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Secretaires

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Secretaires For Sale
Style: Modern
Style: Arts and Crafts
Modernist Secretary Showcase, Tubular Steel, Lacquer/Veneered Wood, Customizable
Located in Berlin, DE
Modernist secretary showcase made of chrome plated tubular steel and lacquered or veneered wood. Customizable, production time: 9-10 weeks.
Category

2010s German Modern Secretaires

Materials

Metal

Arts and Crafts Pine Collectors Cabinet Filing Drawers
Located in Chillerton, Isle of Wight
Arts and Crafts Pine Collectors Cabinet Filing Drawers The Cabinet is made in natural pine and has 12 Long Drawers, some of the drawers have the original dividers others are missing...
Category

1880s Arts and Crafts Antique Secretaires

Materials

Pine

Antique Arts & Crafts Macey Five Stack Oak Barrister Bookcase & Desk c1920
Located in Big Flats, NY
***Ask About Reduced In-House Shipping Rates - Reliable Service & Fully Insured*** An antique Arts and Crafts barrister bookcase by ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Secretaires

Materials

Glass, Oak

English secretary bookcase Arts&Crats 1910
Located in Meulebeke, BE
This English secretary bookcase in arts & crafts style is a beautiful piece of furniture that expresses both elegance and functionality. The secretary bookcase was made around 1910 i...
Category

1910s English Arts and Crafts Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Copper

Ernest Gimson A walnut bureau inlaid with holly chequered string inlay.
Located in London, GB
Ernest Gimson attributed. Arts & Crafts Cotswold school walnut bureau inlaid with holly chequered string inlay. The quality of this craftsman handmade bureau is a step above. The fol...
Category

1910s English Arts and Crafts Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Walnut

Antique Arts & Crafts Mahogany Five Stack Barrister Secretary & Bookcase c1910
Located in Big Flats, NY
***Ask About Discounted In-House Shipping*** An antique Arts and Crafts barrister bookcase offers mahogany construction with central...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Secretaires

Materials

Glass, Mahogany

Secretary With Drawer by Mylene Niedzialkowski
Located in Geneve, CH
Secretary With Drawer by Mylene Niedzialkowski Dimensions: W 59 x H 160. Materials: Solid oak and solid steel. A rotating secretary with engaged curves on a solid steel axis. Combin...
Category

2010s French Modern Secretaires

Materials

Steel

Faux Bamboo Rattan Enamel and Decorated Slant Top Secretary Desk
Located in Germantown, MD
An Exquisite hand-crafted Faux Bamboo Rattan, hand enamed and Decorated Slant Top Secretary Desk with open bottom lower tier and high knee cle...
Category

Late 20th Century Philippine Modern Secretaires

Materials

Enamel

Modernist Secretary Cabinet, Lacquered Wood, Chrome-Plated Metal, Customizable
Located in Berlin, DE
German modernism free-standing secretary cabinet designed and manufactured by GMD Berlin. Wood lacquering in various colors and finish. Available on request in different amounts.
Category

2010s German Modern Secretaires

Materials

Steel

Portuguese Antique Desk Sec XVIII
Located in Castelo da Maia, PT
D. José paper chest, 18th century, in rosewood wood. Corrugated box on the front, with two drawers and three large drawers of increasing Size, framed and flanked by two projecting p...
Category

Late 18th Century Portuguese Modern Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Modernist Secretary Showcase, Lacquered Wood, Chrome-Plated Metal, Customizable
Located in Berlin, DE
German modernism 'Dahlem' secretary showcase designed and manufactured by GMD Berlin. Wood lacquering in various colors and finish. Available on reque...
Category

2010s German Modern Secretaires

Materials

Steel

Cube Cabinet by Jean-Baptiste Van den Heede
Located in Geneve, CH
Cube cabinet by Jean-Baptiste Van den Heede Signed and numbered Dimensions: L 30 x W 30 x H 90 cm Materials: Natural oakwood, nordic pine base Cube cabinet, auxiliary furniture for bedside table, house entrance, bar cabinet or jewel cabinet...
Category

2010s Spanish Modern Secretaires

Materials

Wood

1980s Custom Sectioned Storage File Case Rustic Wood Wrapped in Brass
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Modern Vintage Sectioned Storage Case Custom made. Wood Wrapped in Brass Fabulous open organizer cabinet. Measures: 42.25 tall x 11.75 D x 43 W. ...
Category

1980s Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Brass

English Arts & Crafts Handmade Dark Stained Solid Oak Desk with Side Shelves
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Solid oak English Arts & Crafts desk with built in side shelves and removable top for ease of movement make this a practical gem. Original hardware perfectly intact and united by str...
Category

Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak

George Walton Style of a Small Arts & Crafts Oak Sideboard with Floral Carvings
Located in London, GB
A small Arts & Crafts oak sideboard in the style of George Walton. With flaring cornice, four small upper cupboards the central pair with arched doors and a small work area in front...
Category

Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Shapland & Petter, Arts & Crafts Mahogany Desk with a Pierced Heart to the Top
Located in London, GB
Shapland & Petter. A wonderful Arts & Crafts mahogany writing desk with a pierced heart to the top, shaped back and sides, with upper three quarter shelf and a stylized floral leaded glass back below. A period style leather writing area with hand tooled gilt decoration to the edges. A bow fronted drawer with stylized copper heart...
Category

Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Secretaires

Materials

Leather, Mahogany

Amuneal's Loft 4 Post Work Suite
Located in New York, NY
The loft work suite is a modular office system from Amuneal’s Loft shelving system. Posts in blackened steel are coupled with solid brass machined fitting...
Category

2010s American Modern Secretaires

Materials

Brass, Steel

John Stuart Vintage White Lacquered Campaign Wood Desk with X-Chrome Base
Located in North Miami, FL
This newly restored vintage John Stuart campaign 2 drawer desk and or writing desk is white lacquered over wood with chrome handles and 2 X-frame ...
Category

1970s American Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Chrome

Charles Spooner Arts & Crafts Oak secretaire Cabinet with Serpentine Stretchers
By Charles Spooner
Located in London, GB
Charles Sydney Spooner, probably made by J H Brandt. A rare oak secretaire cabinet on stand, with quarter veneered panels to the doors and drawers with black and green diamond shaped handles. The doors open to reveal adjustable shelves. The sides and lower stand are all made from solid quarter sawn oak with beautiful figuring. The slightly graduated mouldings to the waist frame the tidy little writing area. Standing on squashed ball feet, united with serpentine entwined stretchers. This is an oak variation of the cabinet Charles Spooner exhibited at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in 1910. One can see that both cabinets are essentially the same design, one with drawers one with a pull down writing area. Both have quartered veneered panels to the doors, the Mahogany one with applied moulded decoration to the doors. See : illustration below from : Arts and Crafts Furniture by John Andrews. See also : Charles Spooner Arts and Crafts Architect, page 209 illustration 10:28. : Fine Art Society for a Coromandel variation and Puritan Values : Important Furniture Page 1, for a larger four door lacquered panelled variation. Charles Spooner is noted as one of the most influential people and also credited as one of the fathers of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Born at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington (London), Spooner was the second of 5 children of Charles Spooner and Sarah Frances Trinder, who lived at Brook Green, Hammersmith. Spooner became an architect and an instructor of furniture design at the London County Council's Central School of Arts and Crafts. He was a pupil and then assistant of Sir A W Blomfield and in 1890 won the RIBA’s Soane Medallion (Proc RIBA). He specialised in smaller churches and houses turning out some beautiful and complete buildings. He was influenced by E W Godwin and contemporary American architects such as H H Richardson. He was a member of the Society and Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Art Workers Guild, he worked in the tradition of William Morris, teaching...
Category

1920s English Arts and Crafts Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Citronnier Wood and Marquetry Secretaire by Englander & Bonta, Argentina, 1950
Located in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Citronnier wood and marquetry secretaire by Englander & Bonta, Argentina, 1950. Englander & Bonta where two European designer that migrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1930 and man...
Category

1950s Argentine Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Rare Sesamo Secretary by Frattini for Bernini
Located in Munich, DE
Designed by Gianfranco Frattini in 1981 and made by Bernini. Signed and in good condition.
Category

Late 20th Century Italian Modern Secretaires

Materials

Wood

“Elefantini” Secrétaire by Roberto Rida, Italy, 2016
Located in New York, NY
Palm wood drop-down secretary/vanity, comprising a console-base supporting a cabinet decorated with 120 bronze elephants. The inside features a drawer with a bone pull. A matching be...
Category

2010s Italian Modern Secretaires

Materials

Bronze

Rare Lajos Kozma Bar Cabinet or Secretary
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
Stunning and rare 1930s marquetry starburst front bar cabinet or secretary by Hungarian architect Lajos Kozma. The cabinet is in wonderful original condition with very few signs of age.
Category

1930s Hungarian Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Rosewood, Walnut

Related Items
Chinoiserie Decorated Ebonized, Gilt, & Red Lacquered Secretary Desk
Located in Big Flats, NY
A Chinoiserie decorated secretary offers black lacquered wood construction with upper having a broken arch pediment over a cast with double doors opening to vermillion red lacquered ...
Category

20th Century Chinoiserie Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Antique Arts & Crafts Ebonized Oak Architect's Blueprint Flat File Cabinet
Located in South Bend, IN
A rare antique Arts & Crafts six-drawer architect's blueprint or map flat file cabinet In the manner of Hamilton Manufacturing Co. USA, Circa 1900 Oak in ebonized finish, with ori...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Biedermeier Antique Secretary Circa 1840 Veneered With Mahogany
Located in Opole, PL
Biedermeier Antique Secretary Circa 1840 Veneered With Mahogany Furniture in the Biedermeier style, made of soft wood veneered with mahogany, dated around 1840. The monumental shape...
Category

