The Arts & Crafts Home

Vintage Office

On this page we offer a collection of both antiques and replicas for use in the office. We have a stock of Vintage Office Equipment, Roll-Top Desks, Globe Wernicke Bookcases, Library Bookcases, Vintage Office Chairs, Vintage Office Clocks, Vintage Desk Lamps, and Vintage Office Accessories. This stock changes regularly, so please email with your requirements.

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Most of these items are available as replicas too.

GLOBE WERNICKE CORNER BOOKCASE

OAK ROLL TOP DESK

A solid oak roll-top desk, with oak handles, and fully fitted interior.

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices

GLOBE WERNICKE STACKING BOOKCASE

Oak stacking bookcase, made by Globe Wernicke

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices

GLOBE WERNICKE STACKING BOOKCASE

Oak stacking bookcase, made by Globe Wernicke

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices

We have Trade Warehouse with a large selection of unrestored Globe Wernicke Bookcases always in stock... Please EMAIL for details

GLOBE WERNICKE PRICES

Unrestored £150.00 + VAT per section

Restored £200.00 + VAT per section

OAK ROLL TOP DESK PRICES

Unrestored £1000.00 + VAT

Restored £1800.00 + VAT

WALNUT or MAHOGANY ROLL TOP DESK PRICES

Unrestored £1200.00 + VAT

Restored £2000.00 + VAT

OAK TAMBOUR OFFICE CABINET PRICES

Unrestored £450.00 + VAT

Restored £550.00 + VAT

OAK or MAHOGANY VINTAGE OFFICE CHAIRS

Oak Unrestored £250.00 + VAT

Oak Restored £350.00 + VAT

Mahogany Unrestored £350.00 + VAT

Mahogany Restored £450.00 + VAT

OAK FILING CABINET PRICES (4 Drawers)

Unrestored £250.00 + VAT

Restored £350.00 + VAT

WE CAN ARRANGE DELIVERY THROUGHOUT THE UK AND THE WORLD

Wij hebben het Pakhuis van de Handel altijd met een grote selectie van unrestored Boekenkasten van Wernicke van de Bol in voorraad... Gelieve TE VERSTUREN voor details met de elektronische post

Nous avons l'entrepôt commercial avec un grand choix des bibliothèques non restaurées de Wernicke de globe toujours en stock... Svp EMAIL pour des détails

Wir haben Geschäftslager mit einer großen Vorwähler von unrestored Kugel Wernicke Bücherregale immer auf Lager... Bitte EMAIL für Details

Op deze pagina bieden wij een inzameling van zowel antiquiteiten als replica's voor gebruik in het bureau aan. Wij hebben een voorraad van het Uitstekende Materiaal van het Bureau, broodje-Hoogste Bureaus, de Boekenkasten van Wernicke van de Globe, de Boekenkasten van de Bibliotheek, de Uitstekende Stoelen van het Bureau, de Uitstekende Klokken van het Bureau, de Uitstekende Lampen van het Bureau, en de Uitstekende Toebehoren van het Bureau. Deze voorraad verandert regelmatig, zo tevreden e-mail met uw vereisten.

À cette page nous offrons une collection des deux antiquités et reproductions pour l'usage dans le bureau. Nous avons des actions d'équipement de bureau de cru, de bureaux de Rouler-Dessus, de bibliothèques de Wernicke de globe, de bibliothèques de bibliothèque, de chaises de bureau de cru, d'horloges de bureau de cru, de lampes de bureau de cru, et d'accessoires de bureau de cru. Ces actions changent régulièrement, satisfont ainsi l'email avec vos conditions.

Auf dieser Seite bieten wir eine Ansammlung beider Antiken und Repliken für Gebrauch im Büro an. Wir haben einen Vorrat an Weinlese-Büroeinrichtung, Rollen-Oberseite Schreibtische, Globe Wernicke Bücherregale, Bibliothek-Bücherregale, Weinlese-Büro-Stühle, Weinlese-Büro-Taktgeber, Weinlese-Schreibtisch-Lampen und Weinlese-Büro-Zusatzgeräten. Dieser Vorrat ändert regelmäßig, gefallen so email mit Ihren Anforderungen.

OAK OFFICE CHAIR

We have a large selection of antique renovated oak office armchairs.

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices

VINTAGE OFFICE CLOCK

We have a large selection of early office clocks, including Station Clocks, Post Office Clocks and Time Card Clocks

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices

ANTIQUE LIBRARY BOOKCASE

Always in stock, Oak Antique Bookcases, Mahogany Antique Bookcases.

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices

BRASS BANKER'S LAMP

Replica brass Banker's Desk Lamp.

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices. We also have several antique desk lamps in stock

BRASS OFFICE LAMP

Replica brass Office Desk Lamp.

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices. We also have several antique desk lamps in stock.

DUMMY BOOK WASTE PAPER BIN

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices.

DUMMY BOOK BLOTTER

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices.

DUMMY BOOK DESK ACCESORIES

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices.

DUMMY BOOK FILING TRAY

Several in stock, please EMAIL for details and prices.

THE HISTORY OF STACKABLE BOOKCASES

An American businessman Henry C. Yeiser set up a furniture factory called The Globe Files Co in Cincinnati in 1882. The factory started manufacturing office and filing furniture. In about the same time, a furniture factory called The Wernicke Co was set up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A few years later The Wernicke Co designed a bookcase, which consisted of different sized glass cabinet components. By stacking these components on top of and beside one another, you could create different wholes.

Henry C. Yeiser got interested in this design and bought The Wernicke Co factory. With the new owner, the factory was renamed The Globe Wernicke Co. In December 1892 Henry C. Yeiser patented this unique bookcase design. This bookcase design was a huge success and aroused great interest also in Europe. By the end of the 19th century, an English furniture manufacturer Thomas Turner started marketing the design in England. The company was named The Globe Wernicke Co Ltd. In time, The Globe Wernicke Co also expanded to Canada, France, Belgium and Austria.

With the designs great success several other furniture manufacturers got interested in the product and started to manufacture similar designs. The most notable of these in Europe were: Shannon Registrator, Minty and Gunn in England; Aug. Zeiss & Co (later Zeiss Union) and Soennecken in Germany and Lingel in Hungary.

In Finland, Billnäs Bruk Aktiebolag started manufacturing American style office furniture in 1909. A significant part of this product line was the Globe Wernicke bookcase design. Billnäs Bruk merged with Oy Fiskars Ab on the 1st of January 1959, but continued to manufacture furniture under the name Billnäs Bruk. The making of American style office furniture ended in the late ’60s and the furniture factory was closed down in 1970. BOKNAS

Otto Heinrich Louis Wernicke in 1889 invented a stacking system for units, meant as a quick
system of building up storage shelves. The design of this storage rack - made from bare planks - formed the basis of the later known Globe-Wernicke bookcase technique. The first patent for this shelving system was granted in 1892 and not long after the Wernicke Company, in Norwood, a suburb of Cincinnati in the USA, emerged. The popularity of the then known Wernicke bookcase units rose very quickly. With frequent advertising in the North Western Law Reporter these units were soon given the nickname the Barrister Bookcases. But notaries, lawyers and ministers also found the stacking bookcase system an attractive benefit. In 1899 the company Globe took over the Wernicke company. The Globe company had already developed to be one of the largest producers of archive systems, filing cabinets and pigeon-hole shelving. The company knew that with this bookshelf system it would create a welcome addition to their existing portfolio of products. Thanks to the increasing popularity of the units they could make a start on refining them. Thus they began using them to hang in window fronts helping prevent dust and once decorative edging and covered ridging were added they were also used in reception areas. As a result of this, the Globe-Wernicke bookshelf system developed a wider market.

