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Desks and Writing Tables

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Desks and Writing Tables For Sale
Period: Late 19th Century
Period: 1930s
Antique Sheraton Revival Satinwood Desk
Located in London, GB
A stunning antique Sheraton Revival Satinwood desk. This dates from around the 1890-1910 period, and it was made in England. The quality is fantastic, this has beautiful brass handl...
Category

1890s British Sheraton Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Satinwood

Louis XVI style French bureau plat after Zweiner
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A fine quality, elegant late 19th century French Louis XV style Kingwood serpentine shaped bureau plat, having an inset suede covered writing surface, a single frieze drawer, wonderful gilded ormolu mounts with entwined leaf decoration, the central mount representing a military helmet and flag. Raised on elegant cabriole legs terminating in scrolling ormolu feet. Attributed to Joseph- Emmanuel Zweiner. Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener (b. 1849) was a preeminent cabinetmaker (ébéniste) of German descent, who became one of the most famous furniture...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Ormolu

Restored Bauhaus Writing Desk, by André Lurcat, Walnut, New Polish, Czech, 1930s
Located in Horomerice, CZ
Restored Bauhaus Writing Desk Catalog model: PS 8 Material: Walnut, Chrome-plated Steel Source: Czechia (Czechoslovakia) Period: 1930-1939 This desk was designed by French modernis...
Category

1930s Czech Bauhaus Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel, Chrome

Art Populaire Writing Table, France, 19th Century
Located in Antwerp, BE
Art Populaire; Folk Art; Monoxylite; Wabi Sabi; Writing Desk; Rustic; Travail Populaire; Antique; 19th Century; Writing Table; 19th-century folk art writing desk, a timeless piece ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Rustic Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Louis XVI Style Ladies Desk, after Francoise Linke, 19th Century
Located in Brighton, Sussex
A fine quality late 19th century French Louis XVI style ladies writing desk, having an inset leather top, wonderful Fine gilded ormolu mounts, a single frieze drawer opening to revea...
Category

Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Kingwood

Louis XV Style French Kingwood Parquetry and Gilt Bronze Bureau Plat 'Desk'
By Jean-Pierre Latz
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A late 19th century French Bureau Plat in kingwood and amaranth parquetry with three drawers to one side with gilt bronze decoration all round; notable are the drawer handles modelled with Chinese heads; the two ends decorated with Apollo heads...
Category

Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Kingwood

Art Deco desk - France 1930
Located in Girona, ES
Art Deco drawer unit desk, four drawers, wood with oak veneer, resting on an aluminium-covered base. Aluminium handles. Satiny varnish finishing. France circa 1930
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Aluminum

Blue Painted Pine Farm Table Writing Table With 2 Drawers, Sweden circa 1860-80
Located in Round Top, TX
The cheerful blue painted finish has a distressed patina revealing years of use in this small farm table from Sweden. Notice the two usable drawers with brass pulls that add function...
Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Country Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Art Deco French Writing Desk in Macassar Wood
Located in Houston, TX
Beautiful and very elegant Art Deco French writing desk. It is made out of Macassar wood and legs are out ebonyzecd wood. Tips of legs are wrapped with brass holders. Desk has 2 spac...
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

1930s Fabulous Industrial Adjustable Wood Table Hand Crank Metal Base
Located in Chula Vista, CA
Old Adjustable Table 1930s Fabulous Sculptural Industrial Wheeled Wood Table Adjustable Tilt with Hand Crank Metal Base Adjustable height useful as Lectern, Drafting, Music Stand, S...
Category

1930s Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal

Art Deco dressing table with chair, Germany, circa 1940s
Located in Chorzów, PL
Art Deco dressing table with chair. Elegant dressing table with a chair in the Art Deco style. The furniture has been professionally renovated and is in very good condition. The dres...
Category

1930s German Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

Wicker Desk & Chair
Located in Stamford, CT
Vintage wicker reed/rattan table or writing desk with a wicker chair. Bothe pieces are early 19th century and freshly painted light grey. Excellent vintage condition.
Category

