Desks
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Desks
Iron
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel
1860s Empire Antique Desks
Mahogany
19th Century English George III Antique Desks
Other
20th Century British Regency Desks
Bronze
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks
Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary American Desks
Oak, Parchment Paper
2010s Brazilian Modern Desks
Metal
20th Century Swedish Art Deco Desks
Cherry, Sycamore, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks
Teak
1930s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Desks
Rosewood
2010s German Modern Desks
Metal
1870s German Louis Philippe Antique Desks
Walnut
1950s Vintage Desks
Mahogany
2010s European Mid-Century Modern Desks
Brass
18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Ormolu
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Oak
1970s French Modern Vintage Desks
Aluminum, Steel
18th Century Chippendale Antique Desks
Padouk
Mid-18th Century English Chippendale Antique Desks
Brass
Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Desks
Birch, Burl
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks
Bronze
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel
18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Ormolu
1960s South American Vintage Desks
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Desks
Wood
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desks
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Art Deco Desks
Bronze
Early 19th Century British Regency Antique Desks
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desks
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Desks
Brass
1840s Antique Desks
Teak
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Nickel
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desks
Other
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Desks
Wood
1870s Aesthetic Movement Antique Desks
Oak
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks
Ormolu
Mid-18th Century Chinese George II Antique Desks
Padouk
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
19th Century British Victorian Antique Desks
Walnut
1810s American American Colonial Antique Desks
Mahogany, Leather, Poplar, Pine
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Metal
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks
Teak
1860s French Victorian Antique Desks
Kingwood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Walnut
2010s Italian Desks
Metal
Late 20th Century American George III Desks
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Laminate, Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Aluminum
19th Century Austrian Antique Desks
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desks
Leather, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks
Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Pine
1940s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Walnut
1920s Vintage Desks
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Desks
Ormolu
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Desks
Brass, Ormolu
1970s American Vintage Desks
Brass
20th Century Chinese Desks
Wood
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.