ORIGINALITY VERSUS PLAGIARISM

The production of the Globe-Wernicke bookcase units was not only linked to the USA. In London they also started manufacturing them and as a result they also became a great success in Victorian England. Thanks also to the world-wide spread of the British colonies, people even came across the stackable bookshelves in India. Successful products are always imitated. After the first patent expired (after 20 years), the first copies appeared. This was not only the case in the USA and England, but copies were also being made in Germany and Scandinavia. A big difference between these copies and the original Wernicke units was that the first named copies were limited only to the production of a few designs. Globe-Wernicke was the only one who supplied a rich assortment of varying depths, breadths, heights and styles. Every new product was instantly patented, which meant the Globe-Wernicke company remained a step ahead of the competition. It is also thanks to the slogan “It grows with your
business and your business grows with it”, that Globe-Wernicke grew to be one of the largest factories of its time.

STYLES

Besides the ‘Standard line’ of Globe-Wernicke, there was also the simpler Universal Style and the luxury Ideal Unit Bookcase with stained-glass, pilasters on the balusters and a ridged cover with cut-out acanthus leaves. All cupboards were delivered in oak and mahogany. What began as simple stackable shelving units, sometimes turned into a complete library, with as many partition as corner models in varying sizes. In adverts, the cupboards were praised with the term “The Unit Idea”, to help spread the basic concept of the shelving system. With the luxury Ideal Unit Bookcase - the Rolls Royce of bookcase systems - Globe- Wernicke in 1912 reached its highest point. Later, in 1920 sales dropped and Wernicke, the inventor, died. After a takeover in 1955, the workers at Norwood handed in their notice and with that the curtain fell on the Globe-Wernicke company. The end of a company with a remarkable history and a unique product. But this did not automatically mean the end of the Globe-Wernicke shelving system. The opposite in fact.

GLOBE-WERNICKE COLLECTOR

Nowadays it is still possible to make up library shelving systems with the original Globe-Wernicke units. Due to the fact that the ceilings since the second half of the last century have become lower, and standard antique bookcases in most houses did not fit, the old style shelving system is a good alternative.

The bookcases are sold in sections and we can look for whatever colour, grain or size fits best together. Often people divide two large units as bases, which are then built up with smaller units of the same size and then finished off with a ridge round the top.
The original Globe-Wernicke bookcases are available in four different depths and seven different heights. No other brand offers this. The cupboards can also be placed under a 90 degree corner and then paired up, with the help of corner fittings. Most of the units ordered are requested narrower than the standard size (86 cm). Bases and ridge-tops are delivered in the same widths as the cases themselves. The bases are also available with or without drawers.

In the shop there are varying examples of the many possibilities. What is unusual about the system is that it can be adapted to practically any space. Original pieces can always be added to. Rightly so on all original pieces there is a slogan to be found which every Globe-Wernicke enthusiast keenly treasures : “Globe-Wernicke: always complete but never finished.”

THE SYSTEM

The coupling system is the most essential part of the Globe-Wernicke bookcase systems, where the separated units are built up. One unit attaches vertically to the other. When linking them sideways a horizontal joining strip is used. This is constructed from a metal strip dyed blue which when dried is covered with copper plating to match the doorknobs and draw handles. Besides the basic bookcases in oak and mahogany there are combination bookcase units which are put together by building up sections with different heights and depths with as many straight as corner fittings.

Corner fittings are unique because of the fact that old corner units are nowadays very scarce. What is often used to solve this corner problem is to attach ridged tops and edging at a 90 degree angle under the corner joint. If necessary the corner between the units can be finished off with a cornicing effect from polished wood.

Each unit of this system comes with a sealed glass door. Literally in less than no time it can be opened, where after the door can be pushed up and over the books towards the back wall with the use of roller bearings which are equipped with a scissor system. In short: simple to operate and practical to use.
Glass faceted front hanging doors can be made to order – and for an extra supplement –delivered. Instead of glass the front doors can also be ordered with embossed wooden panels. VAN LEEST.

GLOBE WERNICKE DETAILS

1. Universal Style: The "800" series (809, 811, 813, 847, etc...) - This is the VENEERED sides and "no Bands" straight and simple design. The veneer on the sides often cracks and splits and is more difficult to cleanly repair. The bases have legs, but are not like the mission style bases, and the tops are squared, but have little accent in design, keeping with the "clean, simple lines" design. Generally available in Quartered Oak, Imitation Mahogany, and Imitation Walnut.

2. Art Mission Style: The "300" series (308, 310, 312, 347, 341, etc...) - This is the solid wood series with thicker sides and usually wooden bands and wooden knobs, although there is a line (Mission series) with metal bands and metal knobs, squared. The bases have legs in the mission style, and the tops are heavy and squared, also with wood or metal bands. The "Colonial" and "Art Mission" styles share the same book sections, but the tags may read "Colonial" or "Art Mission". The top and bottom are what distinguishes these styles predominantly. Generally available in Quartered Oak, Genuine Mahogany, and Genuine Walnut. Available in "single door" and "double door" configuration as well. The difference between "Mission" and "Art Mission" is the bands. The Mission series having metal bands and metal knobs.

3. Colonial Style: Also the "300" series (308, 310, 312, 340, 349, etc...) - See the Art Mission description above. The main difference is the front of the top and base sections has a rounded appearance and the legs are rounded in front as well, in the typical colonial style. These seem to be more rare, and I have not seen any in the metal band configuration, unlike the mission series. The tops to these weigh a lot! They are very heavy and solid. Generally available in Quartered Oak, Genuine Mahogany, and Genuine Walnut. These are also available in "single door" and "double door" configurations.

4. Standard Style: The "100" series, and the "Standard D" and "Standard C" series (108, 110, 112, 143, D-12 1/4, C-9, etc...) - This is the most common series seen and sold here on e-Bay. About 34" wide. Comes standardly in the "D" depth or about 11 1/2" deep or the "C" depth or about 9 1/2" deep. Also comes in a deeper "E" section about 13" deep and then the custom, and very rare "G" and "H" sections. The standard top as well as the standard base for these has been called by many names; Rolltop, Waterfall, Ogee, Rounded front. These have metal bands, mostly brass, some copper as well. Metal knobs, mostly brass, but some copper as well. Generally available in Plain Oak, Quartered Oak, Genuine Mahogany, and Imitation Mahogany. Available in "single door" and "short" configurations in both the "D" and "C" sizes.

