Venetian Writing Table
Venetian Painted Italian Louis XV Style Writing Table
Located in Forney, TX
A most charming vintage, circa 1960, Italian Venetian writing table (desk - vanity - console) with
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Gesso, Wood, Paint
18th Century Venetian Table, Console
Located in Atlanta, GA
. Fabulous patina. This table will serve beautifully as a writing table or console.
Category
Antique 18th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Italian Venetian Knee-Hole Desk /Console Table circa 1950's
Located in Douglas Manor, NY
1290 Hand painted Venetian style desk with gilt finish.
Category
Vintage 1950s Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Hardwood
Italy Red Berry Lacquered Wooden Writing Table or Desk with Bronzes
Located in Brescia, IT
.
We can find in this important writing table or desk the antique technics of realization about
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Belle Époque Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Free Shipping
H 32.29 in W 72.45 in D 33.47 in
18th Century Hand-Painted Venetian Style Ivory Stra Table with little flowers
By Porte Italia
Located in Ronchi dei Legionari, IT
From our Hand-Painted Furniture Collection, we are pleased to introduce you to our ivory stra table
Category
2010s Italian Other Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
H 31.11 in W 59.06 in D 29.14 in
Italian Venetian Walnut Serpentine Desk
Located in New York, NY
Italian Venetian (18th Century) walnut serpentine shaped desk with 2 side doors and 2 narrow front
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 1900's Antique Venetian, Burled, Walnut, Mirrored, Secretary / Desk!!
Located in Austin, TX
Gorgeous Antique Secretary, Venetian, Burled, Walnut, Mirrored Doors, Desk, early 1900s, 20th
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Other Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
H 94 in W 48.5 in D 20 in
Italian Mid 19th Century Venetian St. Patinated And Giltwood Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A spectacular and extremely unique Italian mid 19th century Venetian st. patinated and giltwood
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Giltwood
18th Century Hand-Painted Venetian Style Doge Bureau with Red Chinoiserie
By Porte Italia
Located in Ronchi dei Legionari, IT
desk, gracefully adding a traditional Venetian style to any room - contemporary or traditional. The
Category
2010s Italian Other Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
H 35.44 in W 46.07 in D 20.08 in
Italian 19th Century Venetian Patinated and Giltwood Writing Desk/Side Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A charming and extremely decorative Italian 19th century Venetian patinated and giltwood writing
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Louis XV Desks
Materials
Giltwood
H 30.75 in W 42 in D 29.25 in
Venetian Rococo Style Walnut Secretary Lacquered by Ira Yeager
By Ira Yeager
Located in Rio Vista, CA
bombe shaped dresser base with a drop front diminutive writing table. The drop front has two storage
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Rococo Secretaires
Materials
Brass
18th C. Venetian Tall Secretary Cabinet with Beautiful Hand-Painted Finish
Located in Atlanta, GA
case) is found behind the slant-front door, which lays down to create a writing table, and reveals a
Category
Antique 18th Century Italian Secretaires
Materials
Wood
People Also Browsed
Mid Century Set of Eight Henredon Leather Strap Dining Chairs for Restoration
By Henredon
Located in Bridgeport, CT
From Henredon’s, “Acquisitions” line. Finely crafted in mahogany frames with dark brown woven leather backs and seat skirts. The cylindrical wood crest rails with extended ends. Rais...
Category
Vintage 1970s Philippine Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Leather, Wood
H 38.5 in W 21 in D 27 in
French Inspired Upholstered Linen Bergère Chairs
Located in Brea, CA
French inspired upholstered linen bergère chairs
These French inspired chair are based on an original Napoleon III style pair of chairs. Napoleon III was the nephew of the Napoleon t...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Bergere Chairs
Materials
Linen
Danish Cabinetmaker 1940s Mahogany Desk
Located in London, GB
Danish cabinetmaker - 1940s writing desk
This exceptional, minimalist desk was produced in Denmark in the 1940s by an anonymous cabinetmaker and we believe it to be unique. The de...
Category
Vintage 1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany, Oak
English Partner Desk, Writing Desk
Located in Berlin, DE
Solid wood, mahogany stained. Baluster-shaped table legs with roller feet. Profiled 2-drawer frame box, slightly protruding tabletop. Green writing surface decorated with extraordina...
