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Desks and Writing Tables For Sale
Period: 20th Century
Period: 1960s
Rare Antique Asprey & Co. London Oak & Tooled Green Leather Writing Desk 1920s
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Rare Luxurious, Asprey & Co. London (Royal Warrant) Oak & Tooled Racing Green Leather Pop-Up Writing Table Made in England in the 1920s.
Item is sold complete with a Burgundy tooled red leather desk set also from Aspreys. It's a very attractive item befit with an aluminium desk calendar, letter opener and two vertical pen rests.
The rectangular and hinged two panel top encloses a green leather writing surface which reveals itself when opened from the top, item is raised on square tapering legs...
Category
1920s English Edwardian Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Mahogany, Oak
Charlotte Perriand Cansado Gray Table, circa 1950
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table designed by Charlotte Perriand, circa 1950.
Wood, metal frame legs.
Provenance: Cansado, Mauritania (Africa).
In original condition, with wear consistent with age and use, p...
Category
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
€5,067 Sale Price
25% Off
Italian Louis XVI Style Desk
Located in Houston, TX
Italian Louis XVI Style Desk.
This handsome Italian desk or writing table has 2 side drawers and 1 center drawer and bronze pulls. Our desk is finished on all sides so it's the perfe...
Category
1940s Italian Louis XVI Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Antique Jewelers/Watchmakers Desk
By Rolex
Located in East Freetown, MA
Antique two tone watchmakers/jewelers desk with fifteen drawers, two shelves and canvas surfaced slide out work top. This desk also has a foot rest. The ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Late Victorian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
€833 Sale Price
56% Off
Antique Keuffel & Esser Drafting Table With Iron Base
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Antique Keuffel & Esser Drafting Table with Iron Base.. this table goes from 30 inches tall to 38 inches tall maybe a little bit more if you push it 24 inches wide original oak top. ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
Scandinavian Rosewood Desk by Nanna Ditzel Søren Willardsen, Denmark, 1960s
Located in Rosendahl, DE
Rosewood desk with three drawers by Nanna Ditzel. The desk has a particularly beautiful grain. The sale takes place with an EU certificate for this rosewood(CITES).
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Baker Furniture English Oak and Burl Wood Barley Twist Writing Desk, Refinished
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional English style writing desk or library table with barley twist legs
By Baker Furniture
USA, Circa 1960s
Carved oak, w...
Category
Mid-20th Century American William and Mary Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Bodil Kjaer, Executive Writing Desk for E. Pedersen & Son, Denmark 1963
Located in WIJCKEL, NL
Early and rare edition of Bodil Kjaer freestanding executive desk, model 901 with chrome-plated metal frame, cassette top with four recessed drawers. Metal frame in very good condition. Four keys included.
Produced by E. Pedersen & Søn, Denmark.
An identical desk featured in the 1960s in the New York Times and The Sunday Times. It became even more famous when it was in some of the first James Bond films: ‘From Russia with love’ & ‘You only live twice’. The desk also appeared prominently in BBC election broadcasts.
Literature: Mobilia, June 1961.
This freestanding desk can be used with multiple purposes, as a writing table, desk or just 'work table', as Bodil Kjaer herself called it. According to Bodil Kjaer the idea of the table is, "that it should be suitable with modern art and architecture." The table is part of a larger series of elements of architecture in 1959, with the intention to build flexible working environments. This piece shows an interesting rhythm of horizontal and vertical lines, as do most of Kjaer's designs. The front is divided into four drawers. (Can be locked with its original Keys) The back has the same in inward gap yet without the drawers, yet this aesthetic choice unites the back and front and turns it into a monumental, architectural piece. The handles are all executed with a whole in the middle for functionality. The table's rise to fame was helped by its appearance in James Bond - From Russia with Love.
Bodil Kjaer (1932-) is trained as an architect and is known mostly known for her designs in noble woods combined with a modern and sleek chrome base. The most important part of her furniture design career was from 1959-1964. She is mainly recognized for her flexible office furniture, designed in the 1960s. Her design language is greatly inspired by the Modernist masters such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Her furniture has been greatly used in public buildings such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Young executives that Bodil Kjær encountered in her work in architecture and design in the late 1950es were open, creative and flexible in their way of working. So, she reasoned that it would be counter-productive for them to be offered traditional office...