5. Sheraton Style: The "500" series (508, 510, 512, 541, etc...) - This is a fancier style with inlays on the faces and the sides. These are, like the Universal style cases, VENEERED sides. These were manufactured only in real mahogany, as far as I know, and are pretty scarce. I believe these are meant to be the Cadillac universal style, so the tops are square and the bases have legs, but not in the mission style. Generally available only in Genuine Mahogany. Available in "single door" and "double door" configurations.

6. Ideal Style: The "400" series (408, 410, 412, 460, 440, 446, etc...) - This is the very fancy set from GW, the "Top of the Line" series. Panelled sides, very detailed trim, richly carved fronts. Solid wood for the most part. These do not have regular glass, but only bevelled or leaded glass. So, if you are buying one of these sections and there is regular glass, know that although it may be old glass, it is not the original glass. The top and base somewhat rounded like the standard series, but definitely different. This is a very rare set. Generally available in Quartered Oak, Genuine Mahogany, and Genuine Walnut. Available in "single door" configuration.

Globe Wernicke - The CODES:

Pattern Numbers - Reference the above "series" numbers - There are more numbers than provided, but this are the most common and they should provide a guide for numbers not listed.

Grade or Finish numbers -

No. 197 - PLAIN OAK, weathered finish, brass oxidized trimmings

No. 198 - PLAIN OAK, fine medium dark antique gloss finish, copper oxidized trimmings

No. 217 1/2 - QUARTERED OAK, fumed brownish medium wax finish

No. 297 - QUARTER SAWED FIGURED WEATHERED OAK, dead finish, brass oxidized trimmings, dark or medium finish available

No. 298 - QUARTER SAWED FIGURED OAK, standard antique finish, copper oxidized trimmings

No. 298 1/2 - QUARTER SAWED FIGURED OAK, dead antique finish, dull brush-finished brass trimmings

No. 299 - QUARTER SAWED FIGURED OAK, deep rich golden finish, highly polished, brass oxidized trimmings

No. 299 1/2 - QUARTER SAWED FIGURED OAK, dead golden finish, dull brush-finished brass trimmings

No. 398 - IMITATION DARK MAHOGANY, highly polished, brass oxidized trimmings

N0. 516 1/2 - Genuine MAHOGANY, brownish, dead finish, medium dark, dull brass hardware

No. 598 - Genuine MAHOGANY, richly finished, medium dark, brass oxidized trimmings

No. 598 1/2 - Genuine MAHOGANY, medium dark dead finish, dull brush-finished brass trimmings

No. 599 1/2 - Genuine MAHOGANY, brownish with a tinge of dull red - Sheraton style only

No. 698 - QUARTER SAWED FIGURED ANTWERP OAK, polished, brass oxidized trimmings

No. 698 1/2 - QUARTER SAWED FIGURED ANTWERP OAK, dead finish, dull brush-finished brass trimmings

No. 798 1/2 - QUARTER SAWED FIGURED EARLY ENGLISH OAK, medium light, dead finish, dull brush-finished brass trimmings

No. 898 - QUARTER SAWED OAK, mission finish, solid brass trimmings of dull black, furnished on mission style of bookcases only

No. 998 1/2 - QUARTERED OAK, fumed brownish dark wax finish

Author JLent@AtlanticBB.net

ROLL TOP DESKS

Roll Top Desks are part of American History and are a challenging project to build. In 1850, Abner Cutler, owner of the Cutler Desk Co. in Buffalo, New York, was the first American to patent the roll top desk that we know today. The curved tambour top became his standard and it has become a classic style that has endured for more than 145 years.

A rolltop desk is a 19th century reworking of the pedestal desk with, in addition, a series of stacked compartments, shelves, drawers and nooks in front of the user, much like the Bureau a gradin or the Carlton house desk. In contrast to these the compartments and the desktop surface of a rolltop desk can be covered by means of wooden slats that roll or slide through slots in the raised sides of the desk. In that, it is a descendant in function, and partly in form, of the cylinder desk of the 18th century. It is a relative of the tambour desk whose slats retract horizontally rather than vertically.

Unlike the cylinder desk, the rolltop desk could be mass produced rather easily since the simple wooden slats could be turned out very fast in a uniform way. In contrast, the wooden section of a cylinder had to be treated with great pains to keep its form perfectly over time, lest it warp or bend, and make it impossible to retract or extend. The wooden slats of the rolltop were usually joined together by being all attached to a same cloth or leather foundation, and were thus less influenced by the problems which plagued the cylinder desk.

The rolltop desk was the mainstay of the small or medium sized office at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. It gradually fell out of favor with the introduction of the steel desk and the coming of greater quantities of correspondence and other documents, which made the small stacked drawers and small shelves obsolete. There were just too many letters to bother folding them again and placing them in the proper slot and there was too little time to open and close all the small drawers to look for things.

OFFICE CHAIR HISTORY

With the advent of railroads in the mid-1800’s, businesses began to expand beyond the traditional model of a family business with little emphasis on administration. Additional administrative staff was required to keep up with orders, bookkeeping, and correspondence as businesses expanded their service areas. While office work was expanding, an awareness of office environments, technology, and equipment became part of the cultural focus on increasing productivity. This awareness gave rise to chairs designed specifically for these new administrative employees – office chairs.

The office chair was strategically designed to increase the productivity of clerical employees by making it possible for them to remain sitting at their desks for long periods of time. A swiveling chair allowed employees to remain sitting and yet reach a number of locations within their work area, eliminating the time and energy expended in standing. The wooden saddle seat was designed to fit and support the body of a sitting employee, and the slatted back and armrests provided additional support to increase the employee’s comfort. Like our modern chairs, many of these models were somewhat adjustable to provide the maximum comfort and thus the maximum working time.

The culture of the office also demanded that a distinct difference exist between the chairs that the employees used and that of the chief executive. When swivel chairs were widely used, the executive sat in a straight-backed chair with no mobility to demonstrate his status. As design of the office chair eliminated the arms and added cushioned seats, the executive chair became a large, upholstered chair with closed arms and wide, luxurious seats. Even today, the size (both height of the back and width of the seat) of an office chair demonstrates the status of the user.

THONET

Michael Thonet (July 2, 1796 - March 3, 1871) was a German pioneer of furniture design.
Born in Boppard-am-Rhein, Prussia (present day Germany), Thonet (pronounced TAHN-it) quite fittingly started life near the beginning of the industrial revolution. He would go on to form a company and pioneer mass production, both attributes of this new industrial era.

He trained as an apprentice cabinet maker in his home town. After his apprenticeship, he began almost immediately to experiment with bentwood and veneers in furniture. In 1842, Thonet was invited to Vienna by the Chancellor of Austria to do some of the furniture for the Palais Liechtenstein. His work was still very experimental at this point but displayed an innovative spirit which attracted the Chancellor. Despite being invited to become the official furniture designer to the throne of Austria, Thonet chose to remain independent.

