Desk Accessories
20th Century Desk Accessories
Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso
1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 20th Century French Classical Roman Desk Accessories
Bronze
1970s Swiss Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Gold
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Desk Accessories
Leather
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Sterling Silver
15th Century and Earlier European Prehistoric Antique Desk Accessories
Rock Crystal
1970s American Post-Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Murrine
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories
Marble, Spelter
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Desk Accessories
Metal, Brass
1880s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver, Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Scottish Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Marble
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Gold Leaf
1980s Japanese Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Desk Accessories
Aluminum, Gold Plate, Chrome
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Agate, Onyx, Sterling Silver, Bronze
1880s Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Silver Plate
1960s French Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal, Silver
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Aluminum
20th Century English Neoclassical Desk Accessories
Stoneware
1940s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze
2010s Italian Desk Accessories
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Teak
1950s Swedish Vintage Desk Accessories
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Murano Glass
1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Steel
1840s French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Horn
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 19th Century British High Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Murano Glass
1940s Vintage Desk Accessories
Other
20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Brass, Steel
19th Century Egyptian Moorish Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Plastic
2010s American Other Desk Accessories
Blown Glass
1950s European Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal, Silver
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Porcelain
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Glass
Mid-20th Century American Desk Accessories
Plastic
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze, Enamel, Ormolu
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver, Gold
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Crystal
1970s American Vintage Desk Accessories
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Ceramic
1960s Belgian Post-Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Desk Accessories
Glass
1940s Vintage Desk Accessories
Leather
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.