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Desks and Writing Tables

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Desks and Writing Tables For Sale
Style: Industrial
Style: French Provincial
Early 20th C. Louis XVI Petite Desk/ Writing Table
Located in East Hampton, NY
A wonderful early 20th Century French Louis XVI style writing desk in ebonized black finish. Dating to around the 1940’s with original brass mounts and leather top. This is the epi...
Category

Early 20th Century French French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Wood

Antique A. Lietz Co. Maple Wood and Cast Iron Drafting Table c.1940-1947
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT A fully adjustable industrial drafting table with Maple wood top and cast iron base and knobs. Cast iron bases have the maker's mark on both sides. Two original metal labels o...
Category

Early 20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Iron

French, Oak Child's School Desk c. 1900's
Located in London, GB
This French 1900's Oak child's school desk is a rare find that exudes immense character. The desk bears the markings of many children who have used it over the years, adding to its c...
Category

Early 1900s French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

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

French 1900 desk in solid walnut
Located in LYON, FR
Very pretty little desk with two drawers in solid walnut from the 1900s. A decorative key will be provided for the right drawer. Very pretty patina and crazy charm of the veining of ...
Category

20th Century European French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

French Provincial Petite Desk or Side Table with 4 Sided Scalloped Apron
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Lovely antique French side table or desk from the late 19th century; a beautiful example of the French Country design aesthetic. The table or desk has a beautiful carved scalloped ap...
Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

1950s Industrial Single Bank Steel Tanker Desk by Orma Milano, Italy
Located in Zagreb, HR
A unique small 1950s industrial design single bank steel tanker desk with green top, produced by Orma Milano from Italy. Features four drawers of different sizes, and a fifth top dra...
Category

1950s Italian Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Good French crotch mahogany late 19th Century leather top desk having round legs
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Good French crotch mahogany late 19th Century leather top desk having round legs with bronze mounts. This desk is finished on the backside. Kneehole measurements: 25.5" x 24"
Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Bronze

Vintage Jaguar Green Lacquered Louis XVI Style Writing Desk
Located in East Hampton, NY
British Jaguar green lacquered Louis XVI style desk with original embossed leather top and two drawers. This desk sits on brass casters. Simply stunning and elegant.
Category

1940s French French Provincial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Early 20th Century Brushed Steel And Marble Writing Desk Vanity
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Early 20th century, industrial, brushed steel desk features a contrasting white marble top with beveled edge and five drawers with brass trim underneath them. This petite piece works...
Category

Early 20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble, Brass, Steel

Antique French Provincial Fruitwood Writing Table / Desk W/ Drawer Early 19th C
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Age: 1800 - 1850 Furniture Style: French Provincial (1700 - 1800) Overall Dimensions: Width - 38-7/8" Depth - 24-1/4" Height - 27-1/4" Early 19th Century French Provincial Fruitwo...
Category

Early 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Fruitwood

Theodore Alexander "Chateau du Vallois" French Mahogany Leather Writing Desk 48"
Located in Dayton, OH
Theodore Alexander "Chateau du Vallois" French Provincial Writing Desk. Features a serpentine form made from mahogany with tooled leather surfaces. Includes three dovetailed drawers ...
Category

Late 20th Century French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Mahogany

French Postal Desk
Located in Cirencester, GB
Circa 1950's this is a painted steel French 'La Poste' sorting table. Great original condition and the colour is blue/grey with a terracotta brown top. We think it would look fab in a home office or even as a kitchen desk...
Category

1950s French Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Vintage Anco Bilt Cast Iron and Wood Drafting Table/Desk c.1950
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT A fully adjustable industrial wooden drafting table with a cast iron ledge, cast iron knobs and brackets. The table can be used as a tall dining table, standing desk or drafti...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel, Iron

Industrial Brushed Steel Desk By Library Bureau Makers
By Library Bureau Makers
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Handsome, industrial, brushed steek desk by Library Bureau Makers circa 1940's features a single drawer with a 17.5 inch wide opening for a desk chair. The desk is finished on all si...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

French 19th Century Walnut Writing Table or Desk with Lions and Shield Crest
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Antique French accent table or side table that would make a stunning writing table or desk as well, sure to add elegance and museum quality...
Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

