Desk Accessories
Early 20th Century European French Provincial Desk Accessories
Ceramic
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Glass, Art Glass
Late 20th Century Gibraltarian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Art Glass, Murano Glass, Blown Glass
1880s British Antique Desk Accessories
Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Metal
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Horn
2010s Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Plastic
Mid-19th Century American Antique Desk Accessories
Rubber
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
Early 20th Century German Desk Accessories
Nickel
1910s English Edwardian Vintage Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Leather
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Ceramic
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s American Desk Accessories
Resin
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Wood
1950s Czech Vintage Desk Accessories
Laminate, Beech
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Marble
1890s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Desk Accessories
18k Gold, Silver
1950s American Vintage Desk Accessories
Onyx
1980s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Ceramic
1990s French Modern Desk Accessories
Bronze
17th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Agate, Carnelian, Gold
1840s Great Britain (UK) Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver, Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century British Renaissance Revival Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
19th Century French Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
1890s American Arts and Crafts Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1880s American Antique Desk Accessories
Silver, Sterling Silver
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze
1980s American Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Travertine, Brass
Late 20th Century Pakistani Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary French Desk Accessories
Brass
1950s Chinese Chinese Export Vintage Desk Accessories
Paper
1980s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Plastic
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Bronze, Chrome
1890s French Rococo Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Gold Plate
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Metal
2010s Canadian Desk Accessories
Steel, Nickel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Leather
2010s American Desk Accessories
Acrylic
Early 1900s Italian Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Suede, Wood
1960s French Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
1930s Danish Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze
1970s Italian Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass, Stainless Steel
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Beech
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Teak
Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 18th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Boxwood, Burl, Elm, Satinwood, Walnut, Zebra Wood
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Ceramic
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.