how do you clean the leather top?

Dust it lightly with a dry cloth first. If the surface feels quite dry, a standard clear leather dressing helps nourish the hide. Keep wet cloths away from the tooling. Water lifts the dye and damages the gilt work quickly.

I need to fit a modern computer monitor and keyboard on my desk but I am worried about the height of the kneehole, will it fit?

A modern standard chair usually fits underneath, but older kneeholes often sit lower than current office norms. It helps to measure your thigh clearance before buying. Pedestal variations offer different widths. Some late Victorian examples have broader kneeholes that handle a swivel chair easily. Placing a monitor on the leather works fine. Using a felt pad under the stand stops scratches.

how heavy are these desks to move?

They weigh a considerable amount. The timber is dense and the drawers add bulk. Most twin pedestal types separate into three pieces. You lift the top off, leaving two manageable pedestals to carry individually.

The drawers on the one I am looking at seem to stick halfway when I push them in, is there a way to fix this?

Drawer runners wear down after decades of rubbing against the carcase. This causes the drawer to drop slightly and jam on the way in. A cabinet maker can glue fresh timber strips to the runners to build the height back up. It puts the drawer back in alignment. Rubbing a simple wax candle along the bottom edges also helps them glide smoothly if the wear is minor.

Home > Desks > Mahogany Desks > Page 16

Antique Mahogany Desks from the 19th Century

← Page 16 of 20 →

Antique mahogany desks are substantial pieces of functional workspace furniture, typically featuring a flat writing surface above pedestals or turned legs. Built primarily during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they served clerks and estate managers for correspondence and keeping ledgers.