Desks
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks
Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary British Georgian Desks
Leather, Yew, Ebony
19th Century French Antique Desks
Marble, Bronze
1980s American Vintage Desks
Birdseye Maple, Walnut
1860s English Louis XV Antique Desks
Ormolu
Late 20th Century American Art Deco Desks
Satinwood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel, Chrome
20th Century English Georgian Desks
Wood
1930s American Empire Vintage Desks
Leather, Mahogany
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Maple, Fabric
19th Century American High Victorian Antique Desks
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desks
Bronze
1820s French Antique Desks
Bronze
19th Century British Antique Desks
Mahogany
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Chrome
20th Century English Victorian Desks
Leather, Yew
19th Century French Other Antique Desks
Leather, Mahogany, Rosewood
20th Century English Art Deco Desks
Yew
1970s French Space Age Vintage Desks
Granite
21st Century and Contemporary Desks
Rattan
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Reed
Late 20th Century French Desks
Resin
20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks
Faux Bamboo
20th Century American Desks
Rattan
1950s French Vintage Desks
1970s French Modern Vintage Desks
Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks
Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desks
Early 20th Century Edwardian Desks
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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