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Desks and Writing Tables For Sale
Period: Early 20th Century
Period: 18th Century and Earlier
18th century Italian Paint Decorated Writing Desk with Drawer Circa 1760s
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a gorgeous smaller true gem of a desk from the middle part of the 1700s from Italy. The desk is made of walnut and pine and has a single drawer with all the traits one expect...
Category
1760s Italian Neoclassical Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut, Pine
Restored Bauhaus Writing Desk, Oak, Chrome-Plated Steel, Germany, 1930s
Located in Brandys nad Labem, Středočeský kraj
Desk dimensions:
Height: 79 cm (31.1 in)
Width: 110 cm (43.3 in)
Depth: 63 cm (24.8 in)
Leg space:
Height: 74 cm (29.1 in)
Width: 68 cm (26.8 in)
Made according to the design of Ma...
Category
Early 20th Century German Bauhaus Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel, Chrome
French Louis XV Walnut 1-Drawer Table, circa 1765
Located in Atlanta, GA
A delicately carved walnut writing table with a single drawer on the side of the apron and a raised gallery around three sides for the original purpose of writing. Raised on four tap...
Category
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Spanish 17th Century Console Table
Located in Atlanta, GA
A very handsome 17th century Console Table - Writing Table from the Catalan region of Spain. Beautifully constructed from walnut with a solid board top, 3 drawers with unique fascia...
Category
17th Century Spanish Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Mahogany Carlton house style desk
Located in Cheshire, GB
Mahogany Carlton house style desk, the raised superstructure, having an arrangement of short drawers with turned handles. Above the inset green tooled leather. To the freeze fitted w...
Category
Early 20th Century British Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Antique c.1900 Fine Quality Inlaid Mahogany Writing Desk / Dressing Table
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique c.1900 Fine Quality Inlaid Mahogany Writing/Dressing Table – Also Ideal as a Desk or Side Table
This elegant antique table, dating to around 1900, features clean lines and a...
Category
Early 1900s Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Eugenio Quarti desk, Chair and Trah in Style Liberty or Art Nouveau, Jugestails
By Eugenio Quarti
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Eugenio Quarti (Desk , chair and Trash )
Style: Liberty or Art Nouveau or Modernism or Jugendstil
Furniture realized mainly in inlays of nacre and metallic applications, parchament
bronze ferrules.
We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles since 1982.If you have any questions we are at your disposal
Pushing the button that reads 'View All From Seller'. And you can see more objects to the style for sale.
Eugenio Quarti was born in Villa d'Almè, a small village in the province of Bergamo, from an artisan family of woodworkers. In 1881, at the age of 14 years old he goes to Paris, where he will learn new techniques and broaden his horizons. In 1886, he returned to Italy and settled in Milan where he worked, for a short period, with Carlo Bugatti and then open his own workshop in via Donizetti 3.
His early works are strongly marked by Bugatti Moorish’s style, but already the exhibition of Turin of 1898 you can see the first signs of Art Nouveau and his personal style. He was always attentive to the quality and originality of his accomplishments, always attentive to every art form. Furniture realized mainly in walnut with inlays of nacre and metallic applications. Develop over time a harmonic elegance of the decor, with thread-like grounds, valuable wood species and inlays and high quality bezels with fine materials (nacre, silver, copper, bronze, pewter, etc.), this characteristic was called "the goldsmith of furniture makers."
In 1900 he participates at the Paris International exposition where he received the "Grand Prix" of the jury. Will participate in a number of other exposures as that of Turin in 1902 and Milan in 1906 where he will receive the "Grand Royal Award" and the "Diploma of gold medal".
Eugenio Quarti worked with the most prestigious architects of his time (Giuseppe Sommaruga, Luigi Broggi, Alfredo Campanini, etc.) well as with the great artists/craftsmen of his time as Alessandro Mazzucotelli. He also worked as a decorator, designing entire furniture for both public and private buildings. It was he who designed the furniture for Palazzo Castiglioni in Milan, Villa Carosio in Baveno, Grand Hotel and Casino in San Pellegrino Terme, Hungaria Palace Hotel in Venice Lido. One of his most significant works were the vessels of the "Bar Camparino", at the entrance site of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan. however not disdain also committed less important such as the furniture for Villa Mariani to Bordighera residence of the painter Pompeo Mariani...