Category
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
1968 Executive Desk
Located in Hanover, MA
Executive desk formerly belonging to noted architect George M. Notter, (1933–2007) of the Boston firm Anderson Notter Finegold (now known as Finegold Alexander Architects).
Current institutional memory at the firm suggests it was a special order from Herman Miller for the then new New York offices of MGM, however Herman Miller's archivist was unable to confirm.
Styling, particularly the distinctive slim milled aluminum tracks through which the entire drawer carriage glides is clearly similar to Warren Platner's designs for Lehigh-Leopold which were then among the most costly of executive office furnishings.
The bent flat bar chromed steel base with its distinctive pigeon toe splay is somewhat similar to a table base in Stow Davis' Electa Series, designed by Alexis Yermakov circa 1971.
Walnut laminate top is very clean with no issues. One corner edge shows a small separation.
The only identifying markings are within the milled aluminum channel:
G.P.
F.I.
2
And the date Dec. 20, 1968.
See image 18.
Between the rectangular laminate top and the chrome base is a heavy blackened steel plate. Underneath the bent chrome pigeon toe feet are bars of a thick phenolic material which act as floor protector.
We can have keys made to fit the two locking drawers.
Tim Anderson...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Aluminum, Steel, Chrome
€5,646
FINE RESTORED MILITARY CAMPAIGN TWIN PEDESTAL DESK WiTH GREEN LEATHER TOP
Located in Pulborough, GB
Antiques of London
Discover timeless craftsmanship with this exquisite antique military campaign desk, a true statement piece for any study, office, or period interior. This stri...
Category
20th Century British Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Hardwood
Mastercraft Brass 'Trilobi' Triangular Dining Table or Desk Bases, circa 1970
By Mastercraft
Located in Los Angeles, CA
One of the hottest items currently with interior designers are these gleaming brass 'Trilobi' Mastercraft dining table bases, which also work excellent for a desk or work table, feat...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Italian Antique Walnut Rustic Small Console Table Desk Writing Table
Located in Carimate, Como
Very charming and elegant Italian small antique console table or desk writing table with stylish carved legs in solid wood. Ideal in any room as a small stand alone corner desk as we...
Category
20th Century Italian Rustic Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Italian Antique Solid Walnut Rustic Dining Table Writing Desk
Located in Carimate, Como
Very charming and elegant Italian antique dining table or desk writing table in solid walnut wood with double wood coloring, lighter for the top and darker on the stylish carved legs...
Category
20th Century Italian Rustic Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Kem Weber Trimline for Heywood Wakefield Desk and Chair
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A very cool looking desk and matching chair designed by Kem Weber for Heywood Wakefield’s Trimline group. The desk has a great green laminate top. The matching chair is wood and stee...
Category
1960s American Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel
Vintage Satinwood Marquetry Carlton House Writing Desk 20th Century
Located in London, GB
Here we have a very attractive Carlton House Desk which has been hand crafted from the very finest satinwood and decorated with inlaid marquetry and dates from the late twentieth cen...
Category
1990s English Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Satinwood
Philippe Starck Square Mahogany Dining Table M 'Serie Lang' for Driade Aleph
Located in Hanover, MA
A stealth bomber-like sleek square book-matched ribbon mahogany veneer top dining table over four sharply angled polished cast aluminum legs, each having the signature and manufacturer's mark: Aleph by Starck.
Designed by Philippe Starck in 1987 for Aleph France: a division of Driade, from the limited series Lang...
Category
Late 20th Century French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Aluminum
20th Century French Maison Jansen Bamboo Writing Desk and Chair, Louis Sognot
By Louis Sognot
Located in Fayetteville, AR
Attributed to Louis Sognot (1892-1970), designer for Maison Jansen, this mid twentieth century French desk or writing table, is constructed of bamboo and features a red leather top. The corners around the top and legs are all detailed in brass. Its two drawers open using brass drop ring drawer pulls. Its four legs gently taper outward and are joined by an H stretcher that provides stability. This set includes its original accompanying bamboo desk chair...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Spanish Colonial Carved Walnut 1 Drawer Writing Library Table Desk Console MINT!
