Antique Walnut Burl Secretary with Drop-Front Desk | Louis Philippe Style

• Structurally reviewed
• Adjusted and reinforced where necessary
• Treated against wood-boring insects and free from woodworm
• Hand sanded
• Furniture ready for use

There's a gesture we've almost lost: sitting down to write. Not to type. To write. And for that gesture, for over a century, there was a piece of furniture designed specifically to accompany it.

This secretaire was built in the 19th century, in full Louis Philippe style, when furniture stopped seeking ostentation and instead sought the nobility of wood. It is veneered in walnut burl, the part of the tree where the grain becomes denser and draws those swirls that no industrial board can replicate.

Outwardly, it is a single vertical piece, crowned by a semicircular pediment and framed by fluted columns. Inside, when the lid is lowered, everything else appears: small burl drawers, open compartments, and a central door with its key, flanked by two turned black columns. The writing surface retains its original leather, with the gilding still visible on the edges.

It measures 98 centimeters wide, 49 deep, and 174 high. It occupies little floor space and a lot of wall space: it fits in an office, in a bedroom as a writing nook, or in a living room where you want a touch of height and character.

No two are alike. There will be no replenishment.

── WHAT WE LIKE MOST ABOUT THIS PIECE ──

→ The interior. When the drop-front lid is lowered, a small, organized world appears: walnut burl drawers, compartments, and a central door flanked by turned and ebonized columns. It's the kind of mechanism only conceived when a piece of furniture was made to last a lifetime.

→ The writing leather. It retains the original leather with the gilded embossing around the perimeter. The marks of use are not a defect: they are the traces of the letters, accounts, and signatures of those who used it before. That cannot be manufactured.

→ The walnut burl. Each panel is veneered symmetrically, mirroring the grain on both sides. It is a cabinetmaking job that would be extremely expensive to replicate today, and even then it wouldn't have the more than one hundred years that this piece carries.

── RESTORED IN OUR WORKSHOP IN NAVALCARNERO, MADRID ──

We have completely reviewed the structure, consolidated the burl veneer where time had lifted it, and treated the wood against woodworm. The drawers have been adjusted to slide in and out smoothly, and the original hardware and key have been cleaned and preserved.

The finish has been handcrafted to enhance the burl's pattern without erasing the patina of its age. The drop-front lid works, the drawers close, and the whole piece remains firm and level. It arrives ready to take its place.

A piece selected and restored by Antique Arte y Decoración — specializing since 2015 in antique furniture, with its own workshop in Navalcarnero and over 3,500 families throughout Spain.

Style: Louis Philippe
Material: Walnut burl on solid wood frame; turned and ebonized interior columns
Technique: Mirrored walnut burl veneer and dovetail joint cabinetry
Finish: Hand-varnished and polished, respecting the original patina
Hardware: Bronze rosette-shaped pulls and keyholes; original period keys
Layout: Upper drawer, drop-front desk with leather writing surface, interior with drawers, compartments, and central lockable door, and three lower drawers
Dimensions: 98 cm (Width) × 49 cm (Depth) × 174 cm (Height)
Condition: Good state of preservation; writing leather with user patina
Period: Mid-19th century

98 cm (Width) × 49 cm (Depth) × 174 cm (Height)

Free shipping to mainland Spain. Includes delivery inside your home with removal of packaging.