BH | Studio Sète Two-Drawer Writing Desk

The flat writing table, the bureau plat of eighteenth-century France, was the desk of choice for statesmen and writers: a broad, uncluttered top with shallow drawers in the frieze, raised on slender legs so the room flowed beneath it. Mid-century designers revived the idea on metal bases, keeping the open surface and the sense of lightness.

This one has a long, thick top in a warm hazel wood grain over engineered wood, more than six feet long, set on two polished stainless steel sled bases, open rectangles that leave the floor clear. Two drawers sit at the ends of the top, one on each side, so the base fits beneath them and the knee space stays free. Each drawer is long and dovetailed, joined with interlocking cuts that hold firm, and opens with a slim steel pull; they take pens, notebooks, chargers and papers. Assembly is required.

Its size makes it a desk to work at all day: two monitors and a lamp, or a laptop with room for drawings and files. It works as a statement desk in a home office or a library, or a writing table in a bedroom bay. Walnut-tone wood and polished steel feel crisp and gallery-like: set it on a wool rug, add a leather desk chair in cognac, a chrome task lamp and one large abstract print. This listing is for one desk.