1930s American Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Reed, Wicker

Tiger Oak Overmantle Oval Beveled Mirror Mission, America 1920, H700
Located in Vancouver, BC
Tiger Oak Overmantle Oval Beveled Mirror Mission, America 1920, H700 America 1920 Solid Tiger Oak Original finish Large oval beveled glass mirror With platform below Supports on the...
Category

1890s American Mission Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

19th Century Bureau De Dame
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
19th Century French Bureau De Dame in good condition with brass gallery to the top and decorative inlay to the fall that pulls down to reveal three small drawers and fitted leather w...
Category

1890s Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

19th Century French Renaissance Revival Desk
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Renaissance Revival Desk is a magnificent example of master cabinetmaking by French artisans from the 1850s to the end of the century. Utilizing hand-select old-...
Category

1870s French Renaissance Revival Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

Antique French Louis XVI Gold Bronze Mounted Kingwood Writing Table, Circa 1885
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique French Louis XVI Gold Bronze Mounted Kingwood Writing Table, Circa 1885.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

19th Century French Walnut writing table
Located in Eindhoven, NL
Beautiful antique walnut writing table with brown leather top. The table has 3 drawers on one side and the other sides are not drawers but look like they are. The table is richly dec...
Category

1870s French Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

Art Deco Chest of Drawers
Located in Kraków, Małopolska
 Art deco chest of drawers after renovation , simple and nice art deco chest of drawers :)
Category

1930s Austrian Biedermeier Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Cherry, Walnut

Antique Burr Walnut Leather Top Pedestal Desk
Located in London, GB
A fantastic antique burr walnut leather top pedestal desk. This is in the Georgian style, it dates from around the 1930’s. The quality is superb, this has a beautiful inset leather ...
Category

1930s British Georgian Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Walnut

Art Nouveau Mahogany stepped desk
Located in Paris, FR
Elegant stepped desk in mahogany and mahogany veneer. Gilt bronze frame opening with a drawer inlaid with leaf and flower stems. The front features a drawer with an ormolu catch and ...
Category

1890s French Art Nouveau Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

19 century kis barokk iroasztal
Located in Kerepes, HU
Annak ellenére hogy kis méretű es élig kevés hely foglal, több funkció is tud teljes mertekben használni: toalettasztal, kis író asztal egy előtérben meg egy kényelmes dolgozó laptop...
Category

Late 19th Century Hungarian Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Other

20th Century Palisander Mahogany Wood Marble French Napoleon III Bureau, 1870s
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
French bureau from the end of the 19th century. Finished for the center furniture from the Napoleon III era, finely veneered in palisander and mahogany. Slightly rounded and moved bu...
Category

1870s French Napoleon III Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble

Victorian Sycamore Partners Desk
Located in Altrincham, GB
A fabulous Victorian partners desk in beautiful mellow sycamore - double pedestal with front drawers and cupboard rear with tooled leather insert top c1860 - 66"ww x 36"d x 32"h (25...
Category

1870s English Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Sycamore

Art Deco Desk With Leather Top, 1930s
Located in New York, NY
Large Art Deco Desk with a dark brown leather top and a small compartment with a hinged lid that is perfectly flush with the tabletop. The tabletop features elegantly rounded corners...
Category

1930s Czech Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Wood

Antique French Kidney Shaped Leather Top Desk
Located in London, GB
A stunning antique French kidney shaped leather top desk, dating from around the 1930’s period. It is of fabulous quality, with a solid birch construction and contrasting veneers of...
Category

1930s French Louis XVI Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Antique Queen Anne Style Burr Walnut Writing Bureau
Located in London, GB
A beautiful antique Queen Anne style burr walnut writing bureau. This was made in England, it dates from around the 1930’s. It is of superb quality and is a very useful item. This i...
Category

1930s British Queen Anne Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

Antique Italian Renaissance Revival Walnut Figural Library Table Writing Desk 52
Located in Dayton, OH
Antique Neo-Renaissance Revival parlor / library table or writing desk, circa 1870s Made of walnut featuring Neoclassical styling with high relief figural carvings of cherubs / putti...
Category

1870s Renaissance Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

19th Century French Louis XIV Style Carved Walnut Library Table Writing Desk
Located in Forney, TX
A finely carved French Louis XIV style walnut writing table. circa 1870 Hand carved in France in the late 19th century, exceptionally executed in grand King Louis 14th taste, hand-c...
Category

