Vintage Desks Are Unique At-Home Learning Option 

As parents work to create at-home learning spaces for their children, new desks are a hot (and hard-to-find) commodity in many areas of the country. The solution could be vintage desks found at auctions, outdoor flea markets or online marketplaces. (See our list of Popular Apps & Websites to Buy or Sell Collectibles, Household Goods and More.) Do-it-yourselfers could also make their own desks by using old tables or pieces of wood found at a garage sale, adjusting the legs and making sure the depth of the tabletop can accommodate books, notebooks and a computer comfortably. If the wood is rough, sand it smooth. You can even paint it any color with chalk paint or leave it rustic. The look will fit right into the current farmhouse décor craze!  
 
Measure before buying or cutting. Typically, desks are 28 and 30 inches high from the floor to tabletop. To find the perfect height for your user, have the student sit down in the chair they will be using. Have them put their elbows against their ribcage and arm at a 90 degree angle, palm facing floor. Measure from the flat palm to the floor for the perfect desk height. 
 
The hunt for a unique desk is much more fun than hunting through catalogs!

Plain wooden desk, $15 on Facebook Marketplace.

Vintage desk with a rabbit carving on one side and a duck on the other, Stearn Co., Euclid Ave, Cleveland. Found at the summer Burton, Ohio, Antiques Market, $95.

Desk designed by Gio Ponti, wood desk with drop-down leaves and three drawers, Italy, 1940s, sold for $1,725.  Photo: Hill Auction Gallery

White fiber board desk, $175.  Photo: Mercari

Vintage Black Harvest desk, with cubby holes, drawer, and original chair, Lambert Hitchcock Chair Co., $850. Photo: Ebay / assenurmaganov0