Office Space: Vintage desks for a home office you'll love
The classic Mid Century Danish wall unit makes the home office blend into a New York City living room. Design: Time & Place Interiors
Have you heard? The pandemic has brought the home office into the forefront of interior design.
I’m kidding, of course. You’ve probably spent the better part of the last few years working from some room in your home.
Since the home office is now among our most highly used spaces, it justifies being designed with intention, as an extension of our personal sense of style and good taste. The reasons to plan your work area thoughtfully are not superficial; there’s a wellness benefit involved, too. As a certified WELL AP designer, I know that the positive physiological response experienced by inhabiting a well designed space lowers our cortisol levels. This, in turn, nurtures personal feelings of calm, inner strength, independence, and creativity — emotions that allow us to be our best selves on the job. In other words, good design is good for you!
So, if you enjoy the character of older, authentic pieces, I encourage you to not stop your vintage furniture fix short of your home office. Consider a stylish vintage desk that makes you excited every time you glance toward your work space. You could even repurpose a beautiful antique table, with a nice file cabinet or wall shelves as supplemental storage.
Like any space, the home office invites an opportunity to mix and match styles from different eras. Vintage tables pair nicely with modern office chairs: I recommend the ergonomic and stylish Eames “Aluminum” group model. Light up the work area with an attractive vintage desk lamp. And don’t forget a tabletop accessory or two: a nice marble paperweight, a leather catchall tray, or a hand thrown ceramic pencil cup.
For your inspiration, enjoy this assembly of vintage and antique desks in stylish home office designs. However you choose to plan your work-from-home space, design it so it makes you feel good and is true to your personal style. You’ll feel better while working, I promise.
Everything you need in a home office / guest bedroom combo. A Charlotte Perriand vintage table is paired with a Thonet bentwood reupholstered chair. Notice the subtle repetition of curves in the lighting and the furniture’s lines. Design: C. S. Valentin / Photo: Alexa Holtz
Once a traditional campaign desk gets paired with a casual chair, it loses any signs of stuffy formality, like in this bright Hudson Valley home’s corner. Design: Amanda Pays / Photo: Jessica Dube
Here’s an industrial inspiration, in a Tribeca, New York loft where a vintage desk and an old filing cabinet make for a sleek work-from-home space. Design: Lauren Waters / Photo: Olivia Pierce
A designer’s own Hudson Valley home office gets the best of the best: an Italian Mid Century desk and the Eames padded chair, under a Stilnovo ceiling light. Design: Sara Story / Photo: François Dischinger
Sometimes a little work corner is all you need. An antique writing desk, Daum Cafe Thonet chair, and a custom upholstered daybed make for a cozy study in a Stamford colonial. Design: Ryan Lawson / Photo: Stephen Kent Johnson
Alternatively, if you want to spread out, use a table as a desk. Here’s an old kitchen table brought into a home office, paired with vintage task chairs. Design: Nicola Harding / Photo: Paul Massey
A leather-topped antique desk is that much more impactful with a modern desk lamp and accompanying industrial side table in this New York home office. Design: Patrick McGrath
Here’s a great example of a work space carved out of a bedroom. Original paneled walls get refreshed with Mid Century teak furniture. Design: Gabriella Horn / Photo: Christian Harder
Imperfection is perfected with a vintage Art Deco vanity table repurposed as a desk, and paired with the iconic 1930s Health chair by Hermann Sperlich. Design: Melissa Tingley / Photo: Tim Hirschmann
Small spaces can take a big dose of style, even in a little nook. A Pierre Jeanneret desk is mixed in with a Verner Panton chair, vintage lamp, and a leather waste basket in a Chelsea, New York studio apartment. Design: Charlie Ferrer / Photo: Stephen Kent Johnson
Let’s get to work on your home office
Time & Place Interiors founder Ksenya Malina’s training in the human health implications of work spaces, combined with her passion for vintage, can help you design your best work-from-home space that you’ll enjoy during office hours and after hours. Use the link below schedule a free 20-minute information call to talk about your design needs and how we can bring them to life:
