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Desks and Writing Tables For Sale
Handcrafted 1960s Danish Oak Desk, Deep Patina, Sculptural Mid-Century design
Located in Store Heddinge, DK
A cabinetmaker-built Danish small desk with the most stunning and deep patina. Its light brown tone carries a walnut-like glow. Horizontal carvings on the cabinet doors lend the piec...
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Anthroposophical Desk Designed By Felix Kayser, Hand Crafted Ash Wood, ca. 1930
By Schiller Möbel, Felix Kayser
Located in Berlin, DE
Anthroposophical desk model K 1290 ('ladies' desk), designed by Felix Kayser and probably manufactured by Schiller-Möbel, ca. 1930
Category
1930s German Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Ash
Swedish Erik Chambert art deco desk, 1940
Located in Uccle, BE
A mid 20th century birch art deco desk with 7 drawers and key included.
Date of manufacture stamped: 20 12 1940
Designed by Erik Chambert (1902-1988) who was a pioneering interior d...
Category
Mid-20th Century Swedish Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Birch
English Painted Bureau
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Small 18th century English painted oak bureau with original brass handles. 1780.
Height to underside of desk is 28.5-inches.
Code: 8930
Dimensions:
W: 37" (94 cm)
H: 39" (99.1 cm...
Category
18th Century English George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
French 19th Century Walnut Desk
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
A strapping French 19th century solid walnut desk to anchor an office, library, or study with its reassuring presence and beautiful patina. The smooth top planks are arranged in a cl...
Category
19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Vintage Kittinger Directoire Style Writing Desk
Located in Houston, TX
1960s Vintage Kittinger Directoire style writing desk composed of satinwood and features ebony inlay and brass hardware. Maker's mark located inside the center drawer.
Category
Late 20th Century North American Directoire Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Baker Furniture Style William & Mary Chinoiserie Black Lacquered Bureau Desk
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional William & Mary or Georgian Chinoiserie style drop front secretary desk
In the manner of Baker Furniture
USA, Circa 1980s
Black lacquered walnut, with hand-painted A...
Category
1980s American William and Mary Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Antique George IV Goncalo Alves Writing Table Desk Early 19th Century
Located in London, GB
This monumental early George IV antique library writing table is crafted from beautiful Gonçalo Alves and dates from Circa 1820.
The rectangular top features a moulded edge with th...
Category
1820s English George IV Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather
Late 19th Century French Louis XIII Style Walnut Side Table or Writing Table
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This small scale French Louis XIII style walnut writing table or desk from the late nineteenth century is of hand pegged construction and features a beveled top. The top is supported...
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis XIII Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Original Otto Wagner for Thonet 1905 Writing Desk Postal Saving Bank Vienna
Located in Vienna, AT
Otto Wagner writing desk from the Postal Saving Bank in Vienna. Made by Thonet, Vienna.
Otto Wagner Writing Desk, Postal Saving Bank, Vienna - Lit.: Asenbaum/Haiko, Otto Wagner, Möbe...
Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Jugendstil Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Crystal LC6 Table by Le Corbusier, Jeanneret and Perriand for Cassina
Located in Dronten, NL
LC6 table designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand.
Marked, signed and numbered on the frame, this table has the most desirable crystal textured top.
The tab...
Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Crystal, Aluminum
Peter Løvig Nielsen Rosewood Partners Desk
Located in New York, NY
Amazing 1970's Peter Løvig Nielsen rosewood partners desk, lightly restored with some wear and patina due to age and use, there is some we...
Category
1970s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Antique Swedish Rococo Desk with Light Blue Paint, Drawer and Curved Rococo Legs
Located in Kramfors, SE
Antique Swedish rococo desk from the late 1700s. The desk is a country house furniture in rococo style with a large drawer. Heavily curved rococo legs and also a curved table top and...
