Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern 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.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s 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 pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture 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, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
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Style: Mid-Century Modern
Period: 1950s
1950's Amazing "Magic Box' Organiser Bureau Compact Plywood Ateliers Genestar
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
This 'Magic Box' organising desk has been produced by various manufactures in Europe in the 1950's and 1960's
Commonly this desk is known as produced in Switzerland by Mummenthaler & Meier but this same model was also made in Norway and France
We believe this is the French version that was made by Ateliers Genestar as that version has the retractable plywood curved lamp...
Category
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak, Plywood
1950s Mid Century Rattan Grasscloth Streamline Wood Desk
By Paul Frankl
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
On offer on this occasion is one of the most stunning desk you could hope to find. This is an ultra-rare opportunity to acquire what is, unequivocally, the best of the best, it being...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Grasscloth, Rattan, Laminate, Wood
Architectural Desk In Walnut By Carlo de Carli, Italy 1950's
Located in Hellouw, NL
Architectural Desk in walnut by Carlo De Carli.This desk has a very solid and a kind of determined look with the unmistakable charm of the Italian design of the fifties. According to...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Writing Desk Mahogany Veneer, Italy, 1950s
Located in Milano, IT
Drop-leaf writing desk with drawers in the lower part; mahogany veneered wood with inlaid thread decorations.
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Italian Wood and brass Mid Century Modern "Fratino" Dining Table of desk
Located in Varese, Lombardia
This table was produced in Italy between the 1950s and the 1960s. It's a reinterpretation of the classic Fratino rustic table model. It is made from a wooden structure with 6 adjusta...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
1950s Drexel "Perspective" Floating Top Desk Style After Milo Baughman
By Milo Baughman, Drexel
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Mid century floating top desk design by Milo Baughman for Drexel "Perspective collection" in the United States circa 1950s. This beautiful desk features a lovely green vinyl top with...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Faux Leather, Wood
Dutch Mid-Century Modern Solid Birch Vanity Desk by Everest Furniture, 1950s
By Everest
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Unusual and rare modernist vanity desk produced in the Netherlands by Everest Furniture early 1950s.
Solid birch frame and, veneered plywood and exotic wood (Wenge) details in the...
Category
1950s Dutch Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Birch, Teak, Wenge, Plywood
Writing Desk By Edward Wormley For Dunbar
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Beautiful and rare walnut desk designed by Edward Wormley, manufactured by Dunbar ca' 1950's. Single drawer, dark walnut original finish, with nice graining. Edges are raised to give...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk, Style of Gio Ponti, c 1950s, Refinished
By Gio Ponti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautifully refinished Mid-Century Modern desk produced in Italy circa 1950s. Featuring black steel and wood frame with large brass elements and alternating black and white drawer fr...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Sears Roebuck & co., Writing Desk, Oak, USA, 1950s
Located in High Point, NC
A small solid oak writing desk from the "Harmony House Ranch-Mode"-series, designed and produced by Sears Roebuck & co, USA, 1950s.
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Oak
Italian Desk, 1950s
Located in Palermo, PA
Italian desk, 1950s.
Dimensions: H= 80 cm; W= 153 cm; D= 66 cm.
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Oak Writing Desk in the Style of Guillerme Et Chambron, France 1950s
Located in Chicago, IL
A 1950s French writing desk in the style of French design duo Guillerme et Chambron. This desk was beautifully constructed using oak with gorgeous wood graining and carved detailing....
Category
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
1950's Fully Restored Teak Executive Writing Desk from Feldballes Møbelfabrik
Located in Knebel, DK
1950's Fully restored executive teak writing desk from Feldballes Møbelfabrik
Exclusive model 54 teak writing desk from the 1950s designed with soft curved lines, bookshelves on the...
Category
1950s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Teak
Luther Conover, Desk, Mahogany, Iron, USA, 1950s
Located in High Point, NC
A mahogany and black-painted iron desk designed by Luther Conover and produced by Luther Conover Inc. USA, 1950s
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
Pair of stacking stools by Isamu Kenmochi for Akita Mokko, circa 1960
Located in Venezia, VENETO
The stacking stool designed by Isamu Kenmochi for Akita Mokko was exhibited in “Appartment Life” exhibition in Matsuya Department store in 1958. Targeting an urban life, the fun...
Category
1950s Japanese Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Faux Leather, Beech
Vintage Walnut Pedestal Desk by Laszlo Hoenig
Located in London, GB
A spectacular vintage walnut pedestal desk by Laszlo Hoenig. This was made in London, there is a label beneath the top with the production year of 1951.
It is of outstanding quality...
