Modern Desks and Writing Tables
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
1930s Finnish Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Birch
2010s Indian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
1930s Italian Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal, Chrome
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1980s American Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Wood
2010s Mexican Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Hardwood, Ziricote
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Marble, Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Siena Marble, Aluminum, Bronze
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Steel
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Marble, Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Siena Marble, Aluminum, Bronze
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Onyx, Travertine, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass, Steel
1950s Indian Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Teak
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
2010s French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel, Chrome
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Mahogany, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Iron
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
2010s Mexican Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
20th Century French Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Marble, Quartz, Travertine, Carrara Marble
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
Mid-20th Century Indian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal, Bronze, Steel, Gold Leaf
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood, Walnut, Plywood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
20th Century English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Gold, Brass, Gold Plate
2010s Chinese Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Fiberglass
2010s European Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
2010s Canadian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
1950s Italian Vintage Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Steel
2010s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Metal
2010s Spanish Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Hardwood, Oak
20th Century Indian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Teak
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Resin