He had set his sights on a larger audience. Thonet set up his own company in the furniture trade, Gebrüder Thonet, with his five sons and apprentices in the furniture trade in 1853. By 1856, he had perfected his technique and prepared for mass production through opening his own factory in Vienna. He designed the factory himself. Success quickly followed, so much so that Thonet soon had to open another factory. This time the factory was located at Koritschan, in the modern day Czech Republic. This factory was situated close to a large beechwood forest, as well as a supply of cheap labour. Moreover, Thonet had streamlined his process even more by this time, reducing production costs all the way through his process. The beechwood forest eliminated the need for costly wood importation.
Although Michael Thonet died in 1871, his designs and production process lived on however, with his sons. By 1913, Gebrüder Thonet employed 6,400 workers and produced 1.8 million pieces of furniture a year. One chair, the No. 14 chair alone sold 40 million copies between 1859 and 1939.

Thonet's process of production dictated his furniture design. Other designers and producers of his time were using flat wood, with many joints, often ornately hiding the joints through carving and veneers. Thonet focused his work on bending wood. Around the early 1840s, Thonet's process was limited. At this time the only wood bending was used in ship construction. This involved the application of heat and water while the piece was secured in a jig. This process was rarely used in furniture as the wood could not be bent substantially. Thonet began by using thin wood veneers, which are more flexible than solid pieces. He would glue several of these together and place the piece in a jig to dry. This allowed a great level of flexibility in design, but was labour intensive, requiring great care while jigging. Thonet was also limited to bending the wood along only one plane. He experimented further by cutting the already set veneers in another direction, and bending them again, as well as varying the dimensions of the veneers used to try for the maximum in bendablity. Still, costs were too high, and the process too complex for mass production. By the mid 1840's Thonet started twisting his laminated pieces, allowing them to be bent in multiple directions. The wood then is rasped to give a round or oval cross section. Once forms were made, this process lead to the first mass production by Thonet.

Thonet's experiments continued however, both out of an innovating spirit, and as well as a new economic reason. Thonet's works began to be exported to the Americas, and it was found that the glues used in the veneer process were dissolving in hot, wet tropical climates. After a long period of experimentation, Thonet discovered the solution. A metal strap was secured on one side and both ends of a solid piece of wood. Then both the metal frame and wood were bent as one piece, in a single operation. The metal strap would stretch marginally, thereby forcing all the fibers of the wood to compress and not crack. This solution further streamlined the process, reduced costs, production time, and opened a new market, all in one move.

Not only did Thonet innovate in his bentwood, but also his assembly process. Through the use of bentwoods, Thonet eliminated many of the joints in traditional furniture. This gave greater strength to the piece using less material, as well as reducing the amount of fasteners needed. Furthermore, Thonet's furniture jigs created pieces so accurately time and time again, that his pieces were interchangeable.

The impact of Thonet was extraordinary and far reaching. Thonet affected the business of furniture, the avant-garde art establishment, and the design process of many products, from his own day to the present. Thonet developed the mass production techniques of bentwood furniture, but was not the only one to employ them. Soon after his original patents expired, plenty of imitators emerged. In the 1890's over 50 bentwood furniture makers were in business, however none were able to challenge Thonet's dominance of innovation. As far as production numbers, his #14 bistro chair remains one of the most produced chairs in history, still being produced today by Gebrüder Thonet.
With figures like this, his business impact was an amazing success. Artistically he also impacted greatly. From the art nouveau appearance of his rocking chairs, to the modernist simplicity of the #14 bistro chair, he was far ahead of his time.

Despite the resemblance to later artistic movements, Thonet allowed his process and market to drive his design, but that is not to say that these later movements did not draw upon his work. Auguste Renoir sketched out a Thonet rocking chair in 1883. Toulouse Lautrec, an art nouveau era artist, used Thonet furniture in the background of many of his works. Pablo Picasso had a Thonet in his studio. Finally, the Swiss modernist architect Le Corbusier used Thonet furniture extensively in his early buildings, stating how thoroughly they represented the modernist concepts of economy, durability and humbleness. In every era to follow, Thonet's work has remained a work of art, yet also accepted by the mainstream public.

BENTWOOD FURNITURE

Bentwood is a term used to describe furniture made by steaming wood, bending it, and letting it harden into curved shapes and patterns, and is most often used in the production of rocking chairs, cafe chairs, and other light furniture. The process was developed by Michael Thonet, a German who received a patent in 1856. Many other furniture manufacturers have used the process since the expiry of the patent in 1889.

The process is still in widespread use for making casual and informal furniture of all types, particularly seating and table forms. It is also a popular technique in the worldwide production of furniture with frames made of heavy cane, which is commonly imported into European and Western shops for today's consumers.

DESKS AND TYPES OF DESK

Armoire desk.

An Armoire desk is a desk built within a large cabinet usually having the height of a tall man or a small woman, or anything in between. The cabinet is closed by two to four full height doors, to keep out dust or give a tidy appearance to a room by hiding the cluttered working surface of the desk. This form of desk is usually placed against a wall, like its antique uncle, the Secretary desk.

Bargueno desk.

The Bargueno (also Vargueno desk) is a desk first produced in the 15th century that continues to be produced to this day. The only other desk which is known to have been continuously produced is the Trestle desk, but some authorities exclude this desk from consideration because in early times it also served as a dining table and money lender's counter.

The Bargueno was sometimes used for sewing or as a jewel chest instead of solely for reading and writing and storing the necessary implements for these activities.

The Bargueno is above all a Portable desk which resembles the top half of a fall front desk. It is basically a chest with its lid on the side, and an interior equipped with a good quantity of small drawers and pigeon holes.

As a general rule the interior of a Bargueno is much more richly decorated than the exterior. Thus a Bargueno looking very plain from the exterior will have a reasonably rich and well sculpted interior while a Bargueno with impressive exterior decorations will have a truly ornate and extremely rich interior with ivory inlays and velvet decoration. It is one of the best examples of wood craftsmanship in Renaissance Spain.

There was usually a very sturdy iron handle on each side of the Bargueno, to make transport relatively easy for two strong servants. A Bargueno could be set down on any solid table but there were often ready made supports for it: The "Taquillon" was a chest of drawers decorated much like it while the "Pie de puente" was a small trestle table also in the same style and material.

Barguenos first appeared in the 15th and were popular all through the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. After a lull in the 19th century, they became again popular as antiques in the 20th.
The only other major antique combination of a large portable desk and a frame is the more delicate and humble Desk on a frame of the 18th century. It was popular in Colonial America.

Bonheur du jour.

A bonheur du jour is a type of lady's writing-desk, so called because, when it was introduced in France about 1760, it speedily became intensely fashionable. The bonheur du jour is always very light and graceful; its special characteristic is a raised back, which may form a little cabinet or a nest of drawers, or may simply be fitted with a mirror. The top, often surrounded with a chased and gilded bronze gallery, serves for placing small ornaments. Beneath the writing surface there is usually a single drawer. The details vary greatly, but the general characteristics are always traceable. The bonheur du jour has never been so delicate, so charming, so coquettish as in the quarter of a century which followed its introduction. The choicer examples of the time are inlaid with Marquetry, edged with exotic woods, set in gilded bronze, or enriched with panels of Oriental lacquer.

Bureau a gradin.

