Desks

I’ve always had a strange obsession with desks. From the time that I knew what a desk was, I wanted as many as my room would hold. Not only did I want the desks, I wanted things to go on them—books, letters, pens, paper weights. I wanted it all. Why? Because my aunt had several desks in her 5 houses (Yes. Five—all filled with antiques.) And so, now when I go to antique stores, I am immediately drawn to desks and writing tables. A few weeks ago, while looking for an antique shop to add to my list of places to visit, I came across this desk at Bank Street Antique Mall in Decatur.

I instantly loved it because it’s a beautiful shade of walnut. Not only does it have all the pieces (many secretarial desks are missing drawers), but it is also easily convertible to a simple table. Double duty has never looked so good.  If it weren’t for the price tag, I’d buy it.

After finding that desk, I was curious to see if another shop that I’ve visited, Hoover Antique Gallery, had a website. I found that they do, and I also found a few desks that I’d like to add to my collection.

I’m a huge fan of this table because the carving is so elegant. I wish that I could see other angles of I, but I do believe that the front is solid wood as opposed to the typical false drawer found on newer tables of this style. Although it’s shown as it might appear in a dining room, I think this table would look wonderful set up as a writing table or a simple computer desk.

My second favorite thing to look for in antique shops is sewing machines, because they are just plain adorable. They remind me a lot of my grandmother’s house because they were everywhere. They served as end tables, decorative tables, small desks, and sometimes, tv stands. When I saw this sewing machine set up as a desk, I was thrilled. I know. I know. It isn’t actually a sewing machine anymore, and the tabletop probably isn’t original, but it has the pedal and that makes it pretty awesome in my book.

This isn’t exactly a desk or a writing table. It is actually a gossip or telephone table, but it could be used as a writing table. Normally, I would never even look at a piece of furniture that has obviously been repainted, but I like the white on this because it is so simple. In fact, I almost bought this exact table the last time I was at Hoover Antiques. But, the more I look at it, the more I think that I really do want it in my house.