Category
Late 18th Century Swedish Rococo Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
18th Large Spanish Dining or Desk Table with Carved Legs and Iron Stretcher
Located in Miami, FL
19th Spanish refectory desk table with solomonic legs and iron stretcher
Original perfect condition
Top table in perfect shape.
Very heavy piece
Between legs 81.10 in
Category
1790s Spanish Renaissance Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
Piano desk black lacqued wood
Located in Ciudad de México, CDMX
A sleek, black-polished, sculptural piece conjuring the presence of a grand piano.
Piano Desk evokes an intricate fusion of the grace in artistic expressi...
Category
2010s Mexican Post-Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
19th Century Austrian Biedermeier Desk, Walnut, Vienna circa 1820
Located in Greven, DE
Biedermeier or Empire desk, circa 1820
Vienna
Walnut
Biedermeier circa 1820
Dimensions: H x W x D: 80 x 134 x 68 cm
Description:
Desk standing on solid, high square legs with an e...
Category
1820s Austrian Biedermeier Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Antique Derby Oak Raised Panel S-Roll Top Desk with Carved Pulls c1920
Located in Big Flats, NY
***Reduced In-House Delivery Rates - Click on “Ask Seller” to Request a Quote***
Antique Derby Oak Raised Panel S-Roll Top Desk with Carved Pulls c1920.
50 3/8" x 55 1/8" x 35 5/8...
Category
Early 20th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
19th Century English Regency Ebonized Desk
Located in Houston, TX
19th Century English Regency Ebonized Desk.
Offered is an unusually shaped early 19th century period English Regency ebonized desk with two drawers which is finished on both sides. O...
Category
1810s English Regency Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Six Dots Design Unique desk
Located in London, GB
Joseph Ellwood is a British artist and designer working under the studio name: Six Dots Design. Joseph has been named one of 10 'Future Icons' in design by Wallpaper* magazine, collaborated with the luxury brand Rimowa and has exhibited globally..
The aesthetic of the work aims to challenge and disrupt the mid-century norms of furniture today. I have taken inspiration from the likes of Perriand and Prouvé and distorted their pieces to create a body of work that relates to our current generation. The lives we live today are fluid in gender, identity, expression and thought. This collection represents this confusion, indecision and anxiety in a whimsical and endearing way.
This work aims to question what it means to reflect your identity though the objects surrounding you.
This desk is a one off piece designed and fabricated by Joe Ellwood...
Category
2010s British Futurist Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Aluminum
Pair of Midcentury Chromed Steel Italian Trestles After Milo Baughman, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Gorgeous pair of midcentury trestles fully made in chromed steel. These incredibly stylish trestles were designed in Italy after Milo Baughman during the 1970s.
These versatile tres...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel, Chrome
Inlaid Teak Writing Desk from India
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful writing desk, handcrafted in India out of aged teak wood and responsibly sourced animal bone inlay. Late 20th Century (1990-1995). Split front apron, two drawers with br...
Category
1990s Indian Anglo-Indian Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bone, Teak
Antique French Desk Writing Table Renaissance w Drawer Oak Barley Twist c. 1920s
Located in Tyler, TX
GORGEOUS 19th Century Antique French Oak Louis XIII Renaissance Revival Desk or Writing Table with Full Length Drawer, Barley Twist Legs, Stretcher, Lunette Carved Beveled Edge Top a...
Category
1920s French Renaissance Revival Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Japanese Vintage Writing Table, Showa Period black lacquer, Solid Wood
Located in Hitachiomiya-shi, 08
This vintage desk was crafted in the Early Showa Period '1926-'.
Crafted entirely from solid kihada (Japanese Amur cork tree) wood.
