Antique Office Furniture

Working from home becomes a genuine pleasure when your desk has been standing since Gladstone was in office. Our dealers stock antique pedestal desks, writing tables, bureau bookcases, filing cabinets, captain's chairs, partners' desks and library tables in mahogany, oak and walnut.

Antique office furniture was built for daily use over decades, if not centuries. The result is a quality of construction and materials that makes modern office furniture look decidedly temporary.

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Victorian Inlaid Rosewood Davenport Desk

A superb quality mid-19th century Victorian Davenport desk, beautifully crafted from richly figured...

1920s Walnut Kidney Shaped Desk

1920s Walnut kidney shaped desk with green leather insert with gold tooling to the edge and motif to...

An Attractive Small Burr Walnut Desk c1920's

A Small but Very Attractive Burr Walnut Desk from the 1920's in Queen Anne Style. The desk revealing...

A Good Quality 19th Century Dickens Oak Desk

A Fabulous 19th Century Dickens Oak Desk. It has a galleried back has four small drawers to either s...

Victorian Flame Mahogany Davenport

An attractive mid-19th century Victorian flame mahogany Davenport, showcasing richly figured veneers...

Antique Burr Walnut Pedestal Desk

A fine quality antique burr walnut pedestal desk in the Queen Anne style, featuring a beautifully in...

Victorian Mahogany Partners Desk

A truly outstanding example of a Victorian mahogany partners desk, this piece exudes presence, refin...

An Exhibition Quality Aesthetic Period Mahogany Desk Designed By George Faulkner Armitage.

An Exhibition Quality Aesthetic Period mahogany desk designed by George Faulkner Armitage. As you wo...

George II Walnut Bureau

A beautiful George II walnut bureau displaying fantastic colour and patination. Crossbanded and cock...

A Lovely Edwardian Period Mahogany Inlaid Desk

A lovely Edwardian Period mahogany inlaid desk. The rectangular top having an inset tan leather writ...

Victorian Oak Pedestal Desk

This Victorian oak pedestal desk was made circa 1885.   Made in 3 parts, the top and a pair of ped...

Queen Anne Walnut Bureau

Fine quality small late 19th century Queen Anne revival walnut bureau .   The bureau is a fantasti...

A Rare George III Tambour Desk

A rare George III tambour desk in mahogany and Lace-wood with boxwood stringing and cock-beading. Ra...

A Late Victorian Period Gillows Of Lancaster Mahogany Desk.

A Late Victorian Period Gillows of Lancaster mahogany desk. Constructed throughout in solid mahogany...

Edwardian Chippendale style pedestal desk

This Edwardian Chippendale style pedestal desk was made circa 1920. A sumptuous desk of this type g...

Edwardian painted satinwood bookcase

We are pleased to offer you this elegant Edwardian painted satinwood cylinder bookcase. Made in the...

Edwardian inlaid mahogany desk

This Edwardian inlaid mahogany desk was made circa 1910 the ‘age of elegance’ The desk with the gre...

George III Inlaid Mahogany Bureau

This George III inlaid mahogany bureau was made circa 1780.It has the unusual drawer formation of a...

French Bureau Plat

Good quality French table of unusual form with single drawer and ormolu trim, chequer inlay to the m...

Walnut Bureau

Here we have a very good quality early 18th century burr walnut bureau, with a well and stepped inte...

Working at an Antique Desk

The rise of home working has transformed the market for antique office furniture. A Victorian pedestal desk with leather-lined top, brass handles and deep filing drawers does everything a modern desk does, but with the added satisfaction of working at something genuinely well made. Partners' desks, designed for two people to work facing each other, are magnificent pieces that make a statement in any study or office.

Kneehole desks are more compact and suit smaller rooms. Carlton House desks, with their distinctive U-shaped gallery of drawers and compartments, are the Rolls-Royce of writing desks and highly sought after. Davenport desks, small and slope-topped, were designed for correspondence and work perfectly as laptop stations.

Office Chairs

The captain's chair, with its curved back and arms on a swivel base, was the standard office chair of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. They remain supremely comfortable and are well suited to long hours of desk work. Look for examples with the original leather or consider having a worn seat re-upholstered.

Desk chairs on castors, library chairs and reading chairs all serve office purposes and can be found in a range of styles and sizes to suit your space and working habits.

Technology and Antique Desks

Modern technology integrates well with antique desks. Cable management can be discreetly handled through existing holes (originally for inkwell holders) or through the back of the kneehole. Many antique desks offer more drawer space than any modern equivalent, which is useful for storing chargers, papers and stationery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most antique pedestal and partners' desks have generous surface areas that easily accommodate a monitor, keyboard and other equipment. Measure the desk surface and kneehole height before purchasing if you plan to use a large monitor. A laptop works comfortably on virtually any antique desk.

A partners' desk is a large double-sided desk with drawers on both sides, originally designed for two people to sit opposite each other. They are typically made in mahogany with leather-lined tops and are among the most impressive pieces of antique furniture available.

Captain's chairs and desk chairs from the Victorian and Edwardian periods were designed for long working days and can be very comfortable. Many have adjustable height mechanisms that still function well. Try before you buy if possible, and consider a cushion if the original upholstery is firm.

A Davenport is a small, compact desk with a sloping top that lifts to reveal storage, and a column of drawers down one side. They were first made in the late 18th century, reputedly for a Captain Davenport, and were popular throughout the Victorian period as ladies' writing desks.