Oak writing desk designed by Jean-Michel Frank

We have painstakingly recreated this Oak Writing Desk designed by Jean Michel Frank c.1935.The early Modernist bureau plat was based on the classic Louis XVI form stripped of all ornamentation. The desk is constructed of solid American White Oak using traditional joinery methods (ie.mortise/tenon and dovetail joint construction, dovetailed drawer fronts, solid Oak drawers and dust panels, etc.) The drawer locks have inset brass keyhole escutcheons with brass ring keys. This example has an inset Ivory leather tablet like the original. The finish is wire-brushed and cerused Natural Oak with a matte lacquer finish.

This handsome desk, identical in form to one in Frank’s own apartment, with its clean lines, gently tapered legs and recessed central drawer was emblematic of the designer’s ability to create an understated, yet luxurious and sophisticated object.

Made to Order
Lead Time 10-12 weeks, 50% deposit required

Custom Options available

From Christie’s auction description of the original:
The leather tablet beautifully contrasts with the oak. In its understated luxury, the desk brilliantly exemplifies Frank’s ultimate credo:“Throw out and keep throwing out. Elegance means elimination.”

Mrs. Stanley Resor sent her agent to the gallery in July 1934 and began a six-month correspondence with Frank, discussing all elements of the joint project and the designer’s ideas. Frank would not alter his basic concepts, but it is interesting the number of options he presented to the client on the desk alone. He sent Resor photographs and a price list from Hermès, along with leather samples, to get her opinion on what she would want on the top surface. Frank also asked for her thoughts on whether or not gilt bronze hardware might look “heavy.” The design was finally agreed upon, but Frank, ever the perfectionist required Hermès to redo the leather covering twice before he was completely satisfied. In a letter to Mrs. Resor dated December 8th 1935, he wrote “At the last moment something is often not really the way I wanted it and I have to make even small changes which delay the completion. (The leather covering of the desk for instance was redone twice by Hermès.) I do hope you will like the things.”