Desk Accessories
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Silk
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Stone
20th Century American American Classical Desk Accessories
Paper
Late 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Sèvres
Early 20th Century Desk Accessories
Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Neoclassical Desk Accessories
Metal
Late 19th Century American American Classical Antique Desk Accessories
Iron, Nickel
Early 1900s Italian Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Crystal, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Industrial Desk Accessories
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Wood
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Marble, Bronze
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Lucite
Mid-20th Century Korean Modern Desk Accessories
Brass
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Copper
20th Century European Neoclassical Revival Desk Accessories
Silver Plate
1960s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Steel
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Marble
1980s American Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Lucite
Early 1900s English Antique Desk Accessories
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Desk Accessories
Crystal
20th Century Art Deco Desk Accessories
Ceramic, Pottery, Terracotta, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Modern Desk Accessories
Composition
Late 20th Century Italian Minimalist Desk Accessories
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Glass
2010s European Desk Accessories
Glass
2010s American Modern Desk Accessories
Lucite
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Opaline Glass
1970s European Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Blown Glass, Lucite
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Copper, Enamel
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.