Desk Accessories
Early 2000s Canadian Organic Modern Desk Accessories
Reclaimed Wood, Willow
Mid-19th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Glass
2010s American Minimalist Desk Accessories
Hemp
Early 20th Century Czech Art Deco Desk Accessories
Enamel
Early 20th Century Swiss Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Earthenware, Majolica
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Polystyrene
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Plastic
1980s British Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
2010s Swedish Modern Desk Accessories
Steel
18th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Glass
Mid-19th Century English Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Marble
19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver
1970s Italian Vintage Desk Accessories
Glass
1840s English Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Aluminum
1930s German Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian International Style Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Slate
1880s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1990s Japanese Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Plastic
1890s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
2010s Austrian Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Desk Accessories
Silver
1960s Italian Vintage Desk Accessories
Glass
Early 20th Century German Desk Accessories
Nickel
1840s Spanish Neoclassical Antique Desk Accessories
Silver
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
1960s French Vintage Desk Accessories
Silver, Metal
1950s Swedish Vintage Desk Accessories
Steel
2010s Argentine Modern Desk Accessories
Stone, Onyx
2010s American Desk Accessories
Acrylic
Early 20th Century British Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
1920s Chinese Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
2010s Argentine Organic Modern Desk Accessories
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Mid-19th Century Italian Louis Philippe Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Plastic
Early 1900s German Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Silver, Enamel
Late 20th Century American Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal, Nickel
Early 20th Century British Art Deco Desk Accessories
Porcelain
19th Century English Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Silver
1960s French Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
15th Century and Earlier Persian Islamic Antique Desk Accessories
Silver, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Desk Accessories
Art Glass
2010s Desk Accessories
Wood
1990s Italian Other Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Plexiglass
1850s British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1970s English Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Leather
1850s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Paper
20th Century Austrian Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Desk Accessories
Leather
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Copper, Brass, Silver Plate
1970s French Vintage Desk Accessories
Stainless Steel
2010s American Desk Accessories
Stone
1990s European Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Stone, Marble
Antique, New and Vintage Desk Accessories
Whether you’ve carved out a space for a nifty home office or you prefer the morning commute, why not dress up your desk with antique and vintage desk accessories? To best tiptoe the line between desk efficiency and desk enjoyment, we suggest adding a touch of the past to your modern-day space.
Desks are a funny thing. Their basic premise has remained the same for quite literally centuries: a flat surface, oftentimes a drawer, and potentially a shelf or two. However, the contents that lay upon the desk? Well, the evolution has been drastic to say the least.
Thank the Victorians for the initial popularity of the paperweight. The Industrial Revolution offered the novel concept of leisure-time to Europeans, giving them more time to take part in the then crucial activity of letter writing. Decorative glass paperweight designs were all the rage, and during the mid-19th-century some of the most popular makers included the French companies of Baccarat, St. Louis and Clichy.
As paper was exceedingly expensive in the early to mid-19th-century, every effort was made to utilize a full sheet of it. Paper knives, which gave way to the modern letter opener, were helpful for cutting paper down to an appropriate size.
Books — those bound volumes of paper, you may recall — used to be common occurrences on desks of yore and where there were books there needed to be bookends. As a luxury item, bookend designs have run the gamut from incorporating ultra-luxurious materials (think marble and Murano glass) to being whimsical desk accompaniments (animal figurines were highly popular choices).
Though the inkwell’s extinction was ushered in by the advent of the ballpoint pen (itself quasi-obsolete at this point), there is still significant charm to be had from placing one of these bauble-like objets in a central spot on one’s desk. You may be surprised to discover the mood-boosting powers an antique — and purposefully empty — inkwell can provide.
The clamor for desk clocks arose as the Industrial Revolution transitioned labor from outdoors to indoors, and allowed for the mass-production of clock parts in factories. Naturally, elaborate designs soon followed and clocks could be found made by artisans and luxury houses like Cartier.
Find antique and vintage desk accessories today on 1stDibs.