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Desks and Writing Tables

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Desks and Writing Tables For Sale
Creator: Osvaldo Borsani
Creator: Maitland Smith
Italian Midcentury Desk by Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Italian large executive desk designed by Osvaldo Borsani, manufactured by Tecno Milano in Italy, circa 1950. This eye-catching desk has a unique design with the integrated drawer t...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Mid-Century Modern T333 Desk by Oslvado Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern T333 Desk by Oslvado Borsani and Eugenio Gerli for Tecno, Italy, 1975
Category

1970s Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Chrome

Yellow Ochre Leather Top Maitland Smith Regency Mahogany Desk with Trays
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a gorgeous Maitland Smith desk with fine bronze and brass castings and wheels and a gorgeous antique yellow ochre leather with gold embossing. The desk is in good condition a...
Category

2010s Philippine Regency Revival Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Early variant Osvaldo Borsani desk with two drawers for Tecno, Italy 1950s
Located in Milan, IT
Minimal Osvaldo Borsani 1950s desk for Tecno, Italy Carries all the original Tecno transfer labels
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal, Brass

“MODUS” table and chairs by Borsani – Italy 1970
Located in Girona, ES
Triangular table and 6 integrated swivel chairs made for various uses (school and university refectories, offices and libraries) in wood, plastic and steel. Model: MODUS Design: Osva...
Category

1970s Italian Space Age Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Vintage office desk, Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy 1960s
Located in Ceglie Messapica, IT
Rare Osvaldo Borsani vintage desk manufactured by Tecno in the 1960s - early 1970s. Steel black structure with wood top venereed in white /beige laminate. Two side adjustable drawe...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Maitland-Smith Vintage Egyptian Style Writing Desk
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Standout mid century writing desk having a tessellated marble top on a case with two drawers and brass borders over four dramatic bronze Egyptian style cat legs. Signed Maitland-Smit...
Category

20th Century Philippine Egyptian Revival Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass

Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, 1960s
Located in Lasne, BE
Desk with wood and metal leg. Stamped Tecno. Wear due to time and age of the desk.
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal

Osvaldo Borsani T95 teak and chromed steel desk for Tecno SPA, Italy, 1956
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
This T95 desk is a remarkable creation by the renowned designer Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, Italy. Conceived in the 1956 and crafted towards the latte...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Executive Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Milano, Italy, 1950s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Beautiful large executive desk designed by Osvaldo Borsani, manufactured by Tecno Milano in Italy, circa 1950. This eye-catching desk has a unique design with the integrated drawe...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Vintage Regency Maitland Smith Tessellated Coconut Shell Writing Desk
Located in west palm beach, FL
An exceptional vintage Regency writing desk. Made by the iconic Maitland Smith group. Beautiful tessellated coconut shell frame with a hand painted leather top. Wrought iron and bras...
Category

Late 20th Century Philippine Regency Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass, Wrought Iron

Desk by Osvaldo Borsani
Located in Milano, Lombardia
The 1960s functionalist style desk represents a fascinating piece of furniture that embodies the elegant marriage of functionality and aesthetics. This design object, with its tubula...
Category

1960s Italian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

20th Century Italian Rosewood Writing Desk by Osvaldo Borsani & Paolo Buffa
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A dark-brown, vintage Mid-Century Modern Italian half-round writing desk with a clear glass top, made of hand crafted polished Rosewood, designed ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Modern Desk/ Table by Borsani, Italy, 1950s
Located in Brussels, BE
Mid-Century Modern Desk/ Table by Borsani, Italy, 1950s
Category

1950s Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Post Modern Tessellated Stone Tile Brass Desk Robert Marcius for Maitland Smith
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A 1970s Post Modern tessellated stone tile and brass executive desk by Robert Marcius for Maitland Smith. This marvelous piece is constructed w...
Category

1970s Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Stone

Early Model of T90 Writing Desk by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno
Located in Frankfurt am Main, DE
Osvaldo Borsani, early model of t90 desk for tecno, presented at the 10th triennial in 1954, milano, italy. minimalist, elegant – and practical: the raised rear edge of the worktop p...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass, Steel

Exectutive Desk by Osvado Borsani for Tecno, Italy, 1950s
Located in Almelo, NL
Executive desk by Osvado Borsani for Tecno, Italy, 1950s This is an unlimited opportunity to own an original Osvaldo Borsani 1950's executive desk. It is made in a combination of wa...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