Late 19th Century French Louis XIV Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Faux Leather, Walnut

Victorian late 19th century carved oak pedestal desk
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Victorian late 19th century carved oak pedestal desk circa 1890. Good quality pedestal oak desk, comprising of 3 sections.  Shaped top with original leather insert.  Single drawer a...
Category

Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

Louis XV Style Rocaille Side Table In Walnut
Located in SAINT-CLÉMENT-DE-LA-PLACE, FR
This table is molded. Its scalloped belt opens to a drawer. The drawer is dovetail mounted to ensure perfect solidity. The drawer can be opened daily and hold many objects. It slide...
Category

1870s French Napoleon III Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

19th Century French Renaissance Writing Desk ~ End Table
Located in Dallas, TX
19th Century French Renaissance Writing Desk ~ End Table is a work of the sculptor's art, that also serves as a convenient student desk, writing table or library table. Hand-carved ...
Category

1870s French Renaissance Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

Antique Leather Top Writing Table / Desk
Located in London, GB
A fantastic antique leather top writing table / desk. This was made in England, it dates from around the 1930-50’s. The quality is outstanding, it stands on boldly turned and fluted...
Category

1930s British Victorian Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Wood

Antique French Desk Table Renaissance Revival Barley Twist Carved Tiger Oak 19C
Located in Tyler, TX
HANDSOME Antique French Tiger Oak Renaissance Revival Library Office Desk with Double Drawers, Barley Twist Legs and Stretcher ~~c. 1880s-1900 With so many people working from home,...
Category

1880s French Renaissance Revival Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

Rare 19th century carved mahogany Swedish pedestal desk
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Rare 19th century carved mahogany swedish pedestal desk circa 1880. Beautiful desk and rare to be made from mahogany for a swedish piece, believed to be from skottorp castle in the ...
Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Arts & Crafts American Oak Library Table Desk With Barley Twist Legs
Located in Southampton, NJ
American antique Arts & Crafts solid quarter sawn Oak library table with original finish. Unusual in its distinct Mission & English influences. Boasts a single drawer with impressive...
Category

1890s American Arts and Crafts Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

White Painted Gustavian Style Table Writing Desk With One Drawer, circa 1860-80
Located in Round Top, TX
Swedish Gustavian style table with single fluted drawer and tapered legs. Restored, later professionally painted in layered shades of white now distressed to add to the character and...
Category

Late 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood, Paint

Antique French Leather Top Bureau Plat Desk
Located in London, GB
A stunning antique French leather top bureau plat desk, made in France and dating from around the 1930’s. This is of outstanding quality, with beautifully cast ormolu mounts through...
Category

1930s French Louis XVI Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Ormolu

Axel Einar Hjorth Extendable Table, Macassar, 1930
Located in Dronten, NL
This beautiful Scandinavian Modern extendable dining table or writing desk is designed by Axel Einar Hjorth for NK in the 1930s. The base and extension leaves are lacquered in a won...
Category

1930s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Birch, Macassar

19th Century mahogany inlaid writing desk
Located in Martlesham, GB
A superb quality 19th Century mahogany inlaid writing desk, the super structure comprising of three mahogany lined drawers either side with the original turned brass knob handles and...
Category

1890s British Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Louis XVI style ebonised writing desk
Located in Budleigh Salterton, GB
Quality early 20th Century French Louis XVI style writing desk. Dating to around the 1930’s with original brass mounts and leather inserts and two pull out slides with original leath...
Category

1930s French Louis XVI Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

English Mahogany Regency Style Partners Desk, circa 1930
Located in Chicago, IL
English Regency style mahogany partners desk, circa 1930. The top curves inward on each side for two to comfortably share the top. Each side features two drawers and a cabinet, with ...
Category

1930s English Regency Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Antique Large Victorian Shaped Ornamental Bevelled Mirror Scotland 1890, H607A
Located in Vancouver, BC
Antique Large Victorian Shaped Ornamental Bevelled Mirror, Scotland 1890, H607A Solid Oak Original finish Carved pediment on top Moulded cornice below Bevelled edge mirror to the ce...
Category