Category
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany, Leather
Pablo Picasso "Grand Tête" (Portrait de Jacqueline aux Cheveux lisses)
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Los Angeles, CA
PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
Grand Tête (Portrait de Jacqueline aux Cheveux lisses)
linocut in colors, on Arches paper, 1962,
signed in pencil, numbered 12/50,
with full margins, pale ...
Category
20th Century Cubist Figurative Prints
Materials
Linocut
H 32.25 in W 27 in D 2 in
Early 19th Century French Farm Table
Located in High Point, NC
Early 19th century farm table from France made from pine and elm. The top is made from pine planks, and is supported on an elm base, which has a simple apron that measures 25 inches ...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century French Country Farm Tables
Materials
Elm, Pine
Floral Swag, a Louis XV Style Corbeille Canned Bed by La Maison London
By La Maison London
Located in London, Park Royal
The floral swag bed is based on the Corbeille design of rounded corners embracing the occupant within it’s curved ends. The gentle Rococo lines of the headboard and footboard are ove...
Category
2010s British Louis XV Beds and Bed Frames
Materials
Wood
H 61.42 in W 83.47 in D 67.72 in
19th Century French Elm Farm Table
Located in Bournemouth, GB
This beautiful and very sturdy 19th century French elm farmhouse table of large proportions boasts excellent golden colour and good patina. Its three plank and purely solid elm const...
Category
Antique 1850s French French Provincial Farm Tables
Materials
Elm
Antique Chippendale Style Leather Top Desk
Located in London, GB
A fantastic antique Chippendale style leather top desk in the Chippendale style. This was made in England, it dates from around the 1890-1910 period.
It is very well made, sitting o...
Category
Antique 1890s British Chippendale Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Wood
17th Century Italian Baroque Lacquered Spruce Religious Furniture 1600
Located in Roma, RM
This monumental piece of furniture, of Veneto-Alto Veneto provenance, made entirely of lacquered fir wood. Full seventeenth century (ca. 1650) is presented as an imposing double-bodi...
Category
Antique 17th Century Italian Baroque Bookcases
Materials
Spruce
Free Shipping
H 88.59 in W 145.67 in D 39.38 in
Chippendale Desk Mahogany Writing Table Ball and Claw
Located in Potters Bar, GB
5 Drawer Mahogany Chippendale Style Writing Table.
Circa 1900
This Writing Table Features 5 Mahogany Lined drawers.
The Drawer Fronts Having Blind Fret Work to the Corners and Retain...
Category
Antique Early 1900s Chippendale Desks
Materials
Mahogany
English Walnut Burl Three-Drawer Writing Table
Located in Woodbury, CT
Created for us by an English cabinetmaker with whom we have been associated for over 30 years, this walnut writing desk has Classic lines that would blend well in a modern setting. I...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary British Georgian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Walnut, Burl
Bed Dog Sample Dolls Tester 4 Poster Upholstered Antiquarian Jacobean Style Oak
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
• Rare diminutive, Antiquarian, oak, tester or 4 poster, upholstered bed in the Baroque-style. Either intended as a cabinet maker’s sample or a dog or doll’s bed.
• Characterful an...
Category
Vintage 1950s British Baroque Beds and Bed Frames
Materials
Velvet, Oak
H 45.67 in W 32.68 in D 40.56 in
19th Century Hand Carved and Hand Painted Queen Size Bed Frame Louis XVI Style
Located in Sofia, BG
19th century exquisite queen size beautifully hand carved bed frame in the elegant Louis XVI style. The headboard and footboard frames are raised on six legs and are hand curved and ...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Beds and Bed Frames
Materials
Cane, Wood
H 62.21 in W 59.06 in D 84.65 in
Exceptional Bronze Mounted French Writing Table
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A very well-made French desk with lovely chosen and contrasting woods, serpentine form and bronze mounts on the corners, legs and feet with the top edges also bronze clad. The drawer...
Category
20th Century Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Bed Demi-Tester Spanish Baroque Carved Green Painted & Gilded Leather 6ft 180cm
Located in BUNGAY, SUFFOLK
Rare, Spanish Demi-Tester, Baroque Bed With Carved, Green Painted & Gilded Posts 181cm, 6ft High, Floral Painted Leather Headboard, With Gold Velvet & Gilt Embroidered Bedspread, sol...