Category
Early 1900s Italian Art Nouveau Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Rare 18th Century Georgian Period Mahogany Architect Desk
Located in Chicago, IL
This rare and elegant Georgian Architect’s desk has a ratchet top, extending drawer front, as well as storage compartments. Architect desks, m...
Category
18th Century English Georgian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Antique French Louis XVI Marble Gold gilded Salon Ladies Writing Table 1800
Located in Doha, QA
This incredibly intricate and elegant Louis XVI French ladies writing desk table is originated from France ca late 18th-beginning of the 19t...
Category
Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Marble, Gold
18th Century French Marquetry Louis XV Dressing Table or So-Called Coiffeuse
Located in Berlin, DE
18th century French Louis XV marquetry dressing table or so-called Coiffeuse
18th century Louis XV vanity dressing table or coiffeuse...
Category
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
18th Century Painted Oak Bureau Bible Box on Stand
Located in Petworth,West Sussex, GB
A wonderful characterful late 18th century portable painted carved oak bureau or bible box on a stand. There is carved detail throughout, in a mainly fl...
Category
18th Century British Georgian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Georgian Mahogany Architects Table
Located in Mt Kisco, NY
A 18th century architects table with a single drawer which opens to reveal a several compartments. The front of the table is decorated wi...
Category
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Fine Quality Antique Mahogany Writing Table - Late 18th Century Dressing
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Georgian Cuban Mahogany Writing Table - Late 18th Century Desk Side Dressing.
This exceptional piece boasts solid construction with tight joints and no woodworm, radiating character...
Category
Late 18th Century Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Santos Rosewood 3 Drawer Desk/Writing Table by Frits Henningsen
Located in Little Burstead, Essex
This is a classic piece of early Scandinavian design, made from Santos Rosewood it's on the edge of the change between antique and mid-century and fits beautifully with both camps. T...
Category
Early 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Hardwood
Italian Gio Ponti Mahogany Table Desk
By Gio Ponti
Located in Queens, NY
Italian 1930s mahogany table desk with geometric form legs with brass sabot feet and a single drawer with a stretcher (GIO PONTI - for the University of Padua)
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Late 18th Century Original Neoclassical Table
Located in Kramfors, SE
Neoclassical desk from northern Sweden. The desk or table is in pine and from circa 1790. Original condition. Original and distressed paint from the late 1700s with marks of wear, se...
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Neoclassical Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Ancient Italian Writing Desk with Upper Cabinet, Milan, Circa 1730
Located in Milano, IT
Writing desk with upper cabinet
Milan, first half of the 18th century
Carved walnut partially veneered in olive wood and walnut burl; traces of eboniz...
Category
1730s Italian Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Olive, Walnut
18th Century French Cherrywood 'Bureau de Pente' Slant Top Writing Desk
Located in Dallas, TX
Larger than the typical Louis XV writing desk, this cherrywood bureau de pente was hand-carved in France during the late 1700’s, just after the period ended. This type of desk went by several names, including bureau dos d’âne and secrétaire à dessus brisé, and they almost always featured a fold-down writing surface.
Four long, slender cabriole legs, which are typical of Louis XV writing desks, provide a sturdy base for the beautiful desk. The curvaceousness of the legs continues throughout the desk, from the subtly contoured sides to the highly sinuous apron on all sides. Set within the apron are two drawers with round bronze pulls that flank a faux center drawer with a foliate and shell handle.
The fold-down writing surface, which has a functioning lock with a foliate escutcheon, opens to reveal eight small arbalete drawers arranged in four columns. Above the topmost drawers of each column is an open storage compartment. There are two more larger storage compartments in the center above a false-bottom hidden compartment. The fold down writing surface is held by a set of polished steel arms.
A graceful and functional bureau de pente from the late 18th century, this cherrywood slant top writing desk...
