This elegant art deco desk was designed and made by Johannes Jacobus Buskes in 1925. Buskes was a master cabinetmaker who had his workshop in Utrecht, The Netherlands. His furniture pieces were all custom designs, specifically made for a particular home and room.

The desk is made of solid oak wood with panelled side details. The veneered door is in macassar ebony with a striking vertical grain. The handles and knobs, the keyholes and the edges of the top are also made of macassar ebony. The three runner style legs are in black stained oak. The desk has one drawer on the right side and three pull out shelves on the left side. Both can be locked with the same key. The original metal key is marked with “J.J. Buskes, Utrecht”.

The refined details and high quality materials used illustrate the fine level of craftsmanship of Buskes’ work. The desk has been carefully restored, preservering the original patina.

The details, materials and nearly modernist appearance of the design are exemplary for the Haagse School style. This style was not so much inspired by the Classic European Art Deco capitals such as Paris and Vienna but more by other national and international architectural developments such as the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. The influential magazine Wendingen published a series of articles on Wright still relatively unknown at the time in 1925 and the renowned architect Jan Wils also played an important role in the orientation towards Wrights work in The Netherlands. In its particular application of geometric shapes, primary colours and its sophisticated cubist division of the surface, the Haagse School designers were also aware of De Stijl movement, led by contemporaries such as Gerrit Rietveld and Piet Mondriaan.