A Bureau a gradin or bureau à gradin is basically an antique desk form resembling a Writing table with, in addition, one or several tiers of small drawers and pigeonholes built on part of the desktop surface. Usually the drawers and pigeonholes are placed in front of the user but sometimes they can surround him, or her, as is the case for the Carlton house desk form.

In some cases the bureau a gradin has a second tier of drawers under the work surface, and thus looks like an advanced form of the bureau Mazarin or like a non-enclosed version of the cylinder desk, or the tambour desk.

Bureau plat.

A writing table (French bureau plat) has a series of drawers directly under the surface of the table, to contain writing implements, so that it may serve as a desk. Antique versions have the usual divisions for the inkpot, the blotter and the sand or powder tray in one of the drawers, and a surface covered with leather or some other material less hostile to the Quill or the Fountain pen than simple hard wood.
In form, a writing table is a Pedestal desk without the pedestals, having legs instead to hold it up. This is why such tables are sometimes called leg desks.

The writing table is often called a "Bureau plat" when it is done in a French style such as Louis XVI, Art Nouveau, etc. When a writing table is supported by two legs instead of four, it is usually called a Trestle desk.

The writing table is also sometimes called a library table, because it was often placed in a rich individual's library. This was the room in a house where a gentleman would keep literature and also do his business transactions. The library often housed, in addition, a round desk called a Rent table and sometimes a Drawing table. The term library table is sometimes applied indiscriminately to a wide variety of desk forms, in addition to being used for writing tables. Let the scholar or the buyer be wary.
Some writing tables have additional drawers built above the surface. In this case they are often called Bureau a gradin instead of writing table, unless they have a more specific form, such as that of a Carlton house desk.

As with many other desk forms antique writing tables were sometimes built with what was, at the time, a complex mechanism of gears and levers to make sections slide out or pop up when certain panels were pulled. In this case one sometimes called them a Mechanical desk.

Bureau Mazarin.

The bureau Mazarin is a 17th century desk form named more or less in memory of Cardinal Mazarin, regent of France from 1642 to 1661. It is the earliest predecessor of the pedestal desk and differs from it by having only two tiers of drawers or three tiers of rather small drawers under the desktop surface, followed by eight legs supporting the whole. Also, the bureau Mazarin has cross braces between the legs, forming two Xs or two Hs on each side.

Many bureaux Mazarin are kneehole desks, in that they are meant to be used sideways, with one knee only beneath the work surface. They were designed in an age where only the nobility or those who followed its customs closely, could afford to have such desks made. Members of the nobility often wore a ceremonial or practical sword, which was forever in the way. It was thus easier to use a desk sideways, with only one knee under it. The rest of the space next to the knee often served as a lockable storage space.

As was often the case with many desks of the period, some bureaux Mazarin were used as dressing tables instead of serving as desks, or were used for both functions.
Most of them were built in an ornate style which looks like a nightmare to keep clean. As with the Kunstschrank of the lands of Holy Roman Empire, the desk was sometimes more of a status symbol than a useful piece of furniture.

Carlton house desk.

A Carlton House desk is a specific antique desk form within the more general bureau a gradin form. This specific form is supposed to have been designed in the 18th century for the Prince of Wales (who would later become George IV) by George Hepplewhite. It is named after Carlton House, which was at the time the London residence of the Prince of Wales. This kind of desk is sometimes also known as a Carlton House writing table.

The desk is like a normal writing table but the small drawers above the surface form a U shape around the user instead of being merely set up in front of him as is usual in a typical bureau a gradin. Unlike other types of bureau a gradin the Carlton House desk usually offers no pigeonholes.
Drawings of this type of desk were presented by Hepplewhite in his famous design book the Cabinet Maker and Upholsterers Guide, and by Thomas Sheraton in his own famous book of designs (The Cabinet Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing Book), thus ensuring its popularity.

Carrel desk.

A carrel desk is a small desk (usually) featuring high sides meant to visually isolate its user from any surroundings either partially or totally. They were a predecessor to the more recent cubicle desk.
Carrel desks are most often found in the study spaces of large universities or college libraries. Most carrel desks are rectangular in shape and their amenities are often very limited. Above the main desktop area there is often a shelf for books. Sometimes the seat is integrated with the carrel desk. Unlike the cubicle desk, carrel desks usually have no file drawers or other facilities.

Like the school desk, the carrel desk is normally produced and sold in large quantities for an institutional market.

Cheveret desk.

A Cheveret desk is an antique desk of very small size which features a single drawer under the writing surface. In some occasions small drawers and pigeonholes are built on top, at the back, as in a smaller form of a bureau a gradin. It is also written with an "S": Sheveret.

Other variants of the Cheveret are much taller and have one or two shelves built between the legs, under the main drawer. They are meant to be used standing up, being then a form of standing desk.
Cheverets were popular in the United Kingdom in the 18th century.

Credenza desk.

A credenza desk is a modern desk form usually placed next to a wall, as a secondary work surface to that of another desk, such as a pedestal desk, in a typical executive office. The credenza desk is sometimes flat, like a pedestal desk, but more often than not it has a stack of shelves, small drawers and other nooks, above its main working surface. The sum of these overhead amenities is usually called a hutch. Hence, the credenza desk is often called a "credenza with hutch".

The credenza desk is often used as a computer desk, thus leaving the possibility of keeping the surface of the main desk completely free, when this is required. An executive desk is often the central artefact for a meeting between several persons. A computer monitor or a printer or even a simple keyboard on the surface can be impediments to the exchange.

The credenza desk is comparable in form to but differs from the armoire desk in that it is seen for the most part in large office buildings (instead of home offices, like the armoire desk) and most of its storage spaces are wide open.

The term credenza is also used for pieces of domestic furniture such as a sideboard buffet, where food is placed before serving.

Cubicle desk.

A cubicle, cubicle desk or office cubicle is a partially enclosed workspace, separated from neighbouring workspaces by partitions, generally five to six feet high. It is partially or entirely open on one side to allow access. Horizontal work surfaces are usually suspended from the partitions, as is shelving, overhead storage, and other amenities.

The term cubicle comes from the Latin cubiculum, for bed chamber. It was used in English as early as the 15th century. It eventually came to be used for small chambers of all sorts, and for small rooms or study spaces with partitions which do not reach to the ceiling.

Like the older carrel desk, a cubicle seeks to give a degree of privacy to the user while taking up minimal space in a large or medium sized room. Like the modular desk of the mid-20th century, it is composed of modular elements that can be arranged in various ways with standard hardware or custom fasteners, depending on the design. Installation is generally performed by professionals, although some cubicles allow configuration changes to be performed by users without specific training. Cubicles are highly configurable, allowing for a variety of elements such as work surfaces, overhead bins, drawers, and the like to be installed, depending on the individual user's needs.

Some sources attribute the introduction of the cubicle desk to the computer chip manufacturer Intel Inc. during the 1960s. Its creation is generally attributed to Robert Propst, a designer from Colorado who worked for Herman Miller Inc., a major manufacturer of office furniture. It was based on a 1965 prototype and named the Action Office, made up of modular units with an open plan, an entirely novel system for the time.

An office filled with cubicles is sometimes called a cube farm. Although humorous, the phrase usually has negative connotations. Cube farms are often found in high-tech companies, but they also crop up in the insurance industry and other service-related fields. Many cube farms were built during the dotcom boom.

