Nara Tobacco Desk

With more than a century of tradition in Italian furniture making, Galimberti Nino is world-renowned for its timeless designs, inspired by everything from classic Victorian, Biedermeier and Empire styles to 20th-century Art Deco and modernism.  

Galimberti Nino’s story begins in Brianza, where, in 1885, Carlo Galimberti opened his first furniture workshop. Eight decades later, in the 1960s, Galimberti’s shop evolved into the beginnings of today’s brand, thanks to the entrepreneurial mind of his descendant, Nino Galimberti. 

While Nino’s focus in the 1960s and ’70s was to create traditional, woodcraft-based furniture, the company shifted direction in the 1980s, taking a more industrial approach to design. From the 1990s to today, Nino’s children, Carlo, Luciano and Roberta, have expanded Galimberti Nino into a global brand — taking their “Made in Italy” concept across Europe and beyond.

Galimberti Nino’s furniture collections bridge the gap between classic and contemporary design. For instance, their Sinatra armchair features a modern take on the traditional wingback style while the Gemma chair incorporates retro-chic glamor with slightly slanted legs and a backrest cushion with a scalloped rim. A seamless blend of past and present styles can also be found in Galimberti Nino’s elegant and sophisticated range of sofas, side tables, coffee tables, consoles, sideboards, cabinets and dressers.

With its ability to create furniture that incorporates a charming overlap of influences and styles, Galimberti Nino is a favorite among interior designers and decorators alike.  

On 1stDibs, discover a range of Galimberti Nino seating, tables, case pieces and storage cabinets.

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.