Category
Antique 1720s Spanish Baroque Beds and Bed Frames
Materials
Giltwood, Paint
H 70.87 in W 73.23 in D 88.19 in
Recent Sales
Venetian Rococo Carved and Painted Writing Table SATURDAY SALE
Located in West Palm beach, FL
Bomb e Rococo Venetian writing table with side cabinets and top drawer. Faux marble serpentine top
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Rococo Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood
Venetian Desk
Located in Petworth, GB
AN ITALIAN POLYCHROME PAINTED KNEEHOLE DESK LATE 18TH CENTURY
A rare Venetian painted desk
Category
Antique 1790s Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Walnut, fruit wood and bone metamorphic writing table
Located in New York, NY
writing table has a shaped serpentine molded rectangular top with eared corners and incurved front
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut, Fruitwood, Bone
Venetian Desk
Located in West Palm beach, FL
Marvelous Venetian decoupage desk with enormous character. Deep apple green with antique ivory
Category
Antique 19th Century Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Gesso
Venetian Knee-Hole Desk with Cabriole Legs
Located in Salt Lake City, UT
A Venetian knee-hole desk with cabriole legs, painted with scenes of country life, and Grand Tour
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Early XIX th venetian gilt roccoco little desk
Located in Marseille, PACA
A rare venitian gilt desk, in grotto's style coming directly from a pallazio in Milano
Category
20th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Giltwood
Italian Writing Desk Table, Venice, 17th Century, Venetian Walnut Wood Inlay
Located in Varmo, IT
Writing desk - table in solid walnut, veneered with carob wood and inlaid with soft woods, Venice
Category
Antique Late 17th Century Italian Louis XIV Tables
Materials
Wood
H 31.89 in W 56.3 in D 29.53 in
Venetian High Palace Secretary Desk, circa 1945
Located in Liverpool, GB
, with shelves, numerous drawers and compartments.
Tilting writing table, unfolding to an angle of 180
Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Neoclassical Secretaires
Materials
Wood
Venetian Desk, Rare and Very Beautiful Desk for the Connoisseur, after 1945
Located in Liverpool, GB
chest of drawers with a writing table.
This desk is of the highest class and the essence of the unique
Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Desks
Materials
Wood
H 47.64 in W 56.7 in D 23.63 in
Sublime circa 1840 Italian Hand Carved Walnut Venetian Writing Table Desk Dragon
Located in GB
We are delighted to offer this lovely hand carved Italian venetian walnut writing table desk with
Category
Antique 1840s Italian Early Victorian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Walnut
H 30.52 in W 36.42 in D 25.79 in
Venetian Painted Two Drawer Writing Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This delicate writing table has a garden of roses, mums, daisies, and tulips painted on a golden
Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Fine Italian Venetian Style Oystered Olivewood Writing Table
Located in Miami, FL
Elegant and fine, this Italian oystered olive wood writing table or desk with a bombe shaped apron
Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Olive
Italian Rococo Style Venetian Painted Folding Writing Desk
Located in Firenze, IT
rococo period. The writing table - wonderfully proportioned and with convenient size – rests on slender
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
20th Century Walnut Burl and Beechwood Venetian Louis XV Style Writing Desk
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Venetian writing desk from the first half of the 20th century. Louis XV style furniture of fabulous
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Louis XIV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
H 33.08 in W 44.1 in D 22.05 in
Venetian Painted Desk/ Dressing Table
Located in Atlanta, GA
Early 20th Century Venetian painted desk or dressing table in two hues of green with cream floral
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Venetian Desk
Located in Newport Beach, CA
Venetian burl and walnut writing desk with wonderful inlay and movement. The desk is finished all
Category
Antique 19th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Burl, Walnut, Pine
Burl Wood Venetian Desk
Located in Newport Beach, CA
Three drawer, serpentine, Venetian desk in Burl Wood veneer with bronze hardware and accents.
