Desks
Mid-19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks
Leather, Wood
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Ormolu
1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Wood, Palisander
1910s British Edwardian Vintage Desks
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Desks
Gold
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel, Chrome
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Oak
1930s German Bauhaus Vintage Desks
Steel
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Desks
Ash, Walnut, Oak, Maple
1870s English Antique Desks
Brass
1980s Vintage Desks
Wood
1880s Revival Antique Desks
Mahogany
1860s Georgian Antique Desks
Mahogany
1840s Louis XVI Antique Desks
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Georgian Desks
Leather, Yew, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Desks
Wood
19th Century European Georgian Antique Desks
Brass
1780s British Antique Desks
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Desks
Wood
19th Century French Empire Antique Desks
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Desks
Fruitwood
Early 20th Century American Desks
Birdseye Maple, Oak
Early 20th Century Desks
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Laminate, Walnut
1890s Antique Desks
Wood
1720s English George I Antique Desks
Walnut
Mid-19th Century English Regency Antique Desks
Mahogany, Rosewood
2010s Chippendale Desks
Leather, Mahogany
1880s English Victorian Antique Desks
Leather, Oak
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
2010s Federal Desks
Mahogany
1970s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Wood
20th Century British British Colonial Desks
Brass
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Brass, Ormolu
19th Century British Victorian Antique Desks
Mahogany
1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Iron
20th Century North American American Craftsman Desks
Oak
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Oak
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desks
Brass
Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Desks
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Desks
Stainless Steel
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Desks
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel
19th Century English Queen Anne Antique Desks
Mahogany
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Metal
2010s Vietnamese Desks
Stone
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Metal
1980s Hollywood Regency Vintage Desks
Hardwood
1880s Revival Antique Desks
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Desks
Rosewood
Late 20th Century Italian Desks
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique Desks
Wood
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Beech, Oak
1770s French Louis XV Antique Desks
Kingwood
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Brass, Steel
Early 20th Century American Regency Desks
Glass, 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.