Featuring a sleek black finish and a minimalist ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Showa Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
20th Century Italian Rosewood Writing Table - Desk by Osvaldo Borsani & Tecno
By Tecno, Osvaldo Borsani
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A large vintage Mid-Century modern Italian writing table made of hand crafted polished Rosewood designed by Osvaldo Borsani for Tecno, in good condition. The sculptural desk is compo...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Chrome
Midcentury Bamboo, Rattan and Wicker Desk Console Table, Italy 1970s
Located in Rome, IT
Midcentury beautiful Italian writing table or desk in bamboo, rattan and wicker with two drawers.
Made in Italy in the 1970s.
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan, Wood
Pine Farm table with Turned Legs by Alabama Sawyer
Located in Birmingham, AL
Made from sustainable urban wood, this (sort of) traditional farm table features turned legs and touches of white and blue color. Perfect for adding fun and delight to your dining or...
Category
2010s American American Craftsman Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Pine
Mid-Century Teak & Steel Executive Desk by Friso Kramer & Coen de Vries for EEKA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A striking example of Dutch mid-century modern design, this executive desk was designed by Friso Kramer and Coen de Vries for EEKA (Eindhovense Eisen- en Kantoorartikelenfabriek) in ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel
Macassar Writing Desk with Bronze-Patina Brass Deatils by R&Y Augousti
Located in New York, NY
The Sonia writing desk is the perfect piece for your room. A more subtle version to her sister the iconic writing desk, the Sonia has elegant legs inlaid in Macassar wood and bronze-...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Small English Victorian Inlaid Mahogany Writing Table / Desk c.1900
Located in Leicester, GB
A beautiful small English Victorian mahogany writing table. An elegant fitted desk from the earlier part of 1900's. The desk comprises of two drawers, in an asymmetric format with th...
Category
Early 1900s British Victorian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Midcentury Italian Trestle Desk or Table in Bamboo, Rattan by Vivai Del Sud, 70s
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful pair of mid-century organic trestles in a beautiful combination of bamboo, curved rattan and hand-woven wicker. These stunning and unique trestles were designed by Vivai del Sud and produced in Italy during the 1970s.
In fabulous condition and with an amazing honey-like color. These sturdy trestles are made in bamboo canes enriched on the bottom with curved rattan and perfect hand-woven wicker work.
Ideal to make a charming desk or also for dining table or a console table in a modern organic entryway. A must have for all the French Riviera style lovers.
These versatile trestles are ideal as a charming modern organic desk...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bamboo, Rattan, Wicker
19th Mid-C French Walnut Desk or Shop Counter Meuble De Metier with Cash Drawer
Located in Labrit, Landes
French former office of shop counter, circa 1850
This Meuble de Metier was used in a trade and it was equipped with a cash drawer which is still there, as you can see in the photos: ...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Belle Époque Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Midcentury Giancarlo Piretti Red "Platone" Folding Desk for Castelli, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful and incredibly rare midcentury red "Platone" folding desk designed by Giancarlo Piretti and produced by Anonima Castelly in Italy during the 1970s. The desk is in amazing v...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
English Regency Double-Sided Mahogany Library Table of Large Scale, circa 1830
Located in Kinderhook, NY
A circa 1830 English regency George IV / William IV period solid mahogany double-sided library or writing table of large scale and rectangular form, the possibly original black leath...
Category
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
French 19th Century Marquetry Inlay Desk
Located in Baton Rouge, LA
This captivating French desk from the 19th century is illustrated with a border of highly detailed marquetry of contrasting mahogany to stand out from the walnut & fruitwood construc...
Category
19th Century French French Provincial Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Fruitwood, Mahogany, Walnut
Nº113 Vein-cut Romano Travertine Console Table by Amee Allsop
By Ameé Allsop
Located in East Hampton, NY
Meticulously and simply crafted with solid 3cm thick travertine slabs, the proportions create a lightness of form juxtaposing the materiality.
A continuation of Coffee Table Nº 106,...