Cylinder desk.

The cylinder desk is a form of desk which resembles a Bureau Mazarin or a writing table equipped with small stacked shelves in front of the user's main work surface, and a revolving cylinder part which comes down to hide and lock up the working papers when the day is done. Like the rolltop desk which was invented much later, the cylinder desk usually has a fixed work surface. This means that unlike a secretary desk the paperwork does not have to be stored before shutting up the desk. Some designs however, have the capacity to slide out the desk surface a few inches to expand the available working area.

The cylinder desk is also called "bureau Kaunitz", as it was allegedly introduced in France in the first half of the 18th century by Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz, then the ambassador of the Habsburg Empire to the French court. Regardless of the authenticity of its origin, the French court adopted this type of desk with great enthusiasm. The difficulty of producing wooden cylinder sections which would not warp over the years ensured that such desks were reserved for the rich and the very rich. A few variants of this form have slats instead of a one piece cylinder section.

The most famous cylinder desk, and perhaps the most famous desk of all times is the Bureau du Roi manufactured for the French royalty in the 18th century.

Davenport desk.

A Davenport desk is a small desk with an inclined lifting desktop attached with hinges to the back of the body. Lifting the desktop gives access to a large compartment giving ample storage space for paper and other writing implements, and smaller spaces in the forms of small drawers and pigeonholes. In addition, the Davenport has drawers on one of its sides, which are sometimes concealed by a panel. This stack of side drawers holds up the back of the desk and most of its weight. The front of the desk stands on thick legs or pillars which are usually carved in a given style.

The shape is very distinctive if not strange. The top part is much like an antique school desk while the bottom is like one half of the supports of a pedestal desk turned sideways. The addition of the two legs in front complete the odd effect.

This desk owes its name to a captain Davenport who was the first to commission this particular design, from Gillows of London, near the end of the 18th century. In a sense then it could also be considered a Campaign desk though there are no records indicating if the captain was in the British Army or the Royal Navy.

This desk form was very popular during the 19th century. There have been numerous reproductions during the 20th century, and amateur cabinet makers sometimes consider a Davenport to be an interesting project.

The Davenport desk should not be confused with the Davenport sofa, which is usually a modern combination sofa and bed or an antique form of upholstered sofa based on a design conceived at the beginning of the 20th century by a Boston company called Irving and Casson and Davenport.

Desk and bench.

A Desk and bench can be an antique or a modern form of desk combined with a small bench or a stool made in exactly the same style and material. The desk is usually not very big and meant to be placed against a wall, in a little room or a hallway. Because of this intended venue and its small size it is in a sense a cousin to the Telephone desk. In form it is in general a smaller brother of the Writing table.
The term "Desk and bench" is also sometimes used to describe a School desk which has a built-in seat. A "Desk and bench" set is also sometimes called a "Desk and stool".

The desk is usually built with a single drawer or none, and the bench can sometimes have a small storage space under its seat. Great attention is usually paid to the aesthetics of the set in order to enhance the matching features.

Since the stool or bench has no back it is put away completely under the desk when not in use, maximizing even more the available space.

Desk on a chest.

The Desk on a frame or Desk on frame is usually an antique form made up of two pieces of furniture. The first piece is a fairly large and closable portable desk with a slanted hinged top giving access to the writing surface and utility nooks and small drawers. The second piece is a stand made for it in the same style and material. It is also sometimes a single piece of furniture which looks as if it were made up of the two previous pieces but is in fact solid and undetachable. This form was popular in Colonial America and was often done in the Queen Anne style.

The Slant top desk is a direct morphological descendant. In a sense the Spanish Bargueno desk or Vargueno is a distant cousin of the two piece version, since the Bargueno is also made up of a portable desk and a stand constructed specially for it, using the same materials and style.

Drawing table.

A drawing board (also drawing table, drafting table, architect's table or draughting table) is, in its antique form, a kind of multipurpose Desk which can be used for any kind of drawing, writing or impromptu sketching on a large sheet of paper or for reading a large format book or other oversized document or for drafting precise technical illustrations. The drawing table used to be a frequent companion to a pedestal desk in a gentleman's study or private library, during the preindustrial and early industrial era.

During the Industrial Revolution draftsmanship gradually became a specialized trade and drawing tables slowly moved out of the libraries and offices of most gentlemen. They became more utilitarian and were built of steel and plastic instead of fine woods and brass.

More recently engineers and draftsmen use the drawing board for making and modifying drawings on paper with ink or pencil. Different drawing instruments (set square, protractor, etc.) are used on it to draw parallel, perpendicular or oblique lines. There are instruments for drawing circles, arcs, other curves and symbols too (compass, French curve, stencil, etc). However, with the gradual introduction of computer aided drafting and design (CADD or CAD) in the last decades of the 20th century and the first of the 21st century, the Drawing board is slowly becoming an obsolete tool.

A drawing table is also sometimes called a Mechanical desk because, for several centuries most mechanical desks were drawing tables. Unlike the gadgety mechanical desks of the second part of the 18th century, however, the mechanical parts of drawing tables were usually limited to notches, ratchets, and perhaps a few simple gears, or levers or cogs to elevate and incline the working surface.
Very often a drawing table could look like a Writing table or even a pedestal desk when the working surface was set at the horizontal and the height adjusted to 29 inches, in order to use it as a "normal" desk. The only give-away was usually a lip on one of the sides of the desktop. This lip or edge stopped paper or books from sliding when the surface was given an angle. It was also sometimes used to hold writing implements. When the working surface was extended at its full height, a drawing table could be used as a Standing desk.

Many reproductions have been made and are still being produced of drawing tables, copying the period styles they were originally made in during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The expression "Back to the drawing board" is used when a plan or course of action is unsuccessful and needs to be changed, often drastically.

Ergonomic desk.

The ergonomic desk is a modern desk form which, like the adjustable drawing table or drafting table, offers mechanical adjustments for the placement of its elements in order to maximize user comfort and efficiency. The ergonomic desk is usually a "stand-alone" piece of furniture allowing access to the adjustment mechanisms. Some ergonomic desks have a sufficiently large desktop height adjustment to create either a "sit-down" desk or a standing desk, which allows the user to work while standing. The ergonomic desk is usually a close companion to the ergonomic chair.

The ergonomic desk originated with the beginning of the field of human factors or ergonomics after World War II. Legislation stating minimal requirements for furniture used by office workers referred to ergonomic desk standards.

The most common form of the computer desk is a variant of the ergonomic desk, having an adjustable keyboard tray and sufficient desktop space for handwriting. Provisions for a monitor shelf and holes for routing cables are integrated in the design, making it easier to connect the computer components together. Space is provided for a keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer and speakers. The typical armoire desk is usually sold with these features and better cubicle desk designs include holes, trays and shelves for computer systems.

There is a seemingly endless variety of computer desk shapes and forms. Large multi-student computer desks configured in rows are designed to house dozens of computer systems in novel ways while also facilitating wiring, general maintenance, theft prevention and vandalism reduction. Small rolling lectern desks or computer carts with tiny desktops provide just enough room for a laptop computer and a mouse pad. Computer desks are typically mass-produced and require some self-assembly. Local crafts persons can build desks to order or produce unique designs.