Category
Late 18th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Early 20th Century Writing Desk in Walnut with Inlay by Meroni & Fossati
Located in Vigonza, Padua
Italian elegant early 20th century Directoire writing desk in walnut massive and veneered with inlay on the top by Meroni & Fossati. Wax polished
Useful height under central drawer 60 cm.
To better understand the Directoire style of this desk
Directoire style was a period in the decorative arts, fashion, and especially furniture design in France concurrent with the Directory (November 2, 1795–November 10, 1799), the later part of the French Revolution. The style uses Neoclassical architectural forms, minimal carving, planar expanses of highly grained veneers, and applied decorative painting. It is a style transitional between Louis XVI and Empire.
The Directoire style was primarily established by the architects and designers Charles Percier (1764–1838) and Pier François Léonard Fontaine (1762–1853). In its use of Neoclassical architectural form and decorative motifs the style anticipates the slightly later and more elaborate Empire style, which was introduced after Napoleon established the First French Empire.
The Directoire style reflected the Revolutionary belief in the values of republican Rome:
"The stoic virtues of Republican Rome were upheld as standards not merely for the arts but also for political behaviour and private morality. Conventionels saw themselves as antique...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Directoire Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Antique Mahogany Georgian Architect's Drafting Drawing Desk Table Chest 1780
Located in Portland, OR
A rare George II mahogany architect's desk/chest, circa 1750.
The desk/ top slides forward, thus allowing the sitter to work, the top having a drafting table that has an easel support to place the top at three different heights, the highest being 47" floor to top. The chest having a plan drawer which is flanked by two pen drawers...
Category
Mid-18th Century English George II Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Spanish Colonial Desk or Console Table with Two Drawers Signed by Valentí
By Valenti
Located in Miami, FL
Spanish colonial desk or console table with two drawers signed by Valentí
This piece has a two-pedestal legs with an awesome carved. The top has a red leather.
Category
Early 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Walnut
Antique Art Nouveau Carved Oak Northwind Face Desk Library Table with One Drawer
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique Art Nouveau Carved Oak Northwind Face Desk Library Table with One Large Dovetailed Drawer. Item features carved Northwind faces to the front and rear, brass corner mounts, so...
Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Nouveau Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Fine 18th Century ‘French Hepplewhite’ Mahogany Ladies Writing Table
Located in London, GB
A late 18th century ‘French Hepplewhite’ figured mahogany ladies writing table of serpentine form, having boxwood and ebony strung tulipwood crossba...
Category
Late 18th Century English Hepplewhite Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Boxwood, Ebony, Mahogany, Tulipwood
Antique Stickley Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Desk or Library Table, Newly Restored
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
Solid quarter sawn oak, with original hammered copper hardware....
Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Copper
Pierre Jeanneret PJ-BU-19-A Administration Desk / Authentic Mid-Century Modern
Located in Zürich, CH
This item is raw and sturdy. Its rugged textures and bold lines define that radical character. Its presence is uncompromising and captivating. Each piece is slightly different, where...
Category
Early 1600s Indian Mid-Century Modern Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
20th Century Art Deco Flamed Mohagany Desk
Located in Austin, TX
This stunning 20th Century Art Deco Flamed Mahogany Desk is a perfect blend of form and function, showcasing the luxurious style characteristic of the Art Deco era. The desk's rich f...
Category
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
18th Century French Walnut Writing Table
Located in High Point, NC
18th century walnut writing table with a banded and beveled edge around the top, following down to a simple apron containing a singl...
Category
Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Antique Georgian 18th Century Satin Walnut Bureau Desk Writing Table Elegant
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique Georgian 18th Century Satin Walnut Bureau Desk Writing Table – a rare and exquisite piece featuring veneer on oak and elm construction.
This charming bureau is full of age, ...
Category
18th Century Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
18th Century Louis XVI Bureau à Cylindre or Roll Top Desk
Located in Winter Park, FL
A fine late 18th century Louis XVI period bureau à cylindre, or roll top desk, made of solid walnut with marquetry veneers of walnut, mahogany and cherry. In two parts, the cabinet a...
