Desks
1950s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Hardwood
20th Century American Chippendale Desks
Brass
1940s French Art Deco Vintage Desks
Oak
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Brass, Iron
Early 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Burl
Mid-19th Century English Georgian Antique Desks
Brass
2010s American Modern Desks
Walnut
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Brass
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Desks
Ormolu
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Glass, Wood, Oak
2010s French Modern Desks
Ash, Wood
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Desks
Teak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Teak
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Glass, Maple, Walnut
1790s English George III Antique Desks
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Desks
Brass
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Desks
Wood
2010s South African Desks
Zebra Hide
18th Century English Queen Anne Antique Desks
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desks
Bronze
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desks
Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Chrome
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Desks
Brass
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desks
Metal
1760s English George III Antique Desks
Brass
1760s English George III Antique Desks
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Campaign Desks
Leather, Wood
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Rosewood
Late 20th Century American Hollywood Regency Desks
Brass
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks
Brass
19th Century Chinoiserie Antique Desks
Lacquer
19th Century French Empire Antique Desks
Bronze
1960s Danish Vintage Desks
Teak
2010s Chippendale Desks
Leather, Mahogany
19th Century French Louis XIII Antique Desks
Mahogany
19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks
Fruitwood
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desks
Goatskin, Lacquer
19th Century Regency Antique Desks
Pine
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks
Wood
19th Century English Empire Antique Desks
Marble, Brass, Ormolu
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Wood
Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Antique Desks
Oak
2010s Indian Modern Desks
Marble
20th Century English Sheraton Desks
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Desks
Metal
Mid-20th Century Indian Mid-Century Modern Desks
Faux Leather, Wood, Teak, Cedar
1890s German Jugendstil Antique Desks
Pine
1980s Vintage Desks
Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks
Bronze, Ormolu
Early 19th Century English Antique Desks
Rosewood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desks
Bronze
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desks
Wood
Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Antique Desks
Oak
1950s French Modern Vintage Desks
Metal
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Desks
Teak
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.