The computer itself is normally separate from the desk. The desk is designed generically to hold a typically sized computer, monitor and accessories. Cabling must be carefully routed through the channels and access openings provided by the desk design. A few computers are built within a desk made specially for them, like the British iDesk. The computer is not removable and cannot be separated from the desk. Office of the future proposed other integrated designs.

A rolling computer table configuration offers mobility and improved access in situations where a desk is not convenient. Gyratory computer tables can be used over a bed. Modular computer tables separate user interface elements from the computing and network connection, allowing more placement flexibility. The modules are connected via wireless technology.

Escritoire.

An escritoire is a small, portable writing desk with a sloping front door, hinged at the bottom edge, that can be opened downwards to provide a writing surface. It is usually larger than a lap desk. The interior may contain small drawers designed to hold the traditional ink pot, sand container, blotter and writing feathers or pens. This type of antique appeared in the 16th century in Europe and was produced in large quantities in France in the 18th century. Modern reproductions are sometimes made of this compact desk form.

Fall front desk.

The fall front desk can be considered as the cousin of the Secretary desk. Both have a main working surface or desktop which does double duty as a cover to seal up papers and other items located in small shelves or small drawers placed one on top of the other in front of the user. Thus, all working papers, documents and other items have to be stored before the desk is closed.

Unlike the secretary desk, the fall front desk's desktop panel is in a perfectly vertical position when in its closed position. Often, there are no additional shelves or drawers above the section which is enclosed by the desktop. Thus, the fall front desk is identical in shape to a Bargueno desk which would have been placed on a stand of drawers, or more precisely to the form know as Desk on a chest or as "chest-on chest".

The fall front desk is also called a drop front desk or drop-front desk, and sometimes also a drop lid desk. Scrutoire and scriptoire are ancient variations. The secretaire a abattant is a nearly identical form, but usually in a French style such as Louis XV, Art Deco, etc.. In the early 19th century Shaker communities produced a tall and plain variation which is often known as a "cupboard desk".

Fire screen desk.

The fire screen desk was a very small antique desk meant to be placed in front of a fireplace to keep a user's feet warm while he or she was immobile, or nearly so, while writing letters or literature. This kind of desk was very popular in prosperous homes in Europe during the 18th century and slowly disappeared during the 19th, with the gradual introduction of stoves and central heating.

In order to keep the feet and the calves exposed to the heat from the fire, the fire screen desk usually had the form of a miniature writing table or a tiny bureau a gradin, with just a few drawers beneath the desktop. As its name indicates, it had a retractable fire screen in the back to protect the user's relatively exposed face from too much heat from the fireplace. This was extremely convenient since makeup in those centuries was often wax based. The screen was usually made of a pleated or straight piece of heavy fabric, supported by crossed and sliding metallic supports. Many fire screen desks have survived the centuries, but the rather flimsy original screens have long ago wasted away. The metal supports or rods which extended the screens have fared better. As a result, when the rods are in their extended position, without the original screen which they supported, they make the fire screen desk look like some archaic form of radio, with an X shaped antenna.

A few fire screen desks had no screen per se but were simply lighter, narrower, and extremely thinner versions of the high secretary desk put on some form of permanent trestle mount. Their high form shielded the user's face from the heat of the flames while the open trestle mount at the bottom exposed the feet. They were basically a smaller version of a French form called Secretaire en portefeuille.

Often, the fire screen desk was gendered. One did not buy or ask for a fire screen desk to be made: One asked for a gentleman's fire screen desk or a lady's fire screen desk. The masculine desk was slightly heavier and plainer. The feminine desk was much smaller (light enough to be transported easily by a lady's maid) and the ornamentation could be quite complex.

The fire screen desk was also called a screen writing table, or a gentleman's screen writing table or a lady's screen writing table.

Lap desk.

As an antique the lap desk is a smaller variant of the writing slope. It is also called a writing box or a writing cabinet. In certain instances it is known as a portable desk, a term which is usually applied to larger forms. Most antique lap desks are really meant to be used on a table or some other stable surface. They are often strongly built of fine hardwoods like mahogany or walnut.
They were, in effect, the fore-times equivalent of a PDA -- that is, they supplied, to the traveller, many of the conveniences of carrying round an entire escritoire. From them has come the concept of the briefcase not just as a carrier for papers, but as a portable writing place; and thus the laptop computer.

As a modern form the lap desk is meant primarily for use in bed and other similar circumstances. It is also known as a bed desk. There is a wide variety of forms available, but as a rule it is much smaller and simpler than the antique lap desk, having at the most a small drawer or holding area for a ballpoint pen and a pencil. It is also made of much cheaper materials, save for a few craft productions.
Certain lap desks have a removable monopod, which makes them collapsible cousins to the lectern desk. Others have two short collapsible legs, so that they can be used both in bed and on a lap, when the legs are folded. Finally, some come with a built-in battery powered lamp, continuing the tradition of those antique lap desks and writing slopes which had swinging or hinged brass candle holders built in.
Most modern lap desks are considered specialty items and very few furniture dealers keep them in stock. They are present, however, in a large number of catalogues and on some commercial Web sites.

Lectern desk.

The antique is basically a lectern fitted with the conveniences needed to make writing easy, such as room for paper and writing implements. In a sense, it is a specialised and rarer form of standing desk. The term is sometimes used to describe large standing desks instead of "standing desk".
Because the antique lectern desk is smaller than most kinds of standing desks it is suitable for writing in cramped quarters, in a residence or at a workplace. Most lectern desks have a slanted top with a lip, to keep pens and paper from sliding down.

Liseuse desk.

A Liseuse desk is a medium sized writing table with a small hinged panel in the middle which can spring up by the aid of a mechanism or be propped up at a desired angle to facilitate reading, or writing on its slanted surface. Many have lateral panels which swing out on both sides to give a larger desk surface.
The name comes from "liseuse" which is the feminine form of "liseur" in French. This is often translated as "reader" but it is used normally to describe a person which really likes to read, while a simple reader is called "lecteur" or "lectrice" in the feminine gender. This is one indication of many of the original market for such desks.

The Liseuse is an antique desk form which was popular in France during the 18th century and produced again in the first part of the 19th century. It was copied in several continental countries and in the United Kingdom.

Many Liseuses are polyvalent pieces of furniture with a double or triple use. Geared towards an 18th century feminine market for the most part, they often have drawers made specially for storing toiletry and cosmetics in addition to the drawer or drawers containing paper, quill, ink and other writing implements.

Moore desk.

The "Moore Office Queen" is a massive desk, made for a sitting user. From the outside it looks, when closed, much like its competitor, the Wooton desk but it differs from it in several ways. For one, it has but a single large door to lock up the main work surface and the drawers and nooks around it, while the Wooton has two. More importantly (the manufacturer liked to boast about it) the main work surface slides in and out of the main body of the desk so that work can be stopped and the desk closed without having to put away everything, as is the case for the Wooton desk.

