What is a mission style desk?

Mission style desks feature sturdy slats and stable legs. Although mission furniture is often made from oak, it comes in a variety of other wood types, as well. The straight lines of this furniture style are known for highlighting the natural grains in the wood. Shop a range of antique and vintage mission style desks on 1stDibs.

Mission Desks

Quarter Sawn Oak Library Table

Early 20th Century Library Table

Stickley Writing Desk

Stickley Copper

Arts Crafts Oak Desk

Arts And Crafts Library Table

Stickley Mission Oak

Stickley Arts And Crafts Furniture

Stickley Mission Arts and Crafts Oak Desk

$3,550

H 30 in W 54 in D 29.75 in

Stickley Mission Arts and Crafts Oak Desk

By Gustav Stickley

Located in Atlanta, GA

Clean Lined Stickley desk, originally designed in the 1910s by Gustav Stickley, this example is part of the authorized line produced by Stickley in the 2000s. Like all Stickley furni...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Mission Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal

American Mission Heywood Wakefield Natural Wicker Oak Desk

$7,250

H 40 in W 36 in D 21.5 in

American Mission Heywood Wakefield Natural Wicker Oak Desk

Located in Queens, NY

American Mission natural wicker and golden oak desk with side shelves and upper section (attributed to HEYWOOD WAKEFIELD).

Category

20th Century American Mission Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wicker, Oak

Antique Heywood-Wakefield Style Mission Oak & Wicker Writing Desk

$2,000

H 37 in W 36 in D 22 in

Antique Heywood-Wakefield Style Mission Oak & Wicker Writing Desk

By Heywood-Wakefield Co.

Located in Brooklyn, NY

This antique desk from the early 20th century Mission movement features a well-kept solid oak top, wicker storage baskets, and a sizable drawer for ample storage.

Category

Early 20th Century American Mission Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wicker, Wood, Oak

20th Century American Mission Wicker and Oak Desk, USA Design

$5,600

H 40 in W 33.5 in D 21.5 in

20th Century American Mission Wicker and Oak Desk, USA Design

Located in Queens, NY

American Mission natural wicker and oak top desk with upper gallery and side shelves.

Category

20th Century American Mission Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wicker, Oak

Gustav Stickley Antique Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Writing Desk, Newly Refinished

$4,995

H 29.5 in W 48 in D 22 in

Gustav Stickley Antique Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Writing Desk, Newly Refinished

By Gustav Stickley

Located in South Bend, IN

A rare and exceptional antique Mission or Arts & Crafts period writing desk, vanity, or dressing table By Gustav Stickley USA, Circa 1910 Quarter sawn oak, with hammered copper h...

Category

Early 20th Century American Mission Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Copper

Antique American Arts & Crafts Mission Style Library Table Office Writing Desk

$1,260Sale Price|30% Off

H 30 in W 48 in D 27.75 in

Antique American Arts & Crafts Mission Style Library Table Office Writing Desk

Located in Dayton, OH

Early 20th Century Arts & Crafts / Mission Library Table. Features a rectangular form made from oak and pine with a central drawer over columnar supports leading to a trestle base w...

Category

Early 20th Century American Mission Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak, Pine

H 30 in W 42 in D 29.75 in

Gustav Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Writing Desk or Library Table

By Gustav Stickley

Located in South Bend, IN

An exceptional antique Mission or Arts & Crafts writing desk or library table By Gustav Stickley USA, Circa 1900 Solid quarter sawn oak, with original hammered copper hardware.

Category

Antique Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Copper

Recent Sales

Mission Desk with Single Drawer

Unavailable

H 30 in W 42 in D 26 in

Mission Desk with Single Drawer

Located in Tucson, AZ

Wooden mission desk with single drawer.

Category

Antique Early 1900s Mission Desks and Writing Tables

Superb Stickley Style Mission Desk Writing Library Table Marquetry Top

Unavailable

Unavailable

H 31 in W 49.25 in D 31.25 in

Quartersawn Oak Arts & Crafts Mission Library Table Desk

Located in Dayton, OH

Vintage quartersawn oak library writing desk or table. Features two long dovetailed drawers, iron hardware and glass knobs. Made during the latter half of the 20th century.

Category

Late 20th Century Mission Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Iron

Stickley Mission Collection Fayetteville Oak Spindle Library Office Desk

Sold

Sold

H 44.5 in W 29.5 in D 19.75 in

Antique Stickley School Arts & Crafts Mission Oak Lady’s Desk c1920

Located in Big Flats, NY

Antique Stickley School Arts & Crafts Mission Oak Lady’s Desk C1920 Measures - 44 3/8" x 29 1/2" x 19 5/8" An example of early 20th-century craftsmanship, this unsigned lady’s desk...

Category

Early 20th Century Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

Mission Quarter Sawn Oak Writing Desk w/ Lock Drawer

Sold

H 29 in W 36 in D 23 in

Mission Quarter Sawn Oak Writing Desk w/ Lock Drawer

Located in Van Nuys, CA

Mission Quarter Sawn Oak Writing Desk featuring an early modernist form with sculpted legs and decorative harp accents along each side.

Category

Antique Early 1900s American Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

Sold

H 29.75 in W 49.5 in D 31.5 in

Gustav Stickley Attributed Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Desk or Library Table

By Gustav Stickley

Located in South Bend, IN

A rare and exceptional antique Mission Arts & Crafts writing desk or library table Attributed to Gustav Stickley Solid quarter sawn oak, with original copper hardware.

Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Copper

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Arts & Crafts Handmade Dark Oak Compact 3 Tiered Bookshelf

$2,138Sale Price|24% Off

H 33 in W 20 in D 13.5 in

Arts & Crafts Handmade Dark Oak Compact 3 Tiered Bookshelf

Located in Vancouver, British Columbia

Circa 1910 Elegant and compact Arts & Crafts 3 tiered bookshelf with subtle workmanship and clean lines in dark, quarter sawn solid oak. Ideal for a small space/nook.

Category

Antique Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Bookcases

Materials

Oak

H 20 in Dm 18 in

Antique Gustav Stickley Tabouret, Marked - W7243 ON SALE NOW.

By Gustav Stickley

Located in Shamokin Dam, PA

This is an antique Gustav Stickley Small Table, or Tabouret, from the early 1900s. It is in excellent condition and is marked with a Stickley decal. This is a very nice piece and i...

Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Tables

Materials

Oak

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Mission Desks For Sale on 1stDibs

An assortment of mission desks is available at 1stDibs. Frequently made of wood, oak and metal, all mission desks available were constructed with great care. Mission desks have been made for many years, and versions that date back to the 19th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 21st Century. Mission desks are generally popular furniture pieces, but Arts and Crafts, mid-century modern and neoclassical styles are often sought at 1stDibs. If space is limited, there are small mission desks measuring 14.97 inches across. Mission desks have been a part of the life’s work for many furniture makers, but those produced by Gustav Stickley, L. & J.G. Stickley Inc. and Stickley Brothers are consistently popular.

How Much are Mission Desks?

Prices for mission desks start at $325 and top out at $61,488 with the average selling for $3,995.

Finding the Right Desks And Writing Tables for You

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.