Desks
Mid-19th Century French Empire Antique Desks
Bronze
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Metal
1950s European Other Vintage Desks
Rosewood, Wood
19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Desks
Hardwood
2010s American Modern Desks
Metal
20th Century French Desks
Oak
1780s English George II Antique Desks
2010s European Modern Desks
Wood, Oak, Lacquer, Paper
Late 18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Desks
Brass, Iron
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desks
Wood
Late 19th Century British Antique Desks
Walnut
1880s Victorian Antique Desks
Mahogany
1850s French Antique Desks
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desks
Wood, Parchment Paper
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desks
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Brass
19th Century British Georgian Antique Desks
Mahogany
2010s American Directoire Desks
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Desks
Wood
Early 1800s English George III Antique Desks
Brass
1770s English George III Antique Desks
Satinwood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Leather, Birch
Mid-19th Century French Antique Desks
Bronze
2010s French Desks
Oak
1860s Antique Desks
Hardwood
1860s Antique Desks
Hardwood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Ormolu
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Desks
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Desks
Leather, Glass, Oak, Wenge
1980s Vintage Desks
Stainless Steel
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desks
Nutwood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Wood
18th Century Italian Antique Desks
Wood
1940s French Vintage Desks
Leather, Oak
18th Century and Earlier British Antique Desks
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desks
Leather, Hardwood
20th Century English Modern Desks
Leather, Hardwood
Late 19th Century Italian Louis XIV Antique Desks
Walnut
19th Century Unknown Biedermeier Antique Desks
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century English George III Antique Desks
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Ormolu
19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Desks
Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
Mid-20th Century American Desks
Leather, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Desks
Cherry
Late 19th Century English Sheraton Antique Desks
Satinwood
Early 1900s Swedish Jugendstil Antique Desks
Mahogany
Early 20th Century English Adam Style Desks
Satinwood
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Desks
Oak, Walnut
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Oak
Early 1900s French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Bronze
2010s American Modern Desks
Metal, Bronze, Steel, Cut Steel, Iron
2010s Renaissance Desks
Wood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Metal
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.
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