Category
Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Marble, Brass
Antique French Louis XV Style Marquetry Inlay Petite Demilune Writing Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique French Louis XV Style Marquetry Inlay Petite Demilune Writing Desk. Item features marble top, green leather pull out writing surface, inlaid al...
Category
Early 20th Century Unknown Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Art Nouveau Pine Desk by Carl Westman, Sweden, 1910s
By Carl Westman
Located in Stockholm, SE
Stained pine desk by Carl Westman, made in Art Noveau style with bold, flowing lines and details. Shelves on the sides, three drawers with cast iron keyhole plates. Heavy patina incl...
Category
1910s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Louis Majorelle Art Nouveau Marquetry And Carved Desk Table
Located in Dallas, TX
Louis Majorelle Marquetry and hand carved salon table with morning glories. Four hand carved legs heavily carved on top. Desk form with a large single drawer. Signed “L. Majorelle” i...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Fruitwood
Palatial Early 20th Century Gilt Bronze Mounted Parquetry Bureau-François Linke
Located in Long Island City, NY
A Very Special and Palatial Early 20th Century Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze Mounted Mahogany and Bois Satine Parquetry Bureau a Cylindre By François Linke
François Linke – Index Numbe...
Category
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
Wrought Iron and Walnut Table
Located in Chicago, IL
This striking table is a union of two eras, joined with effortless flair. The top began life as a 17th-century Spanish walnut table, worn smooth by centuries of use, its surface dapp...
Category
17th Century Spanish Modern Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wrought Iron
18th Century Louis XV Provincial Writing / Occasional Table
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Louis XV provincial walnut writing / occasional table, 18th century. With an overhanging 3 board top with molded borders, frieze with drawer and scalloped apron, resting on cabriole ...
Category
18th Century European Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Antique quality Georgian revival mahogany writing side dressing table desk C1905
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique quality Georgian revival mahogany writing side dressing table desk C1905. Lovely age colour and patina.
No loose joints. Full of age, char...
Category
Early 1900s Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
France Desk Art Deco, 1920, Materials, Wood and Chrome
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
French desk style: Art Deco
Year 1920
Material: Wood and chrome
It is an elegant and sophisticated dream desk.
The quality of the furniture and the exotic wood used make it unique. ...
Category
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Art Deco or Art Nouveau Walnut Writing Desk
Located in Darmstadt, DE
Very nice big writing desk from the period around 1915, transition from Art Nouveau to the Art Deco period. The desk was made of walnut veneer on a pi...
Category
1910s German Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
A rare French Louis XIV large pewter and fruitwood inlaid marquetry desk
By Pierre Gole
Located in PARIS, FR
A rare French Louis XIV large pewter and fruitwood inlaid marquetry desk called “bureau Mazarin” attributed to Pierre Gole (1620 – 1684)
Dimensi...
Category
Late 17th Century French Louis XIV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze, Pewter
20th Century Swedish Art Deco Jacarandawood Writing Table - Vintage Bronze Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A freestanding, vintage Art Deco Swedish writing table made of hand crafted polished Jacarandawood, in good condition. The rectangular Scandinavian desk has one large drawer in the c...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Brass, Bronze
Classic French 18th Century Empire Walnut Kneehole Writing Desk
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Found near Paris, France, we purchased this museum quality 18th century Empire style desk for its impeccable quality and style. Made predominantly from walnut and featuring Empiric s...
Category
18th Century French Empire Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Antique High-Quality Antique C1920 Mahogany Washstand Side Dressing Table
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique High-Quality Antique C1920 Mahogany Washstand Side Dressing Table. This piece boasts a lovely age, color, and patina, standing out as a rare decorative find. Very attractive line inlays and quality marble top and splash back...
Category
1920s Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Mahogany
Regence Ebonized And Ormolu Mounted Bureau Plat
Located in Essex, MA
With a rectangular top with inset black tooled leather surrounded by a brass inlaid ebonized border with brass edge. The frieze with three drawers with cast bronze handles and three ...
Category
1730s French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
1790 Gillows Cuban Hardwood Library Secretaire Desk Writing Table I Bramah Lock
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this very rare circa 1790 George III Library writing desk secrataire by Gillows of Lancaster and London
A rare find, looking through Gillows of ...
