Desks
Early 20th Century American Desks
Oak
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Oak
1970s Unknown Art Deco Vintage Desks
Metal
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Maple, Fabric
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks
Teak
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Desks
Aluminum
Late 17th Century French Louis XIV Antique Desks
Walnut
1940s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Mahogany
Early 20th Century American Desks
Oak
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks
Teak
19th Century Dutch Other Antique Desks
Brass
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desks
Metal, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks
Wood, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks
Marble, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks
Onyx, Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Aluminum, Steel
19th Century French Victorian Antique Desks
Leather, Oak
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desks
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks
Onyx, Brass
1960s Italian Space Age Vintage Desks
Wood
Mid-18th Century English Georgian Antique Desks
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks
Metal, Brass
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Carrara Marble
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Mahogany, Cork
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Desks
Other
Late 19th Century British Primitive Antique Desks
Oak, Pine
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Oak, Plywood
Early 20th Century Dutch Gothic Revival Desks
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Desks
Brass
1950s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Rosewood
1950s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks
Teak
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Faux Leather, Wood, Paint
19th Century Antique Desks
Wood
Mid-18th Century English George II Antique Desks
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Antique Desks
Wood
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Desks
Walnut
Late 19th Century Antique Desks
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel
1960s Vintage Desks
Metal
1780s Antique Desks
Marble
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Bronze
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Metal
1960s Danish Vintage Desks
Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Rosewood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Walnut, Burl
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Desks
Leather, Rosewood, Walnut, Burl
1920s Vintage Desks
Kingwood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel, Chrome
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Rosewood
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Plastic, Laminate
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks
Teak
19th Century English Aesthetic Movement Antique Desks
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century American Desks
Leather, Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks
Brass
Vintage and Antique Desks for Sale — Shop Handcrafted Mid-Century Modern Desks, Art Deco Desks and Other Desks and Tables on 1stDibs
There’s no reason that the corner of your home you’ve dedicated to work shouldn’t also reflect your personality and sense of style. A collection of unique vintage and antique desks can be found on 1stDibs today.
The right desk can be a good fit for your space and help keep you organized when you need it most. For many, the word “desk” can have a negative connotation. Derived from the Latin desca, meaning “table to write on,” the word can understandably evoke memories of stuffy classrooms or monotonous workdays.
As working from home has become more widespread for part of the workforce, many professionals who work remotely park themselves at the dining-room table or at the kitchen countertop to do so. If you’ve got the space, it's healthy to set aside an area in your home designated for work. A good desk can keep you on track and keep your newly minted home office free of clutter and distractions.
Within your own walls, an office area can be both personal and productive, decorated exactly to your taste or just an unobtrusive addition that aligns with the energy of the space as is. When shopping for a desk, keep height, space and specs in mind. It’s helpful to know if you’ll need the desk to offer storage, such as drawers or a hutch, or if it should fit alongside your bedroom wall as cleanly as possible.
An antique writing desk, for example, will offer a spacious, streamlined work experience with a desktop that affords real estate for your notebooks, pens, laptop and research materials. Secretary desks reveal small inner storage compartments — pigeonholes, cubbies, recesses or drawers — when their hinged leaves are folded out.
Maybe you'd prefer a vintage mid-century modern desk that seamlessly incorporates drawers for storage.
Nebraska-born designer Don S. Shoemaker became inspired by Mexico’s tropical woods, such as cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and he decided to work with the material in the postwar years to create desks and other furnishings. Elsewhere, made according to the same high standards as the company’s chairs, celebrated mid-century manufacturer Herman Miller produced desks over the years in a number of versions, created by designers like George Nelson, Gilbert Rohde and Bruce Burdick.
Whether you want a dramatic rolltop-style furnishing akin to the 18th-century secretary commissioned by Louis XVI or a contemporary piece made of everything from linoleum to fallen trees, a new desk and clever arrangement of desktop accessories can brighten the workday in any home.
For every passion project, year-end report or spontaneous million-dollar app idea, find the desk you need on 1stDibs.
Read More
Ask an Interior Designer: Work-from-Home Edition
Leaping into a design project, whether it's refreshing the bedroom or redoing the whole house, can be overwhelming. Luckily, we know more than a few interior designers. You asked questions on Instagram, and now they're answering.
18 Home Offices for Workaholic Design-Lovers
Proof that working from home is a perk.