Antique French Carved Oak Writing Desk Secretary AND Chair Breton Brittany SET
Located in Shreveport, LA
Antique French Carved Oak Writing Desk Secretary AND Chair Breton Brittany SET. Direct from France, a wonderful antique French writing desk AN...
Category

Late 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Oak

Large French Boulle Inlay Partners Desk Writing Table Desks
Located in Potters Bar, GB
You are viewing a wonderful, sumptuos Boulle style partners desk. The piece is very distinctive and the amount of craftmanship that has gone into making this piece is astounding. The...
Category

1980s French Provincial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Carved Floral Back 18th Century Country French Carved Walnut Writing Desk
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
This is a rare form of Country French desk. The desk features what appears to be oak and walnut construction and a parquet top with antique age cracks in the top. WE CAN REPAIR THIS ...
Category

1780s French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Antique Industrial Cast Iron Drafting / Drawing Table by Keuffel and Esser Co. 1
Located in Buffalo, NY
1920s American eagle drawing table by Keuffel & Esser Co. Overall dimensions: 32″ x 51″ Height range when top is flat: 37″ – 48″ Materials: Cast Iron &...
Category

Early 20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel, Iron

Small Black Leather Top One Drawer Cabriole Carved Leg Chestnut Desk Console
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Small Black Leather Top One Drawer Cabriole Carved Leg Chestnut Desk Console Writing Table MINT!
Category

20th Century American French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Leather, Chestnut

Antique Hamilton Mfg. Co. Drafting Table with Footrest c.1930
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT Contact us for more affordable shipping options: S16 Home San Francisco. A fully adjustable industrial drafting table with solid Maple top, wooden base and solid cast iron b...
Category

Early 20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel, Iron

Antique French Writing Desk
Located in Portland, OR
A piece of history, a sense of timelessness, a finely crafted piece, this antique French Provincial desk is all of this and more. Estima...
Category

Early 20th Century French French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut, Oak

Vintage Architects, Draftsmans Desk
Located in Bishop's Stortford, GB
1940'S Vintage Architects, Draftsmans Desk. Solid Teak Top with heavy cast iron base set on wooden runners. Tilting desk top. H: 73 cm W: 76 cm D: 5...
Category

Mid-20th Century British Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Iron

1950's Post Office Steel Industrial Mail Sorting Desk Workstation Table
Located in West Chester, PA
Vintage industrial salvage USPS Post Office steel mail sorting station desk circa 1956 with single drawer, cubby, and various hooks undernea...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Black Painted Pine Writing Desk, Sweden 1900's
Located in Round Top, TX
Antique pine Swedish writing table or desk on carved cabriolet legs with three drawers that compose the stylish serpentine front. The drawers all function and open with one included...
Category

20th Century Swedish French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Pine, Paint

Vintage French Industrial Architect's Drafting Table
Located in Winter Park, FL
A French Industrial style mechanical architect's drafting table with original green lacquered metal base and large solid elmwood top. The platform is fully modular: using the wood pedal on the front it is possible to raise and lower the top and it may be tilted to any angle, from flat to vertical. The wood drawing surface has an nice patina with some old ink marks and there is a large wood trough...
Category

Early 20th Century French Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal

Walnut Drafting Table Adjustable Lift and Tilt Steel Base
Located in Baltimore, MD
Handcrafted in Baltimore. This Marabu inspired, custom-crafted drafting table is a fully functional piece. It boasts an adjustable height and tilt feature that effortlessly adjusts v...
Category

2010s American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

French Directoire Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage French directoire desk. Wonderful shape with inset green leather top. Great storage too. Add some French Architecture to your home.
Category

Mid-19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

19th Century French Oak Writing Desk
Located in High Point, NC
This oak desk was made in France in the 19th Century. An original concept for a standing height desk, this practical piece is designed in the eleg...
Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Oak French Industrial Drafting Table Desk Tilt Steel Base
Located in Baltimore, MD
The Oak Top French Industrial Drafting Table is a thoughtfully designed and expertly crafted piece of furniture. Made in the USA with a commitment to using mostly domestic materials,...
Category

