Mid-Century Modern Desks

THE WRITE STUFF: ALL ABOUT MID-CENTURY MODERN DESKS

What’s the secret to living your best life? Outfitting your work-from-home headquarters in a fabulous Mid-Century Modern desk, of course!

As far as vintage desks go, few are as coveted or as frequently emulated as the Mid-Century Modern vintage desk. These mod-era treasures come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They range from sleek and sublimely sculptural executive desks to neat, foldable Danish-designed feats.

The Most Popular MCM Vintage Desks by Design

If you’re in the market for a Mid-Century Modern desk, however, chances are you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of inventory. Curious where to start and what search terms to apply to get the best results?

To help, we’re highlighting some of the most common styles of Mid-Century Modern desks.

These popular styles include:

Mid-Century Modern Executive Desks

Mid-Century Modern Campaign Desks

Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks

Mid-Century Modern Parsons Desks

We’ll be discussing the features of each and the designers associated with each style.

That way, you’ll have those hard-hitting keywords and maker names to equip yourself on your search.

Voila!

You’ll be well on your way to finding something fabulous here at Chairish.

Mid-Century Modern Executive Desks

Looking for a dynamo design element with a powerful punch? You can’t do much better than a Mid-Century Modern executive desk. A category that generally consists of oversized wood desks, Mid-Century Modern executive desks are ideal for anyone looking to lend some serious clout to an at-home office.

If you’re on the lookout for a tanker-style desk with two banks of drawers on either side, try searching for furniture-maker names/designers like:

Harvey Probber

Paul McCobb

Edward Wormley

Whether you’re looking for a standard executive-style desk or an L-shaped Mid-Century executive desk, each of these designers has worked extensively in the style.

T. H. Robsjohn Gibbins was known for making some of the most avant-garde executive desks in the day, including ones with biomorphic or surfboard-shaped tops.

Designers like Peter Protzman and George Nelson designed epic styles for their brands that featured luxury materials like zebrawood and leather.

All of that said, the poster child for MCM executive desks may just be Herman Miller Mid-Century Modern desks.

Mid-Century Modern Campaign Desks

Campaign style originated many centuries before the mid-20th century; however, it experienced a redux in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s. Campaign design’s simple nature spoke to MCM designers’ penchants for minimalism and made it a go-to for furniture designers and makers like Tommi Parzinger and Drexel.

Oftentimes, Mid-Century Modern campaign desks fuse Hollywood Regency’s more ornate elements with the classic campaign style.

If you’re hot on the trail of a Hollywood Regency campaign desk, try your luck with search terms like “lacquered mid-century modern campaign desk” or “regency mid-century modern desk."

You can also search campaign desks with Asian-inspired details.

Looking for a Mid-Century Modern campaign desk of the simplest variety, without all the bells and whistles? Try searching “Bernhardt campaign desk.”

This century-old, North Carolina-based company was an avid proponent of simple, classic campaign desks in the mid-20th century.

Danish Mid-Century Modern Desks

Danish Modern desks are often labeled “Mid-Century Modern desks,” though they can stand in a category all of their own.

These simple, durable desks are typically crafted of teak wood, although other woods like birch were used from time to time.

Danish Modern desks are perhaps most notable for their compactness and efficiency. Many are prime examples of Mid-Century fold-out desks. Anyone on the hunt for a Mid-Century Modern secretary desk or a roll top desk is likely thinking of a Danish Modern desk.

If you’re among those who are enchanted by Danish Modern desks, but you’re looking to narrow down results, try searching:

Arne Vodder for simple tanker-desk styles

Jens Risom for bulkier, more executive styles

Peter Lovig for flip-top or partner desks

Borge Mogensen for Mid-Century fold-out desks, secretaries, or tambour style desk.

Last but not least, if you’re looking for a more affordable yet not-so-vintage model, try searching for gently used West Elm Mid-Century desk.

Many of these styles pull inspiration from the masters listed above.

Mid-Century Modern Parsons Desk

Easily definable by its quadrilateral construction and perfectly flush corners, the Parsons desk was another hallmark of the mid-20th century. Designers like Milo Baughman and Karl Springer enthusiastically adopted the silhouette in the 1970s, turning out simple desks covered in extraordinary materials like brass, burl wood, lacquer, laminate tortoiseshell, Lucite, goatskin and more.

The desk’s simple construction allowed specimen materials to shine.

Those searching for simple MCM desks that could double as a dining table or console table would be remiss not to consider factoring Parsons desks into their search.

Today, the Parsons desk has also been drafted for reinvention by retailers like:

West Elm

Room & Board

Crate and Barrel

Each furniture maker has adopted the form for mini desks that are perfect for adding function to apartments and other small spaces.

Vintage Mid-Century Modern Desks at Chairish

If you are considering a MCM desk purchase in your near future, there is no better place to be than Chairish. Our carefully curated selection of products has been handpicked from the United States and Europe.

The result? One-of-a-kind furniture that is positively swoon-worthy!