Desk Accessories
Early 19th Century English George III Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s British British Colonial Antique Desk Accessories
Faux Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Desk Accessories
Ceramic
1930s German Bauhaus Vintage Desk Accessories
Sheet Metal
20th Century Organic Modern Desk Accessories
Rock Crystal
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Iron
19th Century French Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Metal
1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal, Steel
Early 1900s French Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Plastic
Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Brass, Iron
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
1960s French Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
19th Century French Charles X Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze, Ormolu
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Ceramic, Walnut
1920s Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Stoneware
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Crystal
1990s French Modern Desk Accessories
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Murano Glass
Mid-20th Century Desk Accessories
Brass
1920s Danish Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Ceramic
1930s British Vintage Desk Accessories
Paper
2010s Turkish Modern Desk Accessories
Wood, Cedar
1980s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze, Foil
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Late 19th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Indian Art Deco Desk Accessories
Resin
Late 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Gold Plate, Brass
Late 19th Century Italian Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Slate
21st Century and Contemporary Scottish Desk Accessories
Crystal
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
20th Century American Desk Accessories
Oak
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Glass, Art Glass, Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1950s Hungarian Vintage Desk Accessories
Beech
1980s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Chrome
1870s French High Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
1950s Czech Industrial Vintage Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Organic Modern Desk Accessories
Porcelain
Early 20th Century Italian Black Forest Desk Accessories
Wood
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Bronze
2010s Indian Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
1920s Spanish Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
Mid-20th Century American Other Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
1880s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Sterling Silver
1820s Italian Greco Roman Antique Desk Accessories
Siena Marble
1960s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Desk Accessories
Leather
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Bronze
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.