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Spanish Colonial Carved Walnut 1 Drawer Writing Library Table Desk Console MINT!
Category
20th Century Italian Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Danish Mid-Century Rosewood Writing Desk
Located in VANCOUVER, CA
Rosewood Danish desk, circa 1960's. Unique 5 legged design with metal pulls and a bank of drawers that all lock at the same time from the top! Finished on bot...
Category
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Cane Rattan Bamboo 5 Drawers Mid Century Modern McGuire Style Desk MINT
By Ficks Reed, McGuire
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Cane Rattan Bamboo 5 Drawers Mid Century Modern McGuire Style Desk MINT
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cane, Rattan
Gallotti & Radice, President model desk, Italy, 1970s.
Located in Palermo, PA
President desk model by Gallotti & Radice, Italian production from 1971.
Iconic, charming and essential design, perfect for a modern setting.
Transparent tempered glass and chrome-pl...
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Crystal, Metal
Large Rosewood Desk and Sideboard by Bodil Kjaer for E. Pedersen & Søn, 1959
Located in Rosendahl, DE
Large freestanding desk and sideboard by Bodil Kjaer, model 901, expertly crafted with fine rosewood veneer and a chrome-plated metal frame. Produced by E. Pedersen & Søn in Denmark,...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel, Chrome
Design Midcentury Writing Table / Desk, Germany, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
- Germany
- around 1960s
- good original condition, stable, refreshed
jt
Category
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
British Colonial Style Faux Bamboo and Grasscloth Pagoda Desk
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive mid century desk crafted with a faux burnt bamboo frame having grasscloth panels on the tops, sides, and drawer fronts, featuring two glove boxes and a dramatic pagoda for...
Category
Mid-20th Century Philippine British Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo
Pogatschnig Desk by Giuseppe Pagano
Located in London, GB
Compact desk in stained wood with curved laminated legs and structural detailing, featuring four drawers with brass handles. A functional and elegant piece with early modernist influ...
Category
1940s Italian Bauhaus Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Laminate, Wood
Beautiful Pine Craftsman Desk Prouve Chapo Style
By Pierre Chapo
Located in Miami, FL
Pine craftsman desk with two drawers.
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Stunning Scene Two Henredon Waterfall Desk Burl Olivewood Wood Mid-Century
By Henredon
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Stunning Henredon olivewood burl “Scene 2” series waterfall desk with rare matching chair. Macassar ebony wood detail and waterfall edges!! Absolutely stunning book-matched olive...
Category
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Macassar, Burl
Peter Løvig Nielsen Boomerang Desk in Teak With Bar
Located in Berkeley, CA
Origin: Denmark
Designer: Peter Løvig Nielsen
Manufacturer: Løvigs Møbelfabrik
Era: 1956s
Materials: Teak
Measurements: 59″ wide x 35″ deep x 28.5″ tall
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
Vintage Mahogany Pembroke Table, Gordon’s Fine Furniture, Inc.
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Vintage Mahogany Pembroke table, Gordon’s Fine Furniture, Inc.
A Classic Pembroke table by Gordon’s Fine Furniture, Inc. made of mahogany with...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Federal Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Desk, Alvar Aalto, Artek, 1950/1960s
By Artek, Alvar Aalto
Located in Helsinki, Uusimaa
Desk, design Alvar Aalto, manufactured by Artek, 1950/1960s. Teak table top with painted wood drawers. Good vintage condition, patina and wear con...
Category
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Teak
€2,450 Sale Price
30% Off
Lacquered Neoclassical Style Desk or Library Writing Table
By John Hall
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Bespoke library table or desk crafted in the neoclassical taste by John Hall Designs, Los Angeles, CA. The desk is constructed from beech and features an intentionally weathered, dis...
