Desks
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Walnut
20th Century Chippendale Desks
Brass
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Brass
1960s American Vintage Desks
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Desks
Brass
Late 20th Century American Chippendale Desks
Glass, Mahogany
1970s American Chinoiserie Vintage Desks
Brass
20th Century Italian Desks
Leather, Cherry
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Rosewood
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks
Teak
1790s English Chippendale Antique Desks
Mahogany
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desks
Brass
Late 20th Century American Chippendale Desks
Brass
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks
Chrome
19th Century Chinoiserie Antique Desks
Lacquer
Early 18th Century English George I Antique Desks
Other
1960s American Campaign Vintage Desks
Brass
Mid-20th Century Louis XVI Desks
Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Burl
1970s American Modern Vintage Desks
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Burl
1960s Hollywood Regency Vintage Desks
Burl
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desks
Burl
1960s French Provincial Vintage Desks
Wood, Paint
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Chinoiserie Desks
Brass, Gold Leaf
1940s American Louis XV Vintage 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.