British Colonial Style Grasscloth and Mahogany Desk
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Handsome British colonial style seven drawer desk crafted in mahogany with bold grasscloth panels all around featuring leather luggage style hardware...
Category

20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Grasscloth, Mahogany

Winner Book Motif Leather Wrapped Maitland Smith Writing Desk
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Handsome Maitland Smith leather wrapped writing desk having trompe l'oeil book decoration with two drawers. Top has embossed and gilded leather. Opening for chair 23.5.
Category

1980s Philippine Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Wood

Tessellated Stone Writing Desk by Maitland Smith
Located in Fraser, MI
Maitland Smith Writing Desk. Mahogany Drawers. Stone rectangular tiles assembled in a surface covering described as tessellated.
Category

1980s Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Stone

Rectangular Dining Table by Osvaldo Borsani
Located in New York, NY
Back-painted glass, brass, walnut. Can easily be used as a dining, entry, or writing table. A rare model.
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Maitland Smith Neoclassical Black Leather and Bronze Desk
Located in Miami, FL
A very unique Neoclassical Maitland Smith desk of gold embossed black leather with gilded bronze lion paws and seraphim on each leg. There are two ...
Category

20th Century American Neoclassical Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

T333 Desk by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Italy, 1970s
Located in Stavenisse, NL
Impressive desk by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno SpA, designed in 1975 by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno SpA Italy. It is made ...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Stainless Steel

T333 Desk by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Italy 1970s
Located in Stavenisse, NL
Impressive desk by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno SpA, designed in 1975 by Eugenio Gerli and Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno SpA Italy. It is made ...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Stainless Steel

Faux Tortoiseshell Partners Desk by Maitland-Smith
Located in Lake Worth, FL
For FULL item description be sure to click on CONTINUE READING at the bottom of this listing. Offering one of our recent palm beach estate fine furniture acquisitions of a 1980s Faux Tortoiseshell...
Category

1980s Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Stone, Brass

Vintage Maitland Smith Carved Oak Console Table / Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Carved oak Vintage Maitland-Smith console table/writing desk with black marble tessellated top. In the style of George III. Signed/Stamp in the back. Overall great condition.  
Category

Late 20th Century American George III Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble

Maitland Smith French Provincial Louis XV Mahogany Leather Top Writing Desk
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous French Provincial Louis XV style writing desk By Maitland Smith Philippines, Circa 1980s Carved mahogany, with original brass hardware and embossed leather top. ...
Category

Late 20th Century Philippine French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

20th Century Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno T90 Desk Wood with Chest of Drawers 60s
Located in Turin, Turin
Osvaldo Borsani in 1953, together with his brother Fulgenzio, realized his most complex project: a company idea named after the "techne" of the Greeks, which means both art and techn...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Mid-Century Pen Shell Desk or Writing Table by Maitland-Smith
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Chic sleek Mid-Century Modern desk crafted in a pen shell mosaic with three drawers in the case having brass highlights on elegant legs with ball feet. Signed Maitland-Smith in drawer.
Category

Late 20th Century Philippine Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Shell

Desk, Made of Walnut by Osvaldo Borsani, 1954
Located in Berlin, DE
Chique and minimal, rare desk designed by Osvaldo Borsani in 1956 and manufactured by Tecno Italy. the plate and the drawers are made of walnut wood, its construction is made of bla...
Category

1950s Italian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal

Exectutive Desk by Osvado Borsani for Tecno, Italy, 1950s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large executive table desk designed by Oslavdo Borsani for Tecno, Italy, 1950s. Double pedestal base is brushed aluminum and shows minor oxidation...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Aluminum

Osvaldo Borsani Desk
Located in New York, NY
7-drawer desk by Osvaldo Borsani for ABV. Rosewood, maple, brass. Curved desk finished on both sides. A variant of an earlier model that originally covered in parchment and designed ...
Category

1940s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Osvaldo Borsani Wooden Desk Covered with Parchment Steel Handles 1940 Italy
Located in Milano, IT
Desk Wood Parchment. The plan has so esattamente shortcomings.
Category

1940s European Other Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Parchment Paper, Carbon Fiber