Category
20th Century American Neoclassical Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Beech
Superb 1920s Oak Roll Top Desk
Located in Dublin, IE
A superb 1920s beautifully patinated oak roll top desk of neat proportions, finely carved and of gorgeous quality. The moulded top of rectangular fo...
Category
1920s English Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Scandinavian Modern Nanna Ditzel Desk Model ND93 by Søren Willadsen, 1950s
Located in Odense, DK
Large freestanding Nanna Ditzel "ND93" desk in an amazingly grained rosewood with four integrated drawers. Designed in 1955 and executed at cabinetmaker Søren Willadsen, Denmark. A r...
Category
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Hardwood
A Writing Table
Located in Shipston-On-Stour, GB
A handsome mahogany three drawer writing table with a leather inset top above turned legs on castor feet. Elegant proportions.
The brown leather top is in good condition, with no te...
Category
Early 20th Century English Regency Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Wood, Mahogany
€2,109
Emile Galle "Ombelles" Floral and Pastoral Marquetry Writing Desk
By Émile Gallé
Located in Queens, NY
French Art Nouveau writing desk featuring an open upper section with a marquetry inlaid pasteral scene back panel under a carved floral...
Category
20th Century French Art Nouveau Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Stickley Antique Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Desk or Library Table, Refinished
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional antique Mission or Arts & Crafts writing desk or library table
By L. & J.G. Stickley
USA, Circa 1900
Gorgeous quarter sawn oak, with original hammered copper hardwa...
Category
Early 1900s American Arts and Crafts Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Copper
Reception Desk by Kenmochi, Japan 1966
Located in VILLEURBANNE, FR
A unique piece, this large reception desk comes from the Kyoto International Conference Center, designed by Sachio Otani and inaugurated in 1966.
Isamu Kenmochi and his studio, the I...
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Alvar Aalto Writing Table Model K81 in Birch, Artek 1940s
Located in Helsinki, FI
A rare Mid-Century Modern writing desk in full birch model K81 manufactured by Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas for Artek. The minimalist design of the table already designed in the 1...
Category
1940s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Birch
"Hunting table" desk or dining table by Børge Mogensen, Søborg Denmark
By Børge Mogensen, Soborg Furniture Factory
Located in Hägersten, SE
"Hunitng table" designed by Børge Mogensen. Produced in Denmark by Søborg Furniture. Solid oak legs with teak feet. Brass runners and table top in teak. Works perfectly as either a d...
Category
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Midcentury French Leather Wrapped Writing Table attributed to Jacques Adnet
Located in Chicago, IL
Midcentury French leather-wrapped writing table / desk attributed to Jacques Adnet (unmarked). Iron base and frame around the wood top are wrapped in cognac leather with contract sti...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Wood
Severin Hansen 1950s Danish Rosewood Writing Desk
Located in London, England
Severin Hansen Jnr. - Model 36 Writing Desk
This iconic desk was designed by Severin Hansen Jnr. in 1958 when he was in his early 20s. The desk was produced by cabinetmakers Haslev ...
Category
1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Glass, Painted wood & Chrome Plated Metal 1990s desk by Gallotti e Radice
Located in Varese, Lombardia
Minimal Desk with wheeled chest of drawers in white lacquered wood, thick cut glass and chrome plated metal.
Minimal and elegant Desk with chest of drawers on wheels in white lacqu...
Category
1990s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Chrome
Geometric Writing Desk / Sideboard in Walnut and Brass, Italy, 1950s
Located in Uithoorn, NL
This geometrical writing desk has a sleek symmetry. This is formed by two large, rectangular storage compartments, together with four smaller compartments above. In between the compa...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Dark Walnut Executive Desk by Monteverdi Young
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Spectacular 1970’s Dark walnut with black lacquer outline executive desk by Monteverdi-Young.
Custom ordered by renowned interior designer Gary Jon
In beautiful vintage condition. ...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Jacques Adnet : Oak Tripod minimalist desk C. 1955
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Jacques Adnet (1900-194, France) : Tripod oak wood desk
Minimalist and modernist tripod brown tripod oak desk
Model without drawer
Referenced in "Votre Maison" french magazine in ...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
French Louis XV Bureau Plat Leather Top Desk With Mounted Bronze Ormolu
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
A gorgeous French Louis XV style executive writing desk or bureau plat desk
Mahogany, with bronze/bronze trim and ormolu mounts, and embossed green leather top. Remnants of gilt fin...
