Desks
1970s American Empire Revival Vintage Desks
Burl
1910s Chippendale Vintage Desks
Mahogany
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Walnut
18th Century English George II Antique Desks
Brass
19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Desks
Birch
1960s Italian Vintage Desks
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Desks
Metal, Iron
20th Century English Adam Style Desks
Hardwood, Giltwood
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desks
Other
Mid-20th Century English Art Deco Desks
Bronze
1980s Danish Modern Vintage Desks
Oak
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Desks
Walnut
18th Century English George III Antique Desks
Brass, Iron
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Desks
Walnut
1950s Italian Vintage Desks
Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
Early 1800s English Regency Antique Desks
Mahogany
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Burl
2010s Italian Modern Desks
Wood, Glass
Early 20th Century English Desks
Other
1840s Antique Desks
Teak
18th Century Italian Louis XV Antique Desks
Ivory, Rosewood, Walnut
1980s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Elm
19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Desks
Brass
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Bronze
1930s Argentine Art Deco Vintage Desks
Maple
1930s Queen Anne Vintage Desks
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Desks
Steel, Brass
Early 20th Century European Edwardian Desks
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Desks
Teak
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Pine
1960s Vintage Desks
Wood
1820s Antique Desks
Wood
Early 18th Century English George I Antique Desks
Other
Early 18th Century English George I Antique Desks
Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Lacquer
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Desks
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Desks
Walnut
1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Desks
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Louis XVI Desks
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Desks
Wood
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Desks
Steel, Chrome
18th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks
Walnut
2010s Danish Modern Desks
Stainless Steel
1980s French Modern Vintage Desks
Beech
Late 18th Century Spanish Colonial Antique Desks
Maple, Walnut
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks
Ormolu
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Cane, Walnut
19th Century French Antique Desks
Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks
Wood
19th Century Antique Desks
Oak
20th Century English Victorian Desks
Walnut, Leather
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Desks
Brass
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desks
Palisander
2010s Portuguese Scandinavian Modern Desks
Oak
19th Century French Victorian Antique Desks
Other, Ormolu
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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