Category
1950s British Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
Restored Rare Early Florence Knoll Model 17 Louvered Maple Desk Signed Madison
By Knoll, Florence Knoll
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This rare desk was designed in the 1950s by Florence Knoll with a simplistic profile that has proven to be timeless! Of solid maple construction, it features tapered dowel legs and a...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Maple
Gio Ponti Office Desk in Wood and Glass for Bnl Italian Manufacture 1950s Italy
By Gio Ponti
Located in Montecatini Terme, IT
Office desk with two frontal drawers with structure in wood, top in colored glass and brass details (keyholes, keys and feet), originally designed by Gio Ponti for the offices of the...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Table by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1950
Located in PARIS, FR
A Dining table by Joaquim Tenreiro made of solid Imbuia with beautiful grain and veins.
A wide solid wood border underlines the modernity of the lines.
The table can be use as a ...
Category
1950s Brazilian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Pair of Vintage Ebonized Beech Writing Desks in the Style of Gio Ponti, Italy
By Gio Ponti
Located in Bresso, Lombardy
Made in Italy, 1950s - 1960s.
They feature an ebonized beech frame and four Formica veneered drawers each.
These desks both have the same timber but with two slightly different shade...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Formica, Beech
Rosewood Roll top Desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Model 452. All Original
Located in Kansas City, MO
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Model 452 Rosewood Tambour Door Executive Desk in very good completely original condition. Two rolltops, one on each side and three drawers. Large work se...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
1950's Mid-Century Modernist Floating Top Curved Desk
Located in Dallas, TX
Stylize your room with this impressive writing desk. This unusual desk takes its inspiration from Art Deco design. It has a curved design that gives it a distinctive appeal and a lar...
Category
1950s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
American Designer, Desk, Oak, Bamboo, Rattan, USA, 1950s
Located in High Point, NC
A small oak, bamboo and rattan writing desk designed and produced in the US, c. 1950s.
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Bamboo, Rattan, Oak
Italian Design Desk from the 50s, Restyled with Modern Flair by RETRO4M
Located in Rome, IT
Introducing our meticulously restored and restyled Italian desk from the 1950s. This exquisite piece showcases a harmonious blend of timeless design and contemporary aesthetics. Our ...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Secretary by Gianfranco Frattini, Cantieri Carugati, 1954
Located in Berlin, DE
This beautiful secretary by Gianfranco Frattini from 1954 was made out of rosewood.
Frattini was an italien architect and designer.
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass, Steel
Restored Rattan and Mahogany Secretary Desk W/ Side Shelf
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Finished in rattan and mahogany, this Mid-Century era desk has an attached single drawer for storage and two-tier side shelf built in for further storage.
...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rattan, Mahogany
T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings Cantilevered Modern Desk Refinished
Located in Atlanta, GA
Clean lined cantilevered modern desk, designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb, American, circa 1950s. This desk is currently being refinished and can be completed in your ch...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
Stadera Writing Desk Model 840 Franco Albini for Poggi
By Poggi, Franco Albini
Located in Rovereta, SM
Rare and important writing desk model Stadera designed by Franco Albini for the Poggi manufacture in 1959.
Model 840.
Made of noble wood for its shelf, in perfect preserved conditi...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
1950's George Nelson X-Leg Extension Dining Table Model 5062
Located in Hanover, MA
Early George Nelson model 5062 X-Leg extension dining table for Herman Miller, 1952.
Table has two 12 inch extension leaves and pull-out metal extension tracks.
Table is 29 inches...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
Small Pine Desk Table in the "Les Arcs" Style, Charlotte Perriand, circa 1950
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
small pine desk table in the "Les Arcs" style, Charlotte Perriand, with a drawer circa 1950/1960
Category
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Pine
Landstrom Mid-Century Modern Hollywood Regency Black Lacquered Writing Desk
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional Mid-Century Modern Hollywood Regency Chinoiserie writing desk
By Landstrom Furniture.
USA, 1950s
Black lacquered mahog...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Restored Post-War Hawaiian Koa Wood Desk W/ Rattan Border
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Stacked Koa Wood secretary desk with Koa Wood top and rattan accents, center drawer with four drawers on each side of the desk.
Measures: 29.5" high x 49" wide x 25" deep
United St...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Rattan
20th Century Paolo Buffa Desk and Chair in Wood for Lietti, 50s
Located in Turin, Turin
Paolo Buffa (Milan 1903-1970), architect and designer, worked in the field of furniture design. Trained in the studio of Ponti and Lancia, from where he borrowed elements of neoclass...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Crystal, Brass
Paul McCobb Connoisseur Collection Black Lacquer and Brass Desk, Refinished
Located in South Bend, IN
A rare and exceptional Mid-Century Modern desk
By Paul McCobb for H. Sacks & Sons, "Connoisseur Collection"
USA, 1950s
Black lacquered Honduran mahogany, with brass trim, st...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Argentinian Writing Desk, 1950s
Located in Milano, IT
Writing desk with column of drawers and open compartment under the top; solid beech wood stained and mahogany veneer.
