Desks and Writing Tables
2
625
to
82
300
286
625
625
625
76
69
47
18
14
11
8
8
7
6
6
2
1
1
1
489
1,806
3,971
1,760
588
2,227
717
88
32
92
197
162
593
640
395
138
31
Height
to
Width
to
Depth
to
597
202
125
124
124
532
265
180
130
30
14
6
5
4
4
Desks and Writing Tables For Sale
Period: Late 19th Century
Period: Early 1900s
Bruce Talbert attr, Gillow & Co. A Gothic Revival Polychrome Painted Davenport.
Located in London, GB
Bruce Talbert attr, made by Gillows of Lancaster. An Gothic Revival Tall Polychrome Painted Architects Davenport designed to stand at to work, with stylised floral details in reds an...
Category
Late 19th Century English Gothic Revival Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Late 19th Century Elegant Italian Frattino Table All Solid Walnut Wax-Polished
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Era neoclassicism elegant Italian Frattino table all solid walnut wax-polished
Very elegant neoclassic rectangular table in Renaissance style. In th...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Desks and Writing Tables
French Louis XVI Style Kingwood Parquetry & Ormolu Mounted Ladies Writing Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A very fine French 19th-20th century louis XVI style kingwood parquetry and ormolu-mounted ladies writing table, the body surrounded by bronze moldings. The apron repeats the parquet...
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ormolu
19th C Chippendale Style Mahogany Block Front Shell Carved Secretary Desk Lowboy
Located in Philadelphia, PA
19th century Chippendale style mahogany blockfront secretary desk. Item features solid mahogany wood construction, dramatic shapely legs terminating with ball and claw feet on the fr...
Category
Late 19th Century American Chippendale Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
French 19th Century Rustic Pinewood Table
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Charming pinewood table with single drawer and original green-painted top, raised on tapering legs.
Category
Late 19th Century French Country Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
American Victorian Gothic Revival "Carlton House" Desk
Located in New York, NY
American Victorian Gothic Revival (mid-19th Century) oak "Carlton House" desk with super structure above drawers on legs joined by stretchers.
Category
Late 19th Century American Gothic Revival Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
English Regency Style Satinwood Desk
Located in New York, NY
English Regency style (circa 1850s) gilt metal mounted satinwood desk with inset brown leather top over drawers on legs joined by stretchers. (stamped ...
Category
Late 19th Century British Regency Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Satinwood
19th Century Gilt Bronze and Sèvres Style Porcelain Plaque Bonheur du Jour
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful late 19th century Louis XVI style gilt bronze and Sèvres style porcelain plaque Bonheur du jour.
The top with a pierced three quarter gallery and white marble top abov...
Category
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Rare and Very Special Late 19th Century Bureau by François Linke
Located in New York, NY
A rare and very special late 19th century Louis XV style gilt bronze-mounted two-tier kidney shaped bureau
by Franc¸ois Linke.
The upper case with shaped top, surmounted by a s...
Category
Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
19th Century Italian Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Gothic looking carved drop down desk that is drop dead gorgeous.
Category
1880s Italian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
French Louis XV Style Walnut Table Desk
Located in New York, NY
French Louis XV style (19/20th Century) walnut table desk with gilt trim and stretcher.
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Late 19th Century Massive Tyrol Desk or Working Table, Restored and Wax Finished
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Antique rustic Tyrol desk or working table, in solid wood restored and wax finished
Measures cm: H 78, W 80, D 100.
Category
Late 19th Century Austrian Country Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
B Talbert for Gillows Aesthetic Movement Davenport with Central Carved Rosette
Located in London, GB
Bruce J Talbert for Gillows of Lancaster.
An Aesthetic Movement Davenport with a brass gallery to the back and an inkwell and pen compartment below, a...
Category
Late 19th Century Arts and Crafts Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Belgian Art Nouveau Desk and Armchair
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Belgian Art Nouveau desk and armchair in ebonized oak, circa 1905, in the manner of Gustave Serrurier-Bovy. 72" long x 37" deep x 30" high. The Art...
Category
Early 1900s Belgian Art Nouveau Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Lovely Late 19th Century Gilt Bronze-Mounted German K.P.M. Porcelain Desk
Located in New York, NY
A lovely late 19th century gilt bronze-mounted German K.P.M. porcelain desk
Decorated all-over with porcelain plaques painted with scenes of courting couples, the upper section with a central cupboard door mounted with a square plaque and nine surrounding drawers, the lower section with shaped top inset with three frieze drawers, each of the corners with a male figure emerging from a scrolled volute, above four tapering fluted and floral-painted porcelain legs with four putti...