Category
2010s American Minimalist Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Travertine
Melting Vanity Table in Blue Shagreen and Bronze-Patina Brass by R & Y Augousti
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Vintage Scandinavian Modern Rosewood Desk by Ganddal Møbelfabrikk
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An iconic Scandinavian Modern rosewood desk crafted by Ganddal Møbelfabrikk in the 1960s. This exceptional vintage rosewood desk showcases all of the hallmarks of Mid-Century Modern ...
Category
Mid-20th Century European Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Mid-Century Italian Walnut Sliding Glass Top Secretary Tall Desk Writing Table
Located in Carimate, Como
Very elegant and classic Mid-Century Modern Italian walnut wood desk console, writing table, secretary with sliding top with black glass for a seated position when extended, a top sh...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood, Glass
Midcentury Alvar Aalto Desk or Dining Table in Black Laminated and Beech, 1970s
By Artek, Alvar Aalto
Located in Roma, IT
Stunning mid-century desk or dining table in curved beech wood with black laminated top. This incredibly elegant table was designed by Alvar Aalto for Artek and produced during the 1...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Formica, Wood, Laminate, Beech
Extraordinary Pierre Jeanneret Library Table
Located in New York, NY
We are very pleased to present this exceptional and rare Pierre Jeanneret illuminated reading table with provenance from DAV (Dayanand Anglo-Vedic) College Chandigarh which was built...
Category
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
Antique Carved Fruitwood Leather Top Desk
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A fine and large antique Desk with great form. The very well made rectangular desk with a slightly overhanging top with a foliate scrolled tooled green-black leather insert. The thre...
Category
19th Century Georgian Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Mid-Century Italian Desk, 1950s, Fully Restored with Shellac Finish
Located in Rome, IT
This mid-century desk, designed and produced in Italy in the 1950s, features a fully restored finish that highlights its refined craftsmanship. The ebonized frame and angular legs ar...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Antique George III English Chinoiserie Faux Bamboo Leather Top Desk
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Impressive 18th century George III desk crafted in hardwoods with the original brown tooled leather top on a case with nine drawers in front and twelve in the back, featuring bold ha...
Category
18th Century English George III Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Hardwood
Antique 19th Century British Campaign Desk in Mahogany
Located in Peabody, MA
Antique British campaign desk in mahogany, ca. 1890s, fitted with solid brass hardware. The sawhorse legs are fully collapsible.
Category
1890s British Campaign Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Midcentury "Platone" White Folding Desk by Giancarlo Piretti for Castelli, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Lovely white "Platone" folding desk. Designed by the visionary Giancarlo Piretti and produced by Anonima Castelli in Italy during the 1970s. The desk is signed on the bottom.
In brand new condition, this desk has never been used and is a new old stock.
The Platone desk was designed to be presented as a set with the Plia chair. It is also held in the permanent collection of the MoMa in NYC. Its ingenious three-disc mechanism, a signature feature of Piretti’s bestsellers, reaches its boldest expression in the Platone.
The white top is a perfect match with the bold design of this little table, with the metal structure sustaining the table on one side. Platone is built to last and integrates seamlessly into any modern or vintage interior.
This stylish desk could function perfectly in a modern or midcentury style children's room or office.
Dimension (cm):
Width - 82
Depth - 64
Height - 69
Italian interior and industrial designer Giancarlo Piretti was born in 1940 in Bologna. He obtained his teaching degree in drawing at the Art Institute of Bologna (dates unknown), and continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna in 1960. From 1963 until 1970, he taught interior design at the Art Institute of Bologna.