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Beech, Mahogany
20th Century Ico Parisi Wooden Writing Desk with Two Drawers, 50s
By Ico Parisi
Located in Turin, Turin
Ico Parisi was born in Palermo, Italy, in 1916, but as early as 1925 with his family he moved to Como, where in 1936 he graduated as a building surveyor and served an apprenticeship at the Terragni studio. Discharged from the front in 1943, he returned to Como and resumed his design activity, dealing with the creation of individual furnishings, exhibition layouts and interior architecture. He collaborated with Luisa Aiani, whom he married in 1947 and with whom he opened the studio La Ruota. In the 50s he designed furniture, first in one-piece and later for Industrial Production with companies such as Cassina. In the 60s, with the "Contenitoriumani" he began a new path aimed at defining a utopian-existential IDEA of living. The culmination of his research is between 1974 and 1976 with "Operation Arcevia," aimed at designing an entire Community.
Here we have a wooden desk designed...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
George Nelson for Herman Miller Drop-Leaf Desk Model 4754, ca. 1955
Located in Costa Mesa, CA
George Nelson for Herman Miller Drop-Leaf Desk Model 4754, ca. 1955. Professionally restored in showroom condition, this beautiful desk has a drop leaf on the left side with all orig...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Italian Midcentury Desk/Dressing Table Attributed Carlo de Carli, Italy 1950
Located in London, GB
An Italian designed small writing desk in walnut,. Fantastic proportions on sculptural legs tapering to brass final on the feet. Two drawers with brass hardware with strawberry red g...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Italian Writing Table, 1950s
Located in Palermo, PA
Italian writing table, 1950s.
Dimensions: H= 76 cm; W= 110 cm; D= 50 cm.
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Iron
Vladimir Kagan, Early Custom Sculptural Walnut Desk
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A rare, likely one-of-a-kind, Vladimir Kagan design, employing all of the design touches that make him such an important figure in American Modernism.
A wonderful melding of rationalist and biomorphic elements, the triangular black laminate writing surface cantilevers over a cubist stack of drawers raised on sculptural foot; on the opposite end the top is supported by a classic Kagan split leg.
The piece is finished on the back to allow floating in a room. This comes out of a Kagan-Dreyfuss designed Manhattan apartment...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Laminate, Walnut
Primitive Office Desk with Built in Stool, 1950s, USA
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Incredible primitive Americans desk in a beautiful black paint with heavy patina and raw wood accents. Four pull-out drawers across the front of the desk as well as three individual ...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
Vintage Writing Desk Beech Italy 1950s
Located in Milano, IT
Desk with side drawers made of beech wood with Formica-covered top.
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Formica, Beech
Very Rare and Original Writing Table PK53 by Poul Kjaerholm for Rud Rasmussen
Located in Little Burstead, Essex
This stunning example is in museum condition, all completely original, not perfect, but very nicely used, the Oregon Pie top has a wonderful patine, with no real digs or scratches. T...
Category
1950s Danish Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel
Italian Desk by Gio Ponti Attributed, 1950s
By Gio Ponti
Located in Palermo, PA
Italian desk by Gio Ponti attributed, 1950s.
Dimensions: H= 78 cm; W= 180 cm; D= 85 cm.
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Glass, Wood
Paul Mccobb Desk for Calvin
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Rare architectural walnut and stone desk designed by Paul Mccobb for Calvin Furniture in the early 1950's.
The left hand pedestal features a slide out work surface, a small drawer...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Stone, Brass
Bertha Schaefer for Singer and Sons Italian Walnut Asymmetrical Desk
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Diminutive midcentury angled student desk in Italian walnut designed by Bertha Schaefer for M. Singer & Sons (Model 2162 - USA, ca. 1955).
Often co-attributed to Gio Ponti, who also...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
Elegant Desk in Blackened Wood and Leather circa 1950 Patina to Be Redone, Leath
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Elegant desk in blackened wood and leather, circa 1950
Patina to be redone, leather to be changed.
Category
1950s European Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Leather, Wood
Mid-Century Italian Modern Single-Pedestal Rosewood Desk by Stildomus
By Stildomus
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Single-pedestal rosewood desk with ebonized legs and chrome-plated brass recessed pulls by Stildomus (ca. 1950s, Italy).