2010s American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Jean Prouvé Compass Direction Desk Limited RAW Steel and Natural Oak by Vitra
Located in Dronten, NL
Jean Prouvé Compass direction desk in natural oak and clear lacquered steel for Vitra. Originally designed in 1953, Prouvé's iconic desk is based the de...
Category

1930s French Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Walnut Butch Block Tilt Drafting Desk Standing Height table
Located in Baltimore, MD
Crafted in the heart of Baltimore, Maryland, this modest yet impressive piece is a blend of traditional craftsmanship and practicality. The table features a solid 1.5" walnut butche...
Category

2010s American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Baker Furniture French Louis XV Pink Lacquered Writing Desk, Newly Refinished
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional French Provincial Louis XV style writing desk By Baker Furniture USA, Circa 1960s Pink lacquered cherry wood, with original brass hardware. Measures: 50.5"W x 23.5...
Category

1960s American French Provincial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Rustic 19h Century Country French Provincial Fruitwood Writing Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Charming and rustic late 18th century country French provincial writing table or desk hand-crafted from fruitwood. Made in the South of France this table features a whimsical style f...
Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Iron

19th Century French Wooden Desk
Located in High Point, NC
The commanding presence of this 19th-century French desk is attributed to its square pedestal structure. The ensemble of six drawers is perched upon two sturdy legs, which also doubl...
Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Restored Late 18th-Century French Antique Secrétaire with Intricate Carvings
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Step back in time with our exquisitely restored French Antique Secrétaire, a genuine late 18th-century gem. Expertly crafted from premium walnut woo...
Category

18th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Large desk in iron and rosewood laminate by Mobiltecnica Torino 1970
Located in Premariacco, IT
Important Italian executive desk circa 1970s, manufactured by Mobiltecnica Torino. It features an iron frame accompanied by four large and sturdy drawers on the sides. Present is a ...
Category

1970s Italian Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Iron

Scrivania in ferro e laminato di palissandro di Mobiltecnica Torino anni '70
Located in Premariacco, IT
Importante scrivania direzionale italiana anni '70 circa, produzione Mobiltecnica Torino. Si presenta con una struttura in ferro corredata di tre cassetti scorrevoli sul lato sinist...
Category

1970s Italian Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Iron

Vintage Country House German Light Pine Desk, Circa 1930s
Located in Nijmegen, NL
This desk was made around the 1930s in Germany. It is made from solid pine with many very deep drawers. The desk retained a very nice patina and signs of use over the years. The heig...
Category

1930s German Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Pine

Mid Century Country French Provincial Mirrored Vanity Desk Console Credenza 72"
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid century French Provincial vanity desk or credenza featuring serpentine form with antiqued mirrored top, four drawers and one cabinet...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Mirror, Hardwood

1960s Italian Dal Vera Bamboo Rattan Brass French Riviera Organic Writing Desk
Located in Carimate, Como
Beautiful 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern writing table or desk in bamboo and wicker rattan with 2 side drawers with typical brass handles from renowned Dal Vera manufacturer. The o...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Baker Furniture French Provincial Louis XV Cherry Writing Desk, Newly Refinished
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional French Provincial Louis XV style writing desk By Baker Furniture USA, Circa 1960s Carved cherry wood, with original brass hardware. Measures: 46"W x 23"D x 30"H. ...
Category

1960s American French Provincial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

19th Century French Rustic Industrial Dining or Writing Table or Desk
Located in Bradenton, FL
19th century French industrial, rustic writing table or desk. Soundly constructed, all wood top with iron strap around entire edge and bottoms of legs. Trestle base. Multi purpose t...
Category

19th Century French Industrial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

1800s French Antique Patinated Ecritoire
Located in High Point, NC
This antique ecritoire was crafted in 19th century France. A heavily distressed wooden ecritoire, this desk organizer flaunts a spacious case with an elegant slant top and a subtle c...
Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Wood

Large Vintage Oak Desk, Double Sided with Display End
Located in Ely, GB
A beautifully large vintage partner desk or possible retail counter desk. The desk is in good vintage condition with age related marks and scuf...
Category

