My furniture wish list tends to be rather fluid. Some pieces come while others go, but the one piece that is a constant is a secretary. I've wanted one for as long as I can remember. While some may think of secretaries as being rather stodgy, I think the opposite. They can be quite elegant, such as those glorious antique japanned types. Or they can be dignified, especially those rendered in mahogany. Secretaries are also quite practical. What a wonderful way in which to display porcelain or other objets. And wouldn't using one of these as a desk make bill paying a tad bit more fun?
I'm still undecided about which type is my favorite. I think I'm leaning towards a Chinoiserie version in either red or black. But after looking at these images below, I just might have to change my mind!
The oft discussed 18th c. Chinoiserie secretary in the home of Ivanka Trump.
I like how Ruthie Sommers mixed a very traditional antique mahogany secretary with a 1940s coffee table, a black sofa with funky nailhead trim design, and a faux zebra rug. (Image from InStyle Home, Spring 07, photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo)
An 18th c. English secretary filled with ivory objects in the home of the late Sister Parish.
A secretary that has been painted with a faux yellow bird's eye finish. In the home of designer John Phifer Marrs (photographer Stephen Karlisch).
Image at top: Venetian mirrored secretaire, c. 1930, from John Salibello
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