Desks
1870s Victorian Antique Desks
Mahogany
2010s Polish Post-Modern Desks
Wood
2010s Portuguese Art Deco Desks
Brass, Iron
Mid-20th Century American Desks
Leather, Wood
2010s Polish Post-Modern Desks
Wood
Early 1900s French Antique Desks
Boxwood, Mahogany, Rosewood
Late 20th Century Philippine Desks
Reed
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Ormolu
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks
Ormolu
20th Century English Modern Desks
Shagreen
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Ormolu
2010s Polish Post-Modern Desks
Wood
1960s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
19th Century Italian Antique Desks
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Desks
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Desks
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Desks
Aluminum
19th Century German Antique Desks
Oak
1960s Vintage Desks
Wood
1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Desks
Brass
1930s Argentine Art Deco Vintage Desks
Maple
Mid-20th Century Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Desks
Oak
Mid-20th Century Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Desks
Oak
Early 20th Century Unknown Bauhaus Desks
Metal
1970s Italian Other Vintage Desks
Bamboo
1980s Empire Vintage Desks
Kingwood
18th Century English Antique Desks
Mahogany
Mid-18th Century Italian Antique Desks
Wood
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Ormolu
1920s Vintage Desks
Walnut
1850s Victorian Antique Desks
Mahogany
1980s Danish Modern Vintage Desks
Oak
Mid-18th Century British Georgian Antique Desks
Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Desks
Ormolu
2010s Polish Post-Modern Desks
Wood
18th Century French Louis XIV Antique Desks
Bronze
19th Century English Antique Desks
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Mid-Century Modern Desks
Oak
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Ormolu
1960s Vintage Desks
Wood
1950s American Modern Vintage Desks
Aluminum, Steel
1870s Victorian Antique Desks
Mahogany
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Desks
Mahogany
Early 1900s Antique Desks
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Chinoiserie Desks
Brass, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Post-Modern Desks
Stone
Late 19th Century English Victorian Antique Desks
Rosewood
1930s French Empire Vintage Desks
Kingwood
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Brass, Ormolu
2010s European Mid-Century Modern Desks
Brass
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Desks
Cast Stone, Brass
1880s English High Victorian Antique Desks
Leather, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Empire Desks
Bronze
19th Century English Louis XV Antique Desks
Ormolu
19th Century French Antique Desks
Amboyna
2010s European Mid-Century Modern Desks
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Desks
2010s Spanish Post-Modern Desks
Stainless Steel, Iron
1860s English High Victorian Antique Desks
Leather, Oak
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.