Category
20th Century Unknown Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Art Deco 7 Drawer Writing Desk with Waterfall Top
Located in Freehold, NJ
This antique art deco vanity features hardwood construction, walnut veneer with original finish, seven dovetailed drawers with unique bentwood ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Exquisite 1920s French Art Deco Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann Style Rosewood Desk
Located in Reading, Berkshire
1920s Art Deco Solid Rosewood Rectangular Desk With Original Fittings.
The Central Drawer is housed between two sets of drawers with Chrome finished feet, and handles.
This exquisite Streamline Moderne desk...
Category
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Stainless Steel
€7,349 Sale Price
30% Off
1950s Fabulous Floating Desk Mexican Mahogany
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Mexico 1950s Refined Floating Desk in Mahogany Wood
Quality build in Mahogany with Plywood on Tabletop. Solid Mahogany Drawer Pulls and Solid Legs.
Manner and era of Eugenio Escuder...
Category
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany, Plywood
English Georgian Mahogany Partner's Desk
Located in Queens, NY
English Georgian style mahogany partner's desk with kneehole design surrounded by drawers and 3 section leather top.
Category
20th Century English Georgian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Mahogany
Danish Mid-Century Teak Writing Desk with Leaf
Located in VANCOUVER, CA
Teak Danish desk, circa 1960s. Lovely compact size, warm-toned veneer, and sleek drawers. Drop leaf lifts to extend the work surface.
39.5"w x 25.5"d x 29"h - 15" leaf
Unrestored i...
Category
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
1920s Walnut Kidney Shaped Desk
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
1920s Walnut kidney shaped desk with green leather insert with gold tooling to the edge and motif to centre. The desk has three drawers either side the kneehole with one long drawer ...
Category
20th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Mid-Century Danish Teak Desk
Located in Baltimore, MD
Beautiful remarkable statement in design and craftsmanship. This mid-century teak Danish desk, precisely crafted in exceptional teak grain wood, with a fully finished back the finish...
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
Spectacular Wood Desk, circa 1930
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Exceptional and spectacular French Art Deco wood desk.
Two drawers in facade,
circa 1930.
Category
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Chrome
Jacques Adnet Iron and Oak Desk, 1950s France
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Monumental Art Deco era desk by French Modernist designer Jacques Adnet. Black iron 'A' frame with 4 angled iron legs. Solid oak table top wrapped in black leather with brass studs p...
Category
1950s French Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
Walnut and burr leather top pedestal desk
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Walnut and burr leather top pedestal desk circa 1990.
Good example of a 19th century designed desk. Which is in 3 sections, being the top and 2 pedestals.
Top surface with green le...
Category
Late 20th Century English Georgian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany, Walnut
Biedermeier Oval Desk in the style of Josef Danhauser
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Very rare find. One of the most striking desks we've ever encountered.
Presenting an iconic second period Biedermeier writing desk.
Solid wood with burled birch veneer and eboniz...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Birch
€5,557 Sale Price
20% Off
French Modern, Rectangular Desk / Dining Table in Solid Pine, Handcrafted, 1900s
Located in Odense, DK
Large rectangular modern country style working desk / dining table in solid pine. Handcrafted by a French cabinetmaker in the early 1900s. This table has a strong impression, nice ch...
Category
Early 20th Century French Brutalist Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
Beautiful Edwardian Oak Pedestal Desk
Located in Crawley, GB
We delight to offer this lovely early 20th century twin pedestal desk. Having a moulded edge, top inset with a panel of tooled green leather, over three frieze drawers, flanked by th...
Category
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Rare Italian Mid-Century Modern Center Desk grissinatura
Located in Milano, IT
Rare Italian Mid-Century Modern Center Desk - 1950s Design with Glass Top and Sculptural Lines
This rare Italian center desk, dating to the mid-1950s, is a superb example of 20th-cen...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern 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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