The office made its appearance in the Middle Ages in scriptoriums, places reserved for the production of manuscripts in ancient monasteries. By extension, "scriptorium" also designates the piece of furniture on which the copyist-monks hunkered down to work. It usually consisted of a bench and desk, occasionally even an "écritoire" and lectern, though most desks were mobile at that time. The "écritoires" - boxes containing everything required for writing (paper, ink, pen…) - were widely used by public letter-writers. They were placed on the knees, a table or pedestal. This type of writing box and desks on legs were the precursors of the desk as we know it today.

The writing table, also called a flat desk, then appeared under the reign of Louis XIII (1610-1643). To protect it from ink stains, it was covered with a homespun material called "bure", which gave its name to the "bureau". Adorned with rich marquetry, the prestigious "bureau Mazarin" then took pride of place before making room in the early 18th century to the "secrétaire" (entirely locked), then the "cabinet" under Louis-Philippe (1830-1848). Priority here was given to storage with additional casing comprised of several drawers and shelves. In the early 20th century, the "bureau" lost its prestige with, among other things, the soaring number of administrative services. Mass produced, the desk became increasingly sobre but also more practical, to meet the new needs of employees. In the 1950's, several French designers made their names with their desks, reproduced even today. Such is the case for the CM 141 desk designed by Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset and Jean Prouvé's Compas Direction model for Vitra. A special mention for Maurice Calka's famous Boomerang desk designed for Leuleu-Deshays in 1969. Highly-prized by collectors, an all-white version was installed in the Élysée Palace under the Presidency of Georges Pompidou. A few years ago, an original model of this design icon fetched 26,000 euros at auction.