Sometime in the 1960s, Piretti also joined Italian design company Castelli as an interior designer, creating home furniture and office furnishings. During his twelve years at Castelli, Piretti obtained numerous industrial patents for his designs, which were mostly chairs. Piretti’s work for Castelli garnered the company an international reputation in furniture design. His most well-known design is the plastic folding Plia Chair (1968), which has sold over seven million copies since 1969 and is still in production. It won the BIO 5 distinction and the SMAU prize at the Ljubljana Biennial in 1971, Germany’s Gute Form prize in 1973, and can be found in permanent collections in various museums world-wide, including Austria, Czech Republic, Slovenia and the United States. In 1969 the complementary Plia Table...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
"Zeno" Asymmetrical Beech and Ebony Desk by Massimo Scolari for Giorgetti, 1990s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A well crafted asymmetric 90's desk designed by Massimo Scolari for Giorgetti S.p.A. The desk is made of a beech frame with Macassar Ebony inset top and aluminum hardware. The leg ha...
Category
1990s Italian Post-Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Aluminum
Louis XVI Style Desk With Leather Top
Located in Austin, TX
Writing table desk in the Louis XVI style made of Mahogany. The desk has been ebonized and finished in a lustrous Museum quality French polish and boasts an embossed leather top. Fea...
Category
1920s Louis XVI Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Vintage Industrial Anco Bilt Cast Iron and Oak Drafting Table with Steel Surface
By Anco Bilt
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Industrial drafting table/desk in oak with steel surface, fully adjustable via cast iron hinges, knobs, and brackets manufactured by Anco Bilt of Glendale, New York (ca. 1940s).
Surf...
Category
1940s American Industrial Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cut Steel, Iron
Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Period Walnut Writing Table with Leather Top
Located in Fayetteville, AR
This small scale late eighteenth century French Louis XVI period walnut lady's writing desk features a gold tooled black leather top. A single drawer pulls out from the side using a ...
Category
Late 18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bronze
Arthur Umanoff 50s Mid-century Writing Desk in Wrought Iron, Wood for Elton
Located in Miami, FL
Arthur Umanoff 50s Mid-century Writing Desk in Wrought Iron, Wood for Elton
Offered form sale is a rare Midcentury Modern quintessential 50s design Arthur Umanoff writing desk for...
Category
1950s Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wrought Iron
Restored Midcentury Writing Desk or Console Table from Up Zavody, 1960s
By Up Závody
Located in Żory, PL
Mid-century writing desk which can also be used as a console table. Manufactured by UP Zavody Bučovice in former Czechoslovakia during the 1960s. Features two drawers and white glass...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Glass, Wood
Mid-Century Danish Rosewood Executive Desk by Arne Vodder for Bornholm
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This stunning mid-century modern executive desk, designed by Arne Vodder for Bornholm, is a true statement piece of Danish craftsmanship. Made from richly grained rosewood, this floa...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Borge Mogensen Teak Secretary Dresser for Soborg Denmark
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A very well designed teak wood secretary dresser with four lower drawers and the front folds down as a desk top revealing storage slots to the right ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
Mid Century Danish Modern Teak Executive Desk or Writing Table
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A wonderful and simply designed teak desk from Scandinavia circa 1970's. It features teak construction with finished back. Clean & ready to use condition. No drawer keys present but ...
Category
1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
Early Bodil Kjær Executive Desk, Model 901 — E. Pedersen & Søn, Denmark, 1959
Located in Oakland, CA
Iconic freestanding executive desk designed by architect and professor Bodil Kjær. Model 901, manufactured by E. Pedersen & Søn in Denmark in 1959. Constructed of Brazilian rosewood,...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Metal Steelcase Desk
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Multipurpose utility table or desk by Steelcase. Built to last in the mid-20th century.
Category
Mid-20th Century Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
Danish Modern Floating Top Rosewood Desk by Johannes Sorth
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Introducing a stunning Danish modern floating top rosewood desk, expertly designed by Johannes Sorth for Bornholm Møbelfabrik in the 1960s. This exquisite piece showcases six dovetai...
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Alvar Aalto Writing Table Model K81 in Birch & Red Linoleum, Artek 1950s
Located in Helsinki, FI
A rare Mid-Century Modern writing desk in full birch and red linoleum model K81 manufactured by Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas for Artek. The minimalist design of this table which w...
Category
1940s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Birch
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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