How do I replace the leather top?

Strip out the old hide and scrape the wooden recess clean. Order a new piece of sheepskin cut to a paper template of your desk top. Lay the new leather using a stiff paste. Roll it flat from the centre outwards to remove air pockets.

I have a room with quite uneven floorboards in my cottage, will a desk like this sit flat or just rock constantly?

Most antique kidney desks sit on four or eight individual legs rather than solid plinths. They will rock on a heavily warped floor. You can slide small wooden wedges or felt pads under the feet. Many late nineteenth-century examples retain their original brass castors, which can sometimes be levelled by adding a hidden washer above the cup.

What polish should be used on them?

A good quality microcrystalline wax is all you need. Apply it sparingly with a soft cloth once a year. Avoid silicone spray polishes.

Are the curved drawers harder to repair if the internal wooden runners have worn down over the years and they start sticking?

Repairing curved drawers takes more effort than standard straight ones. The runners have to be shaped to follow the internal carcase lines exactly. A cabinetmaker builds up the worn tracks with new hardwood strips. They might also need to replace the underlying guide rails if the drawer bottom is rubbing.

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Victorian Kidney Desks

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Named for their distinctively curved shape, antique kidney desks were designed as freestanding writing tables that wrap ergonomically around the sitter while softening the rigid lines of a formal study.