The "Moore Office Queen" was patented in 1878 in Indiana in the United States by the Moore Combination Desk Company.

The Office Queen has a modern descendant called the Armoire desk.

The "Moore Insurance Desk" is nearly twice as big as the "Office Queen" and combines a Standing desk and a normal "sitting" desk in a single piece of furniture. It was patented in 1882. Like the "Office Queen" it opens up by means of a single large door, and its internal work surface slides in and out. But it also has an external work surface to accommodate a standing user, on the other side of the desk. The standing user employs the "roof" of the desk of the sitting user as his (or her) work surface.

Partners desk.

A partners desk is an antique desk form which is basically two pedestal desks constructed from the start as one big desk joined at the front, for two users working while facing each other. The spelling of the term is irregular, with partner's desk and partners' desk being common variants.

This massive piece of furniture was first conceived in the United Kingdom to accommodate the work of banking partners. These gentlemen were usually senior bank officials who wished to do teamwork while keeping the convenience and the prestige of a pedestal desk.

It was an adaptation of the earlier and sometimes more massive library desk, found in the libraries of the mansions of the gentry and the nobility.

Most partners desks made in the 19th century were built of high quality woods such as oak, mahogany or walnut and finished with tooled leather inserts on top and brass fittings all around. Many reproductions have been made in the 20th century.

Pedestal desk.

A pedestal desk is usually a large free-standing desk made of a simple rectangular working surface resting on two pedestals or small cabinets of stacked drawers of one or two sizes, with plinths around the bases. Often, there is also a central large drawer above the legs and knees of the user. Sometimes, especially in the 19th century and modern examples, a "modesty panel" is placed in front, between the pedestals, to hide the legs and knees of the user from anyone else sitting or standing in front. This variation is sometimes called a "panel desk". The smaller and older pedestal desks with such a panel are sometimes called kneehole desks, and were usually placed against a wall.

From the mid-18th century onwards, a pedestal desk often has a top that is inlaid with a large panel of leather (sometimes with a gold- or blind-stamped border) or baize for a writing surface, within a cross-banded border. If the desk has a wooden top surface, it may have a pull-out lined writing drawer, or the pull-out may be fitted with a folding horse to serve as a bookrest.

Very few non-specialists call this form a pedestal desk. Most people usually refer to it as an executive desk, in contrast with the cubicle desk which is assigned to those who work under the executive. However, the term executive desk has been applied to so many desk forms as to be misleading, so the less-used but more precise "pedestal desk" has been retained here.

The pedestal desk appeared, especially in England, in the 18th century but became popular in the 19th and the 20th, overtaking the variants of the secretary desk and the writing table in sheer numbers. The French stayed faithful to the writing table or bureau plat ("flat desk"), which might have a matching paper-case (cartonnier) that stood upon it.

There were at least two precursors to the pedestal desk: The French Bureau Mazarin (a desk named for Cardinal Mazarin) of the late 17th century and the Chinese Jumu desk or scholar's desk, which Europeans knew almost entirely at second-hand, largely from illustrations on porcelain. Unlike the pedestal desk however these precursors had an incomplete stack of drawers and compartments holding up the two ends. The cases of drawers were raised about 6 to 12 inches from the floor on legs.
When a pedestal desk is doubled in size to form a nearly square working surface, and drawers are put on both sides to accommodate two users at the same time, it becomes a partners desk. Thomas Chippendale gives designs for such tables, which were generally used in libraries, as writing tables in The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director (1753-4 and 1762).

When the pedestal desk form is cut to about two thirds of its normal width, and one of the pedestals is replaced by legs, this is then called a right pedestal desk or a left pedestal desk, depending on the position of the pedestal. This kind of form is common for a student desk.

The pedestal desk is also one of the two principal forms of the big campaign desk, used by the military in days gone by. It can then be considered a portable desk in a limited way since the writing surface could be easily separated from the pedestals, to facilitate transport. The three separate elements were often fitted with large handles on the sides.

Plantation desk.

A Plantation desk is an antique desk form. It is thought to have been originally used as a mail desk by postmen. The form has been known to have been used on Southern plantations in the United States, but it is not limited to them. For some time communities of Shakers in New England built a large version of this form of desk. It was quite popular in the 19th century.

Basically, the Plantation desk is a Fall front desk with a deeper stand or bottom part. The extra space or ledge of the bottom part of the desk serves as a support for the fall front, thus eliminating the need for retractable supports. Like a normal fall front desk the work surface must be cleared of all materials in order to raise it in a vertical position and thus close off the small drawers and pigeonholes set in front of the user.

While the fall front desk evolved from placing a chest, on its side, on a stand made for it, to its exact dimensions, as is the case with the Bargueno desk, the plantation desk form was born by placing such a chest, on its side, on a table a bit too deep for it. The fall front usually settles at a slight angle once it is open, in order to give a slanted work surface to the user.
Some plantation desks have two panel doors instead of a fall front and the ledge is hence much deeper since it serves as the main desktop surface.

Rolltop desk.

Because it was produced in vast numbers and at varying levels of quality, the rolltop desk is popular in the antique market. It is also popular amongst set decorators who want to recreate the "ambiance" of an office at the turn of the previous two centuries, or during famous eras like prohibition. The rolltop has starred in many plays and movies, the most famous one being probably a movie titled His Girl Friday with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.

Secretaire en portefeuille.

The Secretaire en portefeuille breaks all records for slimness in desks and perhaps even in all furniture. It is an antique desk form which is usually mounted on rollers at the end of four jutting legs. The legs in turn support what looks like an oversize vertically mounted wooden pizza box. This is a cabinet a few inches thick, with barely enough space in it for the raised desktop surface and a few pens and sheets of paper disposed vertically.

In short, the secretaire en portefeuille is much like a Fall front desk which would have been reduced in depth to a bare minimum. Like the Fall front desk and the Secretary desk the secretaire en portefeuille's desktop lifts up to cover internal areas and must thus be cleared of all work before closing up. By its mobile nature and its relatively light weight it was sometimes used as a Fire screen desk.It was also sometimes known by that name.

Its name comes from the French word for wallet: Portefeuille. This is probably because it has the same proportions as many kinds of wallets and it opens up a bit like some of them.
Modern day cabinet makers and furniture designers have sometimes created contemporary versions of the secretaire en portefeuille, eschewing the florid designs of the antique ones.

Secretary desk.

A secretary desk is made of a base of wide drawers topped by a desk with a hinged desktop surface, which is in turn topped by a bookcase usually closed with a pair of doors, often made of glass. The whole is usually a single, tall and heavy piece of furniture, not meant to be disassembled after manufacture, no matter what problems might be incurred in moving it from point A to B.

Like the slant top desk the main work surface is a hinged piece of wood which lifts up to a vertical position and is tilted to an angle of about 45 degrees or so towards the bulk of the desk in order to enclose secondary work surfaces such as small shelves, small drawers and nooks stacked in front of the user. Thus, like the Wooton desk, the fall front desk and others with a hinged desktop, and unlike closable desks with an unmovable desktop like the rolltop desk or the cylinder desk all documents and various items must be removed from the work surface before closing up.