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Venetian Rococo Revival Lacquered Ladies Desk
Located in New York, NY
Venetian Rococo Revival lacquered wood ladies desk or writing table raised on tapered cabriole legs
Category
Late 20th Century Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Fabulous 19th c Venetian Desk
Located in New Orleans, LA
Beautiful Curved and Painted Italian Desk
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Fabulous 18th Century Painted Venetian Desk
Located in New Orleans, LA
Beautifully Painted Original Design 18th c. Venetian Desk
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Venetian Hand-Painted Desk, circa 1920s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian Venetian hand-painted desk with drawers for storage. Knee-hole for extra comfort. Beautiful
Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Italian Hand Painted Venetian Style Desk, circa 1940s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
, 1940s. The writing table stands on four straight tapered legs. Beautiful hand painted finish of flower
Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Neoclassical Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Venetian Lacca Povera Desk Secretary circa 1730
Located in London, GB
A rare and important Venetian bureau. In shape, this secretary is influenced by the English bureau
Category
Antique 18th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Maitland Smith Attributed Inlaid Walnut Venetian Style Secretary Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a gorgeous desk most likely made by Maitland Smith. The tables feature mixed woods used for
Category
Early 2000s Philippine Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
20th Century Venetian Baroque Style Theater Prop Standing Desk
Located in Dusseldorf, DE
This unique outstanding high/standing desk in the Venetian Baroque style served as a prop in the
Category
20th Century European Baroque Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Paper
Best Venetian Paint Decorated Antique Rococo Secretary Desk Circa 1890s
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a very sophisticated and beautifully painted secretary desk. The painted scenery shows pastural scenes and the old Italian countryside with ancient ruins and figures. The sec...
Category
Antique 1890s Italian Rococo Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Beech
Outstanding Italian Venetian Rococo Paint Decorated Secretary Desk Circa 1920
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
For customers that require professional insured delivery we are proud to have teamed up with a nationwide professional delivery company that will assist with coordinating your delive...
Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
H 83 in W 44 in D 20 in
Antique Rococo Style Venetian Secretary Cabinet with Gilt and Floral Motif
Located in South Salem, NY
the desk, behind a panel that folds down to reveal a spacious and functional writing surface and four
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Other Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Mid-century Modern Table/Desk
Located in Nashville, TN
Table/desk has a mahogany frame and legs and Venetian plaster top. Table is actually a
Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
French Rococo Revival Ormolu Mounted Polychrome Turtle Top Center Table
Located in Houston, TX
A Rococo Revival ormolu-mounted polychrome turtle top center table, mid-20th century, in the
Category
Mid-20th Century Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
20th Century Walnut and Burl Bureau
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Venetian bureau of the 20th century. Furniture made by carved walnut and burl walnut with maple
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Rare Italian Mid-18th Century Lacca Povera Desk or Bureau
Located in Berlin, DE
rose colored ground.
The slope front opens to reveal a fitted interior with a leather lined writing
Category
Antique 1740s French Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
NeoClassical Desk with Brushed Steel and Brass Curule Base
Located in Danville, CA
sides flare up to meet the vibrantly grained quarter-matched veneer top. Two Venetian paper-lined
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel, Brass
Antique French Vernis Martin Bureau de Dame, circa 1880
Located in London, GB
".
The fall opens onto the drawer front for support and is lined with a beautiful burgundy velvet writing
Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Desks and Writing Tables
French-Polished Italian Rococo Walnut Secretary Desk Bookcase, circa 1840
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Venetian secretary desk in burled walnut. The desk is absolutely gorgeous and in excellent condition and is
Category
Antique 1840s Italian Rococo Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Italian Venetian White Painted Ladies Writing Desk Table Vanity
Located in West Hartford, CT
Exquisite hand painted ladies Venetian writing desk or dressing table with gold gilt carved
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Vanities
Materials
Wood
17th Century, Dutch Oil on Canvas Painting with the Pay of Soldiers
Located in IT
table covered by a large red cloth sits a man intent on writing with his feather on scroll rolls the
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century European Baroque Paintings
Materials
Canvas
18th Century Desk, Writing Table, Venetian Louis XVI in Solid Walnut, Restored
Located in Vigonza, Padua
From the 1800s, important antique Venetian center desk, Louis XVI, in solid walnut, restored and
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
H 30.32 in W 47.64 in D 21.66 in
20th Century Lacquered, Gilded and Hand-Painted Wood Venetian Writing Desk, 1960
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Venetian writing desk of the 20th century. Furniture in lacquered, gilded and hand-painted wood
Category
Vintage 1960s Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
H 31.11 in W 36.23 in D 22.05 in
19th Century Italian Painted Writing Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A fine Venetian ladies desk with original floral painting. Elegant style and dimensions.
