The words “french writing desk” may bring a picture to mind of an ornately carved, delicate table with a small but useful gallery on top all in a very light colored wood. This is certainly a classic and well known design for desks which will probably always be popular, but there are also many others styles to choose from as well.
Louis XV had the ornately carved desk like the one described above. The intricate details would have includes roses carved into the tops of the legs and a top decorated with carvings and inlaid wood pieces. You’ll be lucky to find one of these authentic period antique writing desks and if you do find one you’ll probably have to pay a good deal of money for one. You could also look for a quality replica desk that wouldn’t set you back as much and could be much easier to find.
Modern designs now have much straighter lines that still look more like a table than a desk, are much less ornate and usually have two to four drawers at the front of it to hold your writing supplies. They also have desks suitable for computers, which are called pedestal desks. A drawer pulls out to hold the keyboard for your computer, while the monitor sits on top in the open. The cupboard to the right of where you sit holds your computer and hopefully the rest of your accessories, including the printer. This gives you plenty of room on top to work, while allowing you ready access to your computer.
A bureau can actually be a desk. This style has a shelf that folds down from the top for writing on, while the rest of it is a drawer. Behind the fold down shelf are little cubbyholes for your pens, letters, envelopes and stamps. This is such an easy way to both keep your home looking clutter free and keeping your private matters private, just close the top when someone comes and it is all out of sight.
Over the years desk styles have evolved to accommodate our modern day needs, but you do not have to totally sacrifice the beauty of the past. There can be any number of good uses for an old style writing desk, even though so few people sit down with pen and paper any more.
Do you think writing a grocery list once a week and Christmas cards once a year would be worth buying a Louis XV style desk? Probably not, finding one that you can use for those tasks and that will also accommodate your computer, printer and other modern office equipment would be a good functional furniture investment. You can read a lot more about them at the Writing Desk Specialist.