Category
Late 19th Century German Belle Époque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Fabulous Louis XV Cherry Desk
Located in Port Chester, NY
A fabulous Louis XV desk. The front boasts a faux three-drawer facade with wonderful grain and charming carved details. The back, or seating side, has three real drawers and an apron...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cherry
Decorative French Amboyna and Gilt Bronze Center Table
Located in London, GB
A Library Centre Table in the Louis XVI Manner
Constructed in amboyna, with purpleheart banding with gilt bronze mounts; of elliptical form, with gently everted angles; rising from ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Rare Walnut Desk in the Anglo-Japanese Style Designed by Thomas Jeckyll
Located in London, GB
A fine and rare walnut desk in the Anglo-Japanese style designed by Thomas Jeckyll and made by Charles Hindley and Sons.
“Thomas Jeckyll designed some of the earliest surviving furniture inspired in decoration if not in form- by interest in Japan” (Cooper p. 138).
As can be seen on the desk, the style and design details such as the ‘Key’ design, the Japanese style lacquered door panels, the cross hatching and circle design on the brass door brackets, all combine to create a unique example of Jeckyll’s Anglo-Japanese work.
The ‘Key’ design on the desk appears on many of Jeckyll’s designs including the cast iron grates and fenders made by Barnard, Bishop and Barnards and on furniture designed for ‘Alecco’ Ionides for his home at no1 Holland Park, London in circa 1875. The ‘Peacock’ dining...
Category
Late 19th Century Anglo-Japanese Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Early 20th Century Desk & Chairs Tuscan Renaissance by Dini & Puccini - Cascina
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Antique desk with three chairs Tuscany Renaissance in the early 20th century carved walnut. Desk with two drawers. One armchair with armrests and two chairs in leather. By Dini & Pu...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Renaissance Revival Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut, Leather
George Walton. Arts & Crafts Walnut Desk with Secret Drawers & Heart Escutcheons
Located in London, GB
George Walton. A rare Arts and Crafts walnut desk almost identical to the desk Walton designed in 1898 for Sidney Leetham for the morning room in Elm Bank, a major interior commission in York, England.
This desk is a complex hybrid design. The overhanging top with central arched cupboard...
Category
Late 19th Century English Arts and Crafts Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
19th Century Salon Empire Writing Desk, 1890
Located in Berlin, DE
Solid wood, mahogany veneer. Rectangular cover plate over an inconspicuous frame. The base is arched. Fine chiselled bronze applications, gilded. Removable worktop / writing table un...
Category
Late 19th Century French Empire Revival Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Grain-Painted English Pine Kneehole Desk from Collection of Michael S. Smith
Located in Southampton, NY
Grain-painted English pine kneehole desk, probably late 19th century, from the collection of Michael S. Smith. This is a well constructed desk with generous storage/shelving. Outside...
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
French Louis XV Style Black Lacquered Desk with Red Tooled Leather Top
Located in Dallas, TX
French Louis XV style black lacquered desk with a red tooled leather top and bronze hardware.
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
French Louis XV Style Ormolu-Mounted, KingWood Console Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A French Louis XV Style Ormolu Mounted King-Wood Console Table. The serpentine Brèche d'Alep Marble Top above the frieze centered by scrolling acanthus, flanked by four female busts ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ormolu
French Mahogany Partners Desk
Located in New York, NY
French mahogany partners desk. Antique mahogany partners desk with six drawers beneath the black Greek-key tooled leather top supported by gilt bronze Hermes...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Small 19th century writing table with 3 drawers
Located in Eindhoven, NL
Beautiful small antique mahogany writing table with 3 drawers. The top is inlaid with green gold-edged leather. Writing table has inlay work. This is done with ebony and satinwood. T...
Category
1870s British Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Burr Walnut Leather Top Writing Desk
Located in London, GB
An outstanding antique figured walnut leather top writing desk. This was made in England, it dates from the 1890-1900 period.
It is of superb quality, there are stunning burr walnut...
Category
1890s British Regency Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Walnut
Antique Victorian Writing Table / Desk
Located in London, GB
A smart and very well made antique Victorian period writing desk. This was made in England, it dates from around 1860-1880.
It is of great quality and is a very useful size. The ins...
Category
1880s British Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Wood
19th Century Mahogany Writing Table
Located in Martlesham, GB
19th century mahogany writing table, having a shaped and crossbanded top with a green leather writing surface decorated with blind ...
Category
1890s British Late Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Early Industrial Rolling Desk / Bar by Toledo, Japanning, copper flash
Located in Buffalo, NY
Seldom seen early Industrial rolling desk by Toledo. Amazing finish,, patina,, Japanning ,,copper flash.. Great for a laptop desk. Portable Bar,,, A lever picks up the desk on wheel...
Category
Early 1900s American Industrial Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Steel
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Style Hand Carved Walnut Desk or Writing Table
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This late nineteenth century French Louis XV style walnut writing table or desk features deep relief hand carved details of shells on all four sides and corners as well as scrolling ...
