Desk Accessories
Early 20th Century Japanese Anglo-Japanese Desk Accessories
Stone
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
Mid-20th Century British Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Glass, Art Glass, Sommerso, Murano Glass, Blown Glass
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
2010s French Desk Accessories
Hide, Leather
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Onyx
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
20th Century Belgian Desk Accessories
Brass
Late 20th Century Modern Desk Accessories
Art Glass
1910s English Vintage Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Blown Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Gold Leaf, Silver Leaf
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Velvet, Cut Glass, Boxwood, Mahogany, Satinwood
Early 1900s Edwardian Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Glass, Murrine, Sommerso, Murano Glass, Blown Glass, Art Glass
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Bronze
1940s Danish Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
2010s American Other Desk Accessories
Blown Glass
20th Century Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Desk Accessories
Stoneware
1920s Folk Art Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century British Campaign Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century European Art Nouveau Desk Accessories
Ceramic
1970s Unknown Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
20th Century Italian Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Early 19th Century Hungarian Biedermeier Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 20th Century German Art Nouveau Desk Accessories
Spelter
1910s German Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Glass
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Horn
20th Century Swedish Art Deco Desk Accessories
Metal, Silver Plate
Early 19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Mahogany
Late 20th Century Italian Organic Modern Desk Accessories
Onyx, Agate
Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Iron
Mid-19th Century Turkish Islamic Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso
19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 20th Century English Art Deco Desk Accessories
Hardwood
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal, Chrome
20th Century Scottish Desk Accessories
Glass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Egyptian Revival Desk Accessories
Marble
1880s French Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Earthenware
20th Century French Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
Late 20th Century French Anglo-Indian Desk Accessories
Paper
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Ceramic
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories
Brass, Copper
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories
Bronze
Late 19th Century British Art Deco Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Early 20th Century American Industrial Desk Accessories
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Marble
Mid-20th Century English Industrial Desk Accessories
Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Gold Plate, Silver Plate, Steel
2010s American Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Art Deco Desk Accessories
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Japanese Showa Desk Accessories
Stone
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.