1840s German Biedermeier Antique Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

A Spectacular English Chinoiserie Secretary
Located in New York, NY
This impressive and grand Chinoiserie Secretary having an intricate detailed decoration both on the exterior and interior, the top section with 2 doors opening to reveal a fitted i...
Category

Late 19th Century British Chinoiserie Antique Secretaires

Materials

Giltwood, Lacquer, Paint

Burled Maple Cabinet Secretary with Drawers / Flat File, USA, 1960's
Located in Austin, TX
Edward Wormley style Mid-Century Modern case piece with drawers at base and drop-down secretary at top. Two toned finish that appears to be rosewood and burled maple. Interior of des...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Wood

George III Glazed Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
Located in Batley, GB
A Georgian mahogany beurau bookcase with 4 long drawers raised on bracket feet. The desk fitted with a delicate interior retaining all its original drawers and keys. The astral glaze...
Category

Late 18th Century British George III Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood

George III Glazed Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
George III Glazed Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
H 87.8 in W 35.44 in D 19.3 in
Antique Arts & Crafts 74-Drawer Card File Cabinet or Industrial Parts Cabinet
Located in South Bend, IN
A rare antique Arts & Crafts card file cabinet or industrial parts cabinet USA, circa 1900 Solid oak, with brass hardware and metal draw...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Secretaires

Materials

Metal, Brass

19th Century English Black Lacquered Chinoiserie Secretary
Located in Dallas, TX
Lovely 19th century English black lacquered Chinoiserie secretary. Beautiful painted Asian designs and many compartments. A true w...
Category

19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Secretaires

Materials

Wood

English George III Mahogany Secretary Desk and Bookcase, 18th Century
Located in Shippensburg, PA
GEORGE III MAHOGANY SECRETARY DESK AND BOOKCASE England, circa last quarter of the 18th century Item # 305PKI25A An incredibly beautiful George III mahogany fall-front secretary de...
Category

18th Century English George III Antique Secretaires

Materials

Brass

George III Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
Located in Westwood, NJ
Elegant Georgian style cabinet with classical pediment, geometric glazing bars over the twin doors with three adjustable shelves within, the lower section with a fall front, fully li...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese George III Secretaires

Materials

Mahogany

George III Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
George III Mahogany Secretary Bookcase
H 88.5 in W 40.75 in D 22 in
20th Century Dutch Trumeau Walnut with Maple Wood Inlays, Netherlands, 1950
Located in Puglia, Puglia
Dutch Trumeau from the mid-20th century. Furniture of exceptional quality, richly inlaid in walnut and maple wood, the interior is covered in mahogany an...
Category

1950s Dutch Dutch Colonial Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Maple, Walnut, Fir

19th Century French Directory Cherry Wood Secretary Desk
Located in Madrid, ES
A French Directory era secretary desk, from the early 19th century, made of beautiful cherry wood, in a light tone with bronze handles and bronze keyholes as well. In their lower part they have a long drawer, and two smaller upper ones. When opening the lid, with a mechanism of lateral iron bars, we can see four other smaller drawers, two on each side, separated by a small walnut arch...
Category

19th Century French Directoire Antique Secretaires

Materials

Bronze

Previously Available Items
Unique Dutch Arts & Crafts Oak Partners Desk and Filing Cabinet Into One, 1910s
Located in Lisse, NL
Unique and very stylish antique desk from early 1900s Amsterdam. When you don't know much about the history of a unique antique then sometimes you need to look better at it than others have and the answers might come to you that way. When we first saw this piece of furniture, our knowledge about this Style told us it was a typical Dutch Arts and Crafts antique that was hand-crafted around 1915. Apart from the design and the oakwood exterior with the coromandel handles on the drawers it has exactly the kind of patina that ties in with pieces from that era. What makes this piece stand out from any other antique desk that we had ever seen is the design itself. Fully closed this is a relatively small filing...
Category

Early 20th Century Dutch Arts and Crafts Secretaires

Materials

Brass

Antique Arts & Crafts Mission Oak & Leaded Glass Drop Front Secretary Desk C1910
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique Arts and Crafts Mission drop-front secretary offers quarter sawn oak construction with upper bookcase having double leaded glass doors opening to shelved interior over sla...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Secretaires

Materials

Glass, Oak

40s English Oak Wood Secretaire, Desk, Commode by Aw-Lyn
By Aw-Lyn
Located in Valladolid, ES
Gorgous, refined and practical Arts & Crafts bureau or desk made of oak around the 30s or 40s of the 20th century in the United Kingdom, by Aw-Lyn, a manufacturer of furniture of ext...
Category