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Curved Venetian Mirror Desk and Stool, 1920-1930
By Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Den Haag, NL
Venetian rose mirror cut glass desk or vanity, comes with matching stool. All the engraved glass
Category
Vintage 1920s Italian Hollywood Regency Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cut Glass
English George III Style Lacquered Chinoiserie Secretary Bookcase
Located in Rio Vista, CA
. The bottom chest has a slant front or drop front opening to a painted writing table with pigeon hole
Category
20th Century Italian George III Secretaires
Materials
Brass
Venetian Writing Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A 18th century Venetian Walnut Writing Table. Original Bronze Feet.
Category
Antique 18th Century and Earlier Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Venetian Writing Desk
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Flamboyant styling w/all surfaces covered in dark red velvet embellished with gilded metal appliques.
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Venetian Ladies Writing Desk Bombe Form with Marble Top
Located in Natchez, MS
Ladies Venetian Writing Desk with Marble Top in Bombe Form two cabinets and one drawer what appears
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Marble
Gilded Florentine Writing Table/Vanity
Located in Miami, FL
Lovely gilded writing table with top detached secretary. Table itself has three drawers while the
Category
Vintage 1940s Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Paint
Painted Venetian Desk / Dressing Table
Located in San Francisco, CA
An elegant Italian Venetian Dressing Table / Desk made late in the 19th century in the mid 18th
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Paint, Mirror
Italian Gilt Venetian Secretary
Located in New York, NY
Italian Gilt Venetian Secretary
Category
Vintage 1950s Desks and Writing Tables
Italian Venetian Mirrored Desk
Located in Cathedral City, CA
Handsome Italian mahogany desk overlaid with mirror, etched in pictorial decoration of fruit baskets, urns, swags and wreaths. With an oversized center drawer that makes a formal de...
Category
Vintage 1930s Italian Desks and Writing Tables
Painted Venetian Rococo Style Desk and Chair
Located in Salt Lake City, UT
A late nineteenth-century Rococo revival pale yellow desk painted on the top, sides and drawers with detailed scenes of country life, floral sprays and foliage and matching chair.
...
Category
Antique 19th Century Italian Rococo Revival Desks and Writing Tables
Italian Crystal Top "Serenissimo" Table by Acerbis
By Acerbis
Located in Austin, TX
Italian crystal top table with Venetian stucco legs, the whole; connected by a steel frame. Glass
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel
Get Updated with New Arrivals
Save "Venetian Writing Table", and we’ll notify you when there are new listings in this category.
Venetian Writing Table For Sale on 1stDibs
With a vast inventory of beautiful furniture at 1stDibs, we’ve got just the venetian writing table you’re looking for. A venetian writing table — often made from wood, walnut and giltwood — can elevate any home. There are 10 variations of the antique or vintage venetian writing table you’re looking for, while we also have 3 modern editions of this piece to choose from as well. You’ve searched high and low for the perfect venetian writing table — we have versions that date back to the 18th Century alongside those produced as recently as the 21st Century are available. When you’re browsing for the right venetian writing table, those designed in Rococo and louis xv styles are of considerable interest. Many designers have produced at least one well-made venetian writing table over the years, but those crafted by Porte Italia and Ira Yeager are often thought to be among the most beautiful.
How Much is a Venetian Writing Table?
Prices for a venetian writing table can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, they begin at $550 and can go as high as $39,500, while the average can fetch as much as $9,750.
Finding the Right desks-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.
Read More
The Ultimate Guide to Types of Tables for the Home
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.
Riotous Shapes and Colors Have Made Uchronia’s Designs the Toast of Paris
Julien Sebban’s energetic design collective is radically reshaping the look of 21st-century European furniture and interiors.
Is Lionel Jadot the Willy Wonka of Upcycled Belgian Design?
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.
Inspired by the Cosmos, Sandra Nunnerley’s Nova Table Has a Futuristic Feel
The designer’s innovative use of an unexpected material gives this console a lift.
This 19th-Century Gilded Desk Displays a Fanciful Kingdom in Marquetry
The stately piece brings both gravitas and whimsy to any work space.
In Guadalajara, These Luscious Side Tables Are Chiseled from Volcanic Rock
Use them as tables or stools, indoors or out.
How to Arrange Furniture + Layout Ideas
Here, we give design advice and show layout examples to help you create the perfect living room setup.
Why Hollywood A-Listers Can’t Get Enough of James De Wulf’s Concrete Furniture
Starting with a 900-pound Ping-Pong table, the Los Angeles designer has built a sturdy furniture-making career out of concrete.