Brazilian Rosewood and Chrome Executive Desk, c. 1970s
Rosewood on a Ribbon of Chrome
A confident executive writing desk from the later mid-century, pairing a richly figured rosewood case with a chromed flat-bar sled frame — the two materials held in balance rather than one dressing the other.
The frame is the defining gesture: squared chrome runners bent in a continuous U on either side, so the desk appears to rest on two ribbons of polished metal rather than four legs. It is a construction that belongs firmly to the late 1960s and 1970s, when designers working in the executive idiom set warm figured wood against cool industrial metal to signal a particular kind of modern authority.
The rosewood is exceptional. The drawer fronts, modesty panel and rear are laid up in generous matched sheets, carrying the dense black swirling figure that makes Brazilian rosewood so prized, laid up in generous matched sheets across the pedestal. The top floats above the case on a slim reveal.
Practically, it is well resolved. A shallow stationery drawer sits directly beneath the top, fitted with a detachable moulded grey tray divided into compartments for the small business of a working desk. Below it, two deep drawers, the upper one fitted with a lock. The back and both sides are fully finished, so it sits comfortably free-standing in a room rather than pushed against a wall.
At 137cm wide it is a genuinely usable size — substantial enough to read as an executive desk, compact enough for a study or a home office.
