Romweber Mid 20th Century Satinwood French Provincial

Some vintage Romweber Furniture Company designs may strike the young as passé. But for fans of a certain age, the American brand never went out of style.

The Romweber story began in the late 1800s, with the launch of American Furniture Company, which made bedroom furniture, Batesville Cabinet Company, a dining-room-set manufacturer, and Batesville Coffin Company. The three companies eventually merged to become a large and reputable manufacturer of case goods, furniture and more. Not unlike many American companies, production at Romweber suffered during the Great Depression. The brand managed to stay afloat by making a rather strange pivot — to selling five-pound fruitcake boxes. During the Second World War, Romweber pivoted again, this time to the production of ammunition boxes and pontoons for American troops and, naturally, furniture for officers’ quarters.

While Romweber furniture (spelled “RomWeber” in vintage advertisements), dating back to the early 20th century, had designers working in the French Rococo and Chippendale styles, the brand is best known for its mid-century modern pieces. In the postwar years, Romweber manufactured walnut case pieces and storage cabinets that featured decorative olive-ash and burl-wood inlays with brass hardware as well as solid oak credenzas and dining tables designed by the likes of Harold Schwartz. For collectors of sophisticated 1950s furniture, the company’s sturdy Viking Oak line is particularly popular.

“It’s not uncommon for customers to say, ‘My parents had this Romweber Viking set,’” says Adam Cramer of collectors who visit Liberty & 33rd, the gallery he owns with his wife in South Bend, Indiana, about three hours north of Romweber’s birthplace in small-town Batesville. “It’s solid oak,” Cramer tells 1stDibs of the line of tables, chairs, desks and more.

Solid oak is the product of slow-growing deciduous trees. Solid oak furniture is durable, desirable and an investment that is usually associated with a hefty price. In solid oak furnishings, such as those that make up the covetable Romweber Viking Oak line, which launched in 1935, there aren’t any scraps of other components in the construction. Inspired by Scandinavian folk design, Romweber’s Viking Oak is said to have enjoyed one of the longest runs for a commercial furniture line in history. The collection went out of production in the late 1980s, and mid-century editions remain highly prized for their exceptional quality and hand-carved details.

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Removed from the fashions of the court, French Provincial style developed in the provinces of the country, such as Provence, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, French Provincial furniture was not as ostentatious as the designs being produced for the royal palaces, but elegant S-shape cabriole legs and ornate carvings elevated the sturdy chairs, sofas, tables and bedroom furniture intended for everyday use.

Although it varies by region, antique French Provincial furniture is unified by solid construction and an artisanal attention to design. While this