1890s Scottish Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

French Louis XVI-Style Secretary Desk with Marble Top
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Original Vintage Condition Materials: Mahogany, Marble Top, Brass Handles & Gallery
Category

1930s French Louis XVI Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass

Antique French Louis XV Style Bureau
Located in London, GB
A stunning antique French bureau, dating from around the 1890-1910 period. It is of extremely fine quality, standing on slender yet sturdy cabriole legs and with gorgeous inlaid flo...
Category

1890s French Louis XV Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Ormolu

French Mahogany Leather Top Directoire Writing Desk with Pull Out Trays
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a very good French mahogany Directoire desk with bronze ormolu and restrained and simple design. The leather top is in good antique condition with some signs of age and use b...
Category

1930s French Directoire Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Pine Standing Desk with Slant Top, Denmark, 1890s
Located in Store Heddinge, DK
Antique Danish slant top desk, circa 1890s. Made for a rural schoolmaster, this pine desk retains its original character with minor mars and stains, protected by a smooth finish. Fea...
Category

1890s Danish Country Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Pine

19th Century Oak Lawyer's Secretary Step Back Flat Top Desk
Located in Clifton Forge, VA
This is a great looking antique desk with plenty of organizing space and storage but there is enough room to work on a laptop. The top is a separate piece and can be removed leaving ...
Category

Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

Antique mahogany campaign desk
Located in Salisbury, GB
Military campaign desk This large Military campaign desk was made in the last quarter of the 19th century. It is made of mahogany with brass inset corners and flush brass handles. Th...
Category

1890s English Campaign Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Freestanding Diplomat Desk Made In Mahogany By Fritz Henningsen From 1930s
Located in Lejre, DK
This freestanding desk is a magnificent piece of furniture art, created by the renowned designer Fritz Henningsen back in the 1930s. Crafted from mahogany wood and equipped with bras...
Category

1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mahogany

Art Deco Desk by Sanyas and Popot Paris 1930
Located in Paddock Wood Tonbridge, GB
ART DECO DESK A stunning French Art Deco desk produced in Paris in 1930 by Sanyas et Popot ,this example has been crafted from oak and rosewood designed with a curved top section. It...
Category

1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Rosewood

Antique Edwardian Desk / Writing Table
Located in London, GB
A lovely antique Edwardian desk / writing table, made in England and dating from around the 1890-1910 period. It is of superb quality, with a beautiful and elegant design. The top h...
Category

1890s British Edwardian Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Wood

Antique Spanish Baroque Chestnut writing table or desk with turned legs
Located in Casteren, NL
This beautiful antique late 19th-century Spanish Baroque desk or writing table is made of solid chestnut wood with bold-turned legs joined by wrought iron stretchers. The table featu...
Category

Late 19th Century Spanish Baroque Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Antique Chippendale Style Leather Top Desk
Located in London, GB
A fantastic antique Chippendale style leather top desk in the Chippendale style. This was made in England, it dates from around the 1890-1910 period. It is very well made, sitting o...
Category

1890s British Chippendale Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Wood

Antique Victorian Oak Leather Top Writing Table / Desk
Located in London, GB
An impressive antique Victorian oak leather top writing table / desk. This was made in England, it dates from around the 1870-1890 period. It is of superb quality, solid oak through...
Category

1890s British Late Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

19th century carved Iitalian walnut and pine occasional table
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
19th century carved italian walnut and pine occasional table circa 1890. An italian multi purpose pine and walnut occasional table. Here we have a table that could used as a small d...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Rustic Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut, Pine

Antique Military Campaign Style Desk
Located in London, GB
A top quality antique military campaign style desk. This was made in England, it dates from around the 1930’s. It is very well made, with...
Category

1930s British Campaign Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Wood

Antique European Hardwood Desk / 71" Long
Located in thousand oaks, CA
This large antique hand-crafted solid wood desk from Belgium is a stunning piece of furniture that will add a touch of old-world charm to any office or study. Carved and built from s...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Hardwood

Pine Writing Desk with Five Drawers, Denmark circa 1890
Located in Round Top, TX
This delightful antique desk is known as a "Hans Christian Andersen" desk. One similar to this can be viewed in the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, Denmark which was home t...
Category

Late 19th Century Danish Country Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Pine

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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