1940s English Arts and Crafts Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Italian Modern Red Plastic Storage Trolley Boby Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast 1968
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern red plastic storage trolley Boby, on wheels, by Joe Colombo for Bieffeplast in 1968. Iconic and very useful in all environments, Boby model storage trolley with struc...
Category

1960s Italian Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Plastic

20th Century P. Fornasetti Secretary Marked Screen Printing Technique Lacquered
Located in Epfach, DE
Screen print surface, lacquered several times, double door in the upper area, in the middle a writing tablet that can be folded out and below three drawers give access to imaginary w...
Category

1980s Italian Modern Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Wood

R & Y Augousti Secrétaire Desk in Cream Shagreen
Located in Denton, TX
Husband-and-wife design team: Ria and Yiouri Augousti of Paris created this shagreen covered desk. Features Mahogany veneer drop down desk top, lock with key, six interior drawers. D...
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20th Century Philippine Modern Secretaires

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Iron

Artistic and Perfectly Hand Crafted Arts & Crafts Oak Fine Ladies Writing Desk
Located in Lisse, NL
Beautiful and practical antique ladies desk from 1890-1910. This fine, Arts & Crafts era ladies desk is another great example of the stylish designs that were hand-crafted and of ...
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Early 20th Century European Arts and Crafts Secretaires

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Brass

Antique Arts & Crafts JM Young Mission Oak Library Table Desk circa 1910
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique Arts and Crafts Mission library table desk offers quarter sawn oak construction with upper drawer, slat sides and mortice and tenon lo...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Secretaires

Materials

Oak

Side 2" Storage Unit by Shiro Kuramata for Cappellini
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Side 2" storage unit by Shiro Kuramata for Cappellini In 1970, Shiro Kuramata designed a series of chests of drawers in different shapes. The frame is made of black-stained ash and ...
Category

Late 20th Century European Modern Secretaires

Materials

Wood

Antique Spinet Secretary Desk
Located in New York, NY
Antique Spinet Desk Secretary. This is the perfect small desk having a full lower front drawer with carved fan detail center and scalloped bottom. ...
Category

1910s American Arts and Crafts Vintage Secretaires

Materials

Poplar, Walnut

Antique Spinet Secretary Desk
Antique Spinet Secretary Desk
H 33.5 in W 36 in D 20 in
Arts & Crafts Mission Paneled Oak & Leaded Glass Barrister Secretary, c1910
Located in Big Flats, NY
An antique Arts & Crafts mission barrister bookcase secretary offers quarter sawn oak paneled construction with upper having leaded glass door over drop down desk surmounting two gla...
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Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Secretaires

Materials

Oak, Glass

Antique Edwardian Arts & Crafts Mahogany Writing Bureau
Located in London, GB
A lovely antique Arts & Crafts period bureau in solid mahogany, dating from around the 1890-1900 period. This is of excellent quality and has a beautiful design. The writing surface...
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19th Century English Arts and Crafts Antique Secretaires

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Mahogany

Antique, New and Vintage Secretaires

Your antique, new or vintage secretary desk has become the (chic) saving grace of the "new normal" at home.

Simply put, a secretary desk is a multifunctional piece of furniture with a hinged writing surface that folds open or drops down. When the leaf is folded out, small inner storage compartments — pigeonholes, cubbies, recesses or drawers — are revealed.

Traditionally, a secretary is composed of two parts — a chest of drawers on the bottom and a cabinet with shelves on the top. Taking its name from the French word for the piece, secrétaire, the secretary desk dates back to the 18th century, when Paris-based cabinetmaker Jean-François Oeben, known for his exquisite marquetry and clever mechanical desks, is thought to have invented the secrétaire à abbattant, or drop-leaf desk.

While the defining drop-down feature of the secretary desk has remained constant, the materials used, as well as its configuration, size and style have evolved over time.

At first, secretaries were typically made from exotic woods, like rosewood, tulipwood and kingwood; later, hardwoods like cherry, maple, oak and mahogany were more common. The desks also became lighter, with space carved out of the lower half for the writer’s feet or with drawers replaced by legs — making them more table-like.

When open, the secretary is a dynamic, versatile Wunderkammer. When closed, it’s a sophisticated, space-saving piece of furniture.

“A fine secretary with a good provenance adds stature and credence to its owner — it is a cornerstone piece,” says antiques dealer Stanley Weiss, who specializes in 18th- and 19th-century English and American furniture. “In this disposable world, fine furniture is always passed on and speaks to who its owner is.”

No matter what style or period you choose, and no matter how you decide to use it, the timeless, flexible secretary desk is bound to become an indispensable part of your daily routine.

Browse a range of antique and vintage secretary desks on 1stDibs, including mid-century modern secretaires, Georgian secretaires and others.

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