What is a bonheur du jour?

A bonheur du jour is a light writing desk featuring a raised superstructure of small drawers or compartments above the main writing surface. First developed in France, these diminutive desks were intended for ladies to write letters and keep personal papers in intimate rooms.

How do you use a Davenport desk?

A Davenport desk combines a sloping, hinged writing top with a pedestal of side drawers that open away from the seated writer. Papers and writing implements store neatly inside the upper compartment, while the lower drawers provide additional storage for stationery.

Where were these desks placed?

These compact writing desks suited private sitting rooms, bedrooms, or boudoirs where large partner desks took up too much space. Their finished backs often allowed them to sit away from the wall in the centre of a room.

What woods were commonly used?

Cabinetmakers selected dense hardwoods such as mahogany and walnut as the primary structural and decorative timbers. Exotic veneers like satinwood, rosewood, and kingwood added rich colour contrast, particularly when accented with marquetry inlays.