Desk Accessories
Early 20th Century French Desk Accessories
Metal
2010s German Country Desk Accessories
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Wood
Late 19th Century French Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century Lebanese Moorish Desk Accessories
Shell, Mother-of-Pearl, Fruitwood
Early 2000s Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Industrial Desk Accessories
Brass
1880s French Belle Époque Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Danish Scandinavian Modern Desk Accessories
Oak, Teak
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Art Glass
1970s Unknown Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal, Brass
1880s French Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Glass, Murrine, Sommerso, Blown Glass, Art Glass
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Teak
1920s French Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories
Glass
Late 20th Century North American Country Desk Accessories
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Minimalist Desk Accessories
Copper
Early 1900s Italian Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Art Glass, Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Leather
1880s French Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 19th Century Unknown Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Industrial Desk Accessories
Brass
1890s French Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Walnut
1970s Unknown Vintage Desk Accessories
Terracotta
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Ceramic
1880s English Antique Desk Accessories
Porcelain
20th Century Chinese Desk Accessories
Bamboo
1810s English Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
20th Century German Desk Accessories
Metal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century French Desk Accessories
Wood
1820s Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
20th Century Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Oak
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Desk Accessories
Wood
1950s Sri Lankan British Colonial Vintage Desk Accessories
Hardwood
1970s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Wood, Horn
21st Century and Contemporary American International Style Desk Accessories
Acrylic
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Desk Accessories
Ceramic
1930s French Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Hardwood, Cocobolo, Rosewood
Late 19th Century Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Metal, Steel, Nickel
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Desk Accessories
Ceramic
19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
1980s North American Post-Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Aluminum
Late 19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Agate, Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Art Deco Desk Accessories
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Horn
1970s American Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 20th Century Brazilian Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Onyx, Agate
2010s Australian Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
1950s Unknown Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Copper
20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Wood, Cocobolo
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.