1920s British Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak

Henredon French Provincial Louis XV Oak Writing Desk
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional French Provincial Louis XV style writing desk By Henredon USA, Circa 1960s Carved oak, with original brass hardware. Measures: 40"W x 24"D x 29.5"H. Ver...
Category

1960s American French Provincial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Williams Hairpin Writing Desk Maple White
Located in Cincinnati, US
A thin, elegant and light desk that can be customized to any color desired. This handcrafted item perfectly blends industrial hairpin legs with a beveled wooden top. The irregular be...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Industrial Design Metal Desk in Painted and Chromed Metal and Aluminium, Bespoke
Located in Berlin, DE
Industrial design metal desk, lacquered and chromed metal and aluminium, made to measure.
Category

2010s German Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Aluminum, Metal

Green Leatherette and Metal Cabinets, 1960s, Set of 2
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Pair of green leatherette and metal cabinets with shelf, Italy, 60s. Provenance Gabicce Mare city hall. Packaging with bubble wrap and cardboard boxes is included. If the wooden pack...
Category

1960s Italian Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Metal

19th Century Country French Provincial Walnut Writing Table Desk
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Handsome 19th century country French provincial diminutive writing table or desk carved from walnut. The top and frieze have a gracefully curved serpentine shape with a small storage...
Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

1800s Antique Desk, French Empire Style, Mahogany, Gilt, Secretaire a Abattant
Located in Austin, TX
Gorgeous antique secretaire a abattant, desk, French Empire style, mahogany, gilt, 1800s, 19th century! This stunning French Empire style marble-top mahogany fall-front desk, 19th century, projecting frieze drawer, with gilt metal crossed sword pulls, turned column supports flanking the fall-front panel, opening to gilt embossed leather writing surface, mirrored interior gallery, over dual cabinet doors, opening to reveal three drawers, above lower apron drawer, approximately 56.5" height 37.25" width, 17" depth. Dominated by Greco-Roman models, the Empire style - spare, noble, massive - had a studied dignity consistent with Napoleonic majesty. The characteristic furniture types were a bit stiff but imposing: their flat surfaces and sharp corners, together with their lack of moldings, produced an effect of grandeur that was not without beauty as per Timothy Corrigan The Empire style was deliberately propagandistic, and embraced what was most monumental in ancient art as suitable analogies to the new French Empire. Napoleon imposed a tyrannical centralization on artistic production, decreeing that it would be subject to control from Paris and overseen by the architects Percier and Fontaine...
Category

19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Marble

French Provincial Cherry Writing Table or Bedside Table with Drawer, circa 1800
Located in Miami, FL
French Provincial cherry table with cabriole legs that has mortise and tenon construction and wood peg fasteners. A beautiful late 18th century or early 19th century table left in it...
Category

Early 19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Cherry

Vintage Midcentury Steel Desk
Located in San Francisco, CA
This vintage midcentury metal desk is for hard workers only. A laminate-top, panel legs and a bottom shelf for extra storage needs. Please note,...
Category

Mid-20th Century Unknown Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Reply Architect Drafting Table Friso Kramer, Wim Rietveld Ahrend Cirkel, 1959
Located in Boven Leeuwen, NL
Reply Dutch Design Architect drawing table designed by Wim Rietveld and Friso Kramer for Ahrend de Circel in 1959. Design Classic, awarded with the "Signe d’Or". The table top is fully adjustable by two rotary knobs, this table is in very good condition seen its age. Dark Brown coated...
Category

1970s Dutch Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Steel

Oak, Iron and Brass Library Table Banc De France, circa 1920s
Located in East Hampton, NY
An oak, iron and brass frame (added later) library table from the Banc de France, circa 1920. The table is braced by stretcher spanning full length of t...
Category

1920s French French Provincial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Industrial Wood 3 Drawer Hudson Drawing Table by Keuffel & Esser Co.
Located in New York, NY
Large Industrial style early 20th century architect drawing table featuring an oak base and a pine top. Comes with three drawers, including one larger blueprint drawer, two regular d...
Category

Early 20th Century American Industrial Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Oak, Pine

18th C. Country French Walnut Writing Table
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A two tiered desk with elevated section at back with slots for papers and four curved supports. The lower overhanging surface with banded sides and serpe...
Category

Late 18th Century French French Provincial 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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