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Workshop Desk, England circa 1900
Located in Culver City, CA
England circa 1900
Pine workshop desk with original period paint. Two doors with interior shelving and single drawer.
69.75”L x 16.25”d x 33.5”h
Category
Early 1900s English Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Antique Tiger Oak Double Pedestal Free Standing Desk, Scotland 1900, H936
Located in Vancouver, BC
Antique Tiger Oak Double Pedestal Free Standing Desk, Scotland 1900, H936
Scotland 1920
Solid oak
Original Finish
Rectangular moulded top
With tambour front
Opening to reveal numer...
Category
Early 1900s Scottish Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
19th Century Wood French Writing Desk Maison Forest Paris, 1890
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Parisian writing desk from the late 19th century. Furniture produced by Forest Paris (see photo) of great quality, finely inlaid in mahogany, map...
Category
1890s French Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
French Louis XVI Style 1890s Cream Painted Desk with Scrollwork Carved Apron
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French Louis XVI style writing desk from circa 1890 with scrollwork carved apron, painted finish and fluted legs. Immerse yourself in the elegance of the Belle Époque with this exq...
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Turn of the Century French Wooden Desk
Located in High Point, NC
The unique design of this vintage wooden writing desk combines a distinguished character with charming eccentricity. Built in France at the...
Category
Early 1900s French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Martin Nyrop, Desk, Pine, Brass, Denmark, 1900
By Martin Nyrop
Located in High Point, NC
A pine and brass desk designed by Martin Nyrop for Copenhagen City Hall, Denmark, c. 1900.
Category
Early 1900s Danish Art Nouveau Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Antique French Desk Table Renaissance Revival Barley Twist Carved Oak 2 Drawers
Located in Tyler, TX
Beautiful antique French oak renaissance revival library office desk with double drawers, barley twist legs and stretcher
~~circa 1880s
With so many people working from home, des...
Category
1880s French Renaissance Revival Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Antique late 19th Century mahogany writing side dressing table desk
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique late 19th Century mahogany writing side dressing table desk. Lovely age colour and patina.
No loose joints and no woodworm. Full of age, c...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Louis XV Style Desk
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
Louis XV Style Tea / Centre Table From Paris. A combination of exotic woods including rosewood, tulip wood and more with delicate little bronze mounts were used in the creation of th...
Category
Early 1900s French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Antique Victorian Walnut 4 Door Glass Front Bookcase, Scotland 1870 , H990
Located in Vancouver, BC
Antique Victorian Walnut 4 Door Glass Front Bookcase Display Cabinet, Scotland 1870, H990
Solid walnut
Original finish
Having a moulded cornice with a dentil frieze
Pair of original...
Category
1870s North American Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Chinoiserie Imperial Red English Writing Partners Desk / Library Table, 19th C
Located in Charleston, SC
This Elegant English Chinoiserie Partners Writing Desk / Library Table with Exotic Scenes is Japanned in Imperial Red Lacquer. The Chinoiserie Library...
Category
Late 19th Century English Chinoiserie Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany, Lacquer
Antique French Walnut & Parquetry Bureau De Dame Desk, 19th C
Located in London, GB
A superb Victorian burr walnut parquetry and ormolu mounted Bureau De Dame, circa 1870 in date.
The fall front features a decorative Jasperware ormolu mounted plaque and opens to...
Category
1870s French Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Ormolu
Fruitwood Side Table or Small Writing Table
Located in Port Chester, NY
A simple and elegant fruitwood side table or small writing table/desk. The top has lovely grain and patina. Classic tapered legs, pegged at the ap...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Fruitwood
Dutch Oak Art Nouveau Arts & Crafts Partners Desk by K.P.C. de Bazel, 1900s
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Elegant and rare Art Nouveau Arts & Crafts partners desk.
Design by K.P.C. de Bazel.
Striking Dutch design from the 1900s.
Solid oak with original brass handles and inlay.
In goo...
Category
Early 1900s Dutch Art Nouveau Antique 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.
Read More
This 19th-Century Gilded Desk Displays a Fanciful Kingdom in Marquetry
The stately piece brings both gravitas and whimsy to any work space.
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.
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Writing Desk With Fluted Legs
Wooden Desk Italian
Wood Desk With Metal Legs
Cabriole Bureau
Writing Slope Desk
Writing Desk Sloping
18th Century Style Desk
Bureau Plat Bronze
Black Glass Top Desk
Xvi Bureau
Wood Partners Desk
Vintage Bank Desk
Writing Table Mahogany Regency
Writing Table Brass Mount
Carved Walnut Desk French
Blue Painted Desk
American Desk 19th Century
Mid Century Black Writing Desk With Drawers