Features three dove-tailed drawers with interior dimensions...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass, Chrome
Giuseppe Pagano: Eight Drawer Desk in Fruitwood and Brass, Italy 1940
Located in New York, NY
Giuseppe Pagano (1896 - 1945)
An imposing eight-drawer desk by rationalist architect and designer Giuseppe Pagano, in fruitwood with mahogany-stained trim and polished brass hand...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Helmut Magg Desk for WK Möbel, Germany, 1950s
By Helmut Magg
Located in Wrocław, Poland
This desk was designed by Helmut Magg in 1950s and produced by Neue Gemeinschaft für Wohnkultur, WK Möbel and still has the original label in one of the drawers. The design is simple...
Category
1950s German Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Cherry, Maple
Gio Ponti Teak and Brass Desk Designed for the BNL Offices, ISA Bergamo, 1950s
By ISA Bergamo, Gio Ponti
Located in Chiavari, Liguria
This Gio Ponti Desk, designed for BNL offices and manufactured by Isa Bergamo during the 1950s, is a beautiful piece of furniture that showcases the designer's signature style.
Made of solid teak wood, the desk features a sleek and elegant design with clean lines and a minimalist aesthetic. The piece also features brass feet and details, which add a touch of elegance and sophistication to the overall design. The desk top - with a dimension of 161x80.5cm (WxD) - has ample surface space for writing and working and the three drawers provide ample storage for documents and office supplies...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Elegant Italian Desk Convertible into Sewing Machine
Located in Milano, IT
Elegant Italian desk convertible into sewing machine from the 1950s. The desk through its shapes and lines is very reminiscent of Gio Ponti's design line. The desk is made by the Vigorelli ( of Pavia) manufactory. The small desk has in the left side five pull-out drawers and the top one has a key. In the right leg we have a door that can be opened by knob with the sewing machine mechanism inside. At the base we find a cast-iron riser...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal, Iron
Charlotte Perriand Mid-Century Modern Black and Grey Cansado Table, circa 1950
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table designed by Charlotte Perriand, circa 1950.
Wood with formica, metal frame legs.
Provenance: Cansado, Mauritania (Africa).
In good original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a beautiful patina.
Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) she was born in Paris in 1903 and attended the E´cole de l'Union centrale des Arts de´coratifs from 1920-1925. Charlotte Perriand designed furniture made of anodized aluminium and chromium-plated steel, showing it at the 1927 "Salon d'Automne" in Paris.
After meeting Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand worked with him and Pierre Jeanneret until 1937. The revolutionary tubular steel furnishings and system furniture designed by the three were presented as "E´quipement de l'habitation" (home equipment) at the 1929 "Salon d'Automne," where they were widely acclaimed.
In 1930 the Union Des Artistes Modernes (UAM) was founded in Paris, a group that viewed itself as a countermovement challenging such establishment organizations as the "Salon d'Automne" and also advocated Art Deco and Modernism. From 1931 Charlotte Perriand showed her own work solo there. In 1937 Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret collaborated on designing a mountain chalet of sheet aluminium, which they showed at the "Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne" and later they came up with plans for prefab houses...
Category
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Metal
Ico Parisi Attributed Sculptural Desk With Glass Top 1950s
By Ico Parisi
Located in New York, NY
Architectural desk in walnut with sculptural legs with brass sabots and floating thick glass top attributed to Ico Parisi, Italian 1950's. This desk is beautifully outfitted with dra...
Category
1950s Italian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Brass
Frank Lloyd Wright for Heritage Henredon Taliesin Mahogany Desk 1955/56
Located in Camden, ME
A classic nine drawer mahogany desk designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his Taliesin line for Heritage Henredon furniture.
Beautifully detailed with a continuous incised carved greek ...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Mahogany
Elegant Modern Desk, Designed by Bertha Schaefer for Singer and Sons, circa 1950
Located in San Francisco, CA
This is a rare and elegant modern desk, designed by Bertha Schaefer for Singer and Sons, circa 1950s. Beautiful graining to the Italian walnut, especially to the top. Schaefer was on...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Walnut
A.R.P. Writing Desk Edition Minvielle France, 1955
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare and collectible desk designed by A.R.P. (Atelier de Recherches Plastiques) and manufactured by Minvielle, France 1955. Studio A.R.P. was an association between three talented de...
Category
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Steel
Alfred Hendrickx Custom Made Desk Belform Belgium, 1958
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare monumental conference desk made for a lawyer’s firm in the 1950s. Designed by Alfred Hendrickx and manufactured by Belform, Belgium 1958/1959. The la...
Category
1950s Belgian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Materials
Wood
Mid-century Modern desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage desks and writing tables created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include tables, case pieces and storage cabinets, seating and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern desks and writing tables made in a specific country, there are Europe, Italy, and North America pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original desks and writing tables, popular names associated with this style include Cassina, Lawson-Fenning, Charlotte Perriand, and Paul McCobb. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for desks and writing tables differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $299 and tops out at $184,000 while the average work can sell for $4,773.
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