In the 18th and 19th centuries no women's room would have been complete without a writing bureau desk. A bureau was always better looking piece of furniture than a standard desk. Writing bureaus were commonly crafted from oak, however over time, mahogany writing bureaus started to become popular. The bureau has a fold down lid, often with a green leather top on the inside, when lowered this flap acts as the writing desk. Most writing bureaus usually had a selection of small cupboards, shelves and drawers at the back, which were often used to store letters and envelopes but also all the writing equipment that could be needed.

The base of many writing bureau desks usually has either a small cupboard with units inside or consists of a number of drawers. The base of the writing bureau was used for storing larger items such as paper or more personal items whilst the top holds the commonly used writing pieces. Early writing bureaus were often ornate pieces of furniture with carved legs and corners and occasionally more ornate detailing to the front of the bureau. After mahogany bureaus had taken off the presence of oak writing bureaus and pine bureaus also grew in popularity. A bureau was considered an important item of furniture for the higher-class homes during the beginning of the 20th century. Over time the writing bureau has moved from being a bedroom piece to use in the drawing or living room, although some men and women like to keep the bureau in its traditional setting as a piece of bedroom furniture.

Writing bureau desks were often made of common solid woods such as oak and pine, but by the 20th century many bureaus featured a varnish French finish. Writing bureaus kept their popularity up until the introduction of the home PC which required more space than a bureau could easily give. Since then bureaus have been built from engineered woods such as MDF. Writing bureaus go through many cycles of coming in and out of fashion with mahogany bureaus currently being more popular as people seek cheaper prices from antique shops. In more styled homes people tend to have oak writing bureaus as those that were not made from solid wood tended not to last for very long.

Despite the changing popularity of writing bureaus, they still have a place in todays homes even it is only as a feature. They still serve well as their original function as a writing desk. Modern bureaus are once again built of solid wood and people are now proud to own a pine writing bureau or a solid oak writing bureau desk.