Category
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Hardwood
17th Century Italian Carved Walnut Table or Desk
Located in Bradenton, FL
17th century Italian walnut library table or writing desk. Desk features three drawers amongst beautifully floral carved apron. Legs are carved in an old style swirl-twist shape on b...
Category
18th Century Italian Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
20th Century French Art Deco Walnut Writing Table - Vintage Office Desk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A vintage French Art Deco writing table with rounded sides, made of hand crafted polished, partly veneered Walnut with a tubular steel footrest, in good condition. The freestanding d...
Category
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Steel, Chrome
Lacquered and Veneered Bureau de Dame, 18th to 19th C.
Located in Atlanta, GA
Petite in stature with three slides over two drawers. Probably originally had a superstructure because there are visible patches where something would have been attached. It might al...
Category
Mid-18th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Hardwood
Edwardian Mahogany Sheraton Style Desk
Located in Altrincham, GB
Edwardian Mahogany Sheraton Style Desk
with Dyed Sycamore Scroll, Swag and Bellflower Inlays, Inset Tooled Leather Top on Square Tapered Legs and ...
Category
Early 1900s Edwardian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Mahogany
Antique writing desk with inlays and new leather top. Lebanon 1920s.
Located in Schellebelle, BE
Exceptional Lebanese desk,
beautifully decorated with Oriental Motifs,
bone inlay and new leather desk top,
good, great old patina.
Category
1910s Lebanese Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cedar
English Chippendale Mahogany Table Desk
Located in Queens, NY
18th-19th century English Chippendale style mahogany table desk with a serpentine shaped front and a drawer with a sliding leather top supported on carved cabriole legs.
Category
Late 18th Century English Chippendale Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Mahogany
Adams Edwardian Inlaid Carlton House Desk, Hand Painted, Angela Kauffman
By Angelica Kauffmann
Located in Manhasset, NY
Adams Edwardian Inlaid Carlton house desk, hand painted, satinwood,
An absolutely stunning Adams Carlton House desk in the manner of Angelica Kauffman. Typical form, the superstructure fitted with four banks of two small drawers flanked by curved cupboard...
Category
Early 1900s English Adam Style Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Louis Style Inlaid Wood Bronze Brass Serpentine Desk
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Transport yourself back to the sleek and sophisticated early 20th Century with this exquisite inlaid Louis desk with bronze and brass hardware. The ultra rare desk exudes an air of l...
Category
Early 20th Century French Louis XV Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass, Bronze
French Art Deco Writing Table in Burr Yew
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
Art Deco Writing Table
A pretty little French Art Deco ladies writing table produced in the 1920’s in burr yew having two drawers and inset leather top and standing on a curved base...
Category
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Yew
Antique American Industrial Iron and Maple Childs School Writing Desk
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique American industrial iron and maple childs school writing desk. Item features a lower cubby storage to side, iron frame, pivoting backrest, very nice antique item, quality Ame...
Category
Early 20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
Antique 18th Century Great Quality Bureau In Oak ( REF AF-3519 )
Located in Ledbury, GB
This impressive 18th-century antique oak bureau is a stunning example of classic craftsmanship and elegance.
Standing on traditional bracket feet, the bureau has a sturdy, balanced ...
Category
18th Century English Georgian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Antique Spanish Console or Sofa Table Three Deep Drawers circa 1700's Restored
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Spanish Library Table, Sofa Table or Console Table made probably in the late 1600s or early 1700s, with three very deep hand-carved drawe...
Category
Early 17th Century Spanish Rustic Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
Small Oak Bureau
Located in Folkestone, GB
A rare 18th century oak bureau of particularly small and diminutive proportions. the fall with a moulded book-rest, opening to reveal a steppe...
Category
Early 18th Century English George II Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Wonderful 18th Century French Roll Top Desk (Cylinder Bureau)
Located in Poole, GB
Wonderful 18th Century French Roll Top Desk ( cylinder bureau )
A very elegant and with great proportions, late 18th century French walnut and pa...
Category
Late 18th Century French Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
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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