Desk, Elm Wood, Osvaldo Borsani, 1953
Located in Berlin, DE
Minimal and elegant desk with drawer. Solid wood construction, take top made of solid elm wood, legs with wooden screw thread. Exhibited at Trienale Milano 1954. Osvaldo Borsan...
Category

1950s Italian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood, Elm

Vintage Maitland Smith White Tessellated Marble Scroll Desk/Console Table
Located in Dallas, TX
Elegant desk/console table designed & made by Maitland-Smith in the late 1970s-early 1980s. Its simple, clean lines the scroll top table consists of white tessellated marble arranged...
Category

1970s Philippine Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Stone, Brass

Art Deco Style Maitland-Smith Faux Ostrich Leather Writing Desk
Located in Dallas, TX
This outstanding Art Deco style desk is crafted by Maitland-Smith, circa 1970s. The company is well known for its use of unusual materials. This desk is beautifully covered in faux o...
Category

Late 20th Century Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno Desk, circa 1950s
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A classic and rare, circa 1950s Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno desk with teak top.
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

20th-C. Maitland -Smith Chinoiserie Faux Burnt Bamboo Desk And Chair
Located in Kennesaw, GA
Perfect for that home office! This is a late 20th century faux burnt bamboo chinoiserie desk with coordinating chair. The chair’s blue upholste...
Category

Late 20th Century Philippine Aesthetic Movement Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer

Tecno Executive Desk in Walnut and Cast Aluminum by Osvaldo Borsani, Italy 1950s
Located in Hellouw, NL
This Italian 1950s desk, which can also serve as a table, exudes an unprecedented class and elegance. The very solid boat-shaped top is made of walnut wood and shows a beautiful draw...
Category

1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Aluminum

Vintage Chippendale Style Double Sided Executive Desk by Maitland Smith
Located in Chicago, IL
Vintage Chippendale style double sided 3 drawer hand carved acanthus decorated cabriole legs ball & claw foot with tooled leather top executive desk by Maitland Smith Stunning circa 1800s Design Chippendale style double sided 3 drawer with faux drawer front backside. stretcher base frame, gorgeous inlaid quality Tooled leather serpentine...
Category

1980s Chippendale Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Antique and Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Choosing the perfect writing desk or writing table is a profoundly personal journey, one that people have been embarking upon for centuries.

Queen Atossa of Persia, from her writing table circa 500 B.C., is said to have been the originator of the art of handwritten letters. Hers was reportedly the first in a long and colorful history of penned correspondence that grew in popularity alongside literacy. The demand for suitable writing desks, which would serve the composer of the letters as well as ensure the comfort of the recipient naturally followed, and the design of these necessary furnishings has evolved throughout history.

Once people began to seek freedom from the outwardly ornate styles of the walnut and rosewood writing desks and drafting tables introduced in the name of Queen Victoria and King Louis XV, radical shifts occurred, such as those that materialized during the Art Nouveau period, when designers longed to produce furniture inspired by the natural world’s beauty. A prime example is the work of the famous late-19th-century Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí — his rolltop desk featured deep side drawers and was adorned with carved motifs that paid tribute to nature. Gaudí regularly combined structural precision with decorative elements, creating beautiful pieces of furniture in wood and metal.

Soon afterward, preferences for sleek, geometric, stylized forms in furniture that saw an emphasis on natural wood grains and traditional craftsmanship took hold. Today, Art Deco desks are still favored by designers who seek to infuse interiors with an air of luxury. One of the most prominent figures of the Art Deco movement was French decorator and furniture designer Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann. With his use of neoclassical motifs as well as expensive and exotic materials such as imported dark woods and inlays of precious metals for his writing desks, Ruhlmann came to symbolize good taste and modernity.

The rise in appreciation for Scandinavian modernism continues to influence the design of contemporary writing desks. It employs the “no fuss” or “less is more” approach to creating a tasteful, sophisticated space. Sweden’s master cabinetmaker Bruno Mathsson created gallery-worthy designs that are as functional as they are beautiful. Finnish architect Alvar Aalto never viewed himself as an artist, but, like Mathsson, his furniture designs reflected a fondness for organic materials and a humanistic approach. Danish designers such as Hans Wegner introduced elegant shapes and lines to mid-century desks and writing tables, often working in oak and solid teak.

From vintage desks to contemporary styles, 1stDibs offers a broad spectrum of choices for conducting all personal and business writing and reading activities.

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