Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe mid-century modern American furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
Postwar American architects and designers were animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist “International Style” architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the ’30s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale, in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for, respectively, pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair. George Nelson and his design team created Bubble lamp shades using a new translucent polymer skin. Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were re-purposed: the Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs that used surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century designers caught the spirit.
Classically-oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb — who designed holistic groups of sleek, blonde-wood furniture — and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern American furniture on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
2010s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass, Steel
2010s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary German Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Copper
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Formica, Wood
1940s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
1980s Spanish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Walnut
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Marble, Chrome, Steel
20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Chrome
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Formica
1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Chrome
2010s Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Glass, Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal, Aluminum
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Laminate, Ash
1970s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Leather
1960s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Formica, Wood, Paint
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Fabric, Rattan, Maple
19th Century European Antique Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Aluminum
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Leather
1960s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Teak
Mid-20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Dutch Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Birch
1970s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Teak
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Sycamore
1960s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Bamboo, Glass
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Teak
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Steel
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Ceramic, Oak
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Pine
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Marble, Metal
1960s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Pine
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal, Brass
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Rattan, Wood
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Birch
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
1970s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Laminate
1960s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Elm
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Teak