioni ...
Formica, Beech, Poplar
60s Desk Cabinet
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Cabinet with drop-down desk and storage compartment with hinged doors. Teak veneer wood and brass. Good conditions.
Brass
40s-50s Desk
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Elegant desk with pair of under-top drawers, beech wood, and mahogany veneer, top with recessed clear glass. Good conditions.
Glass, Beech, Mahogany
Desk 50s-60s, brown wood, brass and glass
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Vintage Italian-made wooden desk with glass top, two drawers and brass feet. Exotic wood.
Brass
Scrivania Anni 60-70
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Scrivania dalle importanti dimensioni con colonne cassetti laterali, legno impiallacciato legno esotico tinto, alluminio cromato. Buone condizioni.
Aluminum
60s Desk
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Desk with side drawer column, enameled metal, mahogany veneer wood. Good conditions.
Metal
Sedia da Ufficio Anni 50 in faggio e similpelle verde
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Sedia con braccioli girevole, ad altezza regolabile e schienale reclinabile. Legno di faggio naturale, imbottitura in espanso, rivestimento in skai. Sedia che si presta ad e...
Beech
Cabinet with Desk 1960s
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Cabinet with flap door for writing compartment, and hinged doors, teak veneer wood, and covered with formica. Very good conditions, restored.
Formica, Teak
Marcel Gascoin Standard Desk
By Marcel Gascoin
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Desk of Marcel Gascoin. One of the designers who was active in the 1950s and joined the UAM of Modern Artists, Jean Prouvé et al. Furniture focused on functionality and practicality,...
Wood
Standard Furniture Mid Century Walnut Single Pedestal Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Standard Furniture mid century walnut single pedestal desk This desk measures: 67.75 wide x 20.75 deep x 29 high, with a chair clearance of 24.25 inches All pieces of furniture...
Walnut
Standard Furniture Mid Century Walnut Boomerang Executive Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Standard Furniture Mid Century Walnut Boomerang Executive Desk This desk measures: 103.5 wide x 41.5 deep x 29 high, with a chair clearance of 27.5 inches Fair Vintage Condition - ...
Walnut
Impressive Midcentury Curved Top Desk by "Standard"
By Standard Co.
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This stunning vintage modern desk features an unusual curved top offering plenty of work space. Quality construction with a finished back and charming walnut wood grain. This wonderf...
Brass
1940s Mid-Century Modern Tanker Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Los Angeles, CA
American-made Mid-Century Modern tanker desk in good condition, constructed of oak with a Formica top and steel handles.
Steel
Marcel Gascoin Standard Desk
By Marcel Gascoin
Located in Tokyo, Tokyo
Desk of Marcel Gascoin. One of the designers who was active in the 1950s and joined the UAM of Modern Artists, Jean Prouvé et al. Furniture focused on functionality and practicality,...
Wood
Sold
H 30 in W 83 in D 34 in
Walnut Executive Boomerang Desk by William H. Sullivan for Standard Furniture
By The Standard Furniture Company, Bill Sullivan
Located in Buffalo, NY
Classic modernist design !This walnut executive desk features a unique boomerang-shaped left return. The table surface is walnut and is edged with a band of contrasting grain wood. f...
Brass
1950s beech and oak desk
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Desk with column drawers and open shelves. Oak veneer wood, stained beech wood details and frame. Good conditions.
Beech, Oak
Scrivania di Florence Knoll Anni 60
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Grande scrivania con base in alluminio, piano con piccoli cassetti, legno impiallacciato legno esotico.
Aluminum
Desk with Drawers, 1960s
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Architecturally designed desk with side drawers. Made of cherry wood and wooden top covered with wool cloth.
Wool, Cherry
1950s Desk Corner
By Non-Standard Furniture and Lighting
Located in Milano, IT
Writing corner, with planked wall with up-and-down lamp, worktop with day compartments and drawers, mahogany veneer wood and skai upholstery.
Mahogany
The Standard Furniture Co. Canted Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mahogany desk with three drawers, bottom filing drawer, brass pulls and lathed wooden legs with brass caps. Stamped: Standard Furniture Co. Herkimer, N.Y.
Sold
H 29.5 in W 75.5 in D 33.75 in
Large Walnut Executive Desk Attributed to The Standard Furniture Company
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A large walnut five-drawer executive desk attributed to The Standard Furniture Company of Herkimer, NY, circa 1950s. The desk case is supported below a large writing surface and is a...
Cane, Walnut
1950's American Boomerang Shaped Walnut and Cane Executive Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful Mid-Century Modern Boomerang Desk c.1950's. It is solid walnut, with a left return and cane screens.
Brass
1950's American Boomerang Walnut and Cane Executive Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful Mid-Century Modern Boomerang Desk c.1950's. It is solid walnut, with a left return and cane screens.
Brass
Standard Chair by Jean Prouvé, circa 1950
By Jean Prouvé
Located in Paris, FR
Standard Chair by Jean Prouvé (1901-1984), circa 1950 Black lacquered metal frame, bent plywood backrest and seat
Metal
1950s Danish-Style Walnut Wood Executive Desk
By The Standard Furniture Company
Located in Amherst, NH
1950s Danish-style walnut wood executive desk with a surfboard top. The desk has six drawers and two flat pull-out writing surfaces. Drawers are accented with brass pulls. Marked: St...
Walnut
$2,399Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.5 in W 66 in D 36 in
Rare 1950s Mid-Century Modern Art Deco Inspired Walnut Rounded Top Desk
Located in Lafayette, IN
Stunning 1950s desk by the Shelbyville Desk Company of Indiana. Desk features a 66" rounded-end top, walnut veneer and wonderful Art Deco hardware. This desk is very similar to the "...
Walnut
$452Sale Price|50% Off
H 28.35 in W 31.5 in D 17.72 in
Lady’s Desk or Vanity in Mahogany, Czechoslovakia, 1970s
By Up Závody
Located in Zohor, SK
Beautiful midcentury desk, originally used as a desk for a lady, or vanity in the bedroom. The table is elegant combination of lighter birch wood on the sides and mahogany wood on to...
Birch, Mahogany
Elegant Italian Small Desk in Cherry and Mahogany
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Writing desk, cherry, mahogany, brass, formica, Italy, 1950s Very elegant desk made in Italy in the 1950s. The framework is executed in cherry. The upper part of this piece is made ...
Brass
Mid-Century Table with Wheels, Italy, 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Mid-century table with wheels realized by italian manufactory in the mid-20th Century. Central drawer. Good condition.
Metal
1970s Writing Desk, Italy
Located in Praha, CZ
- Item was carefully refurbished - sturdy and stable - mahogany veneer
Metal
Danish Midcentury Desk in Teak, 1960s
Located in Lejre, DK
Freestanding desk in teak designed and made in the 1960s. Made in Denmark, great original condition.
Teak
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by celebrated manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
Generations turn over, and mid-century modern remains arguably the most popular style going. As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
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.
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.
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The Louisiana-born and -bred architect talks to 1stdibs about the art of making timeless places that matter.
The Palm Springs interior decorator developed a mid-century style that defined the vacation homes of celebrities and other notables, including Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.
The houses from this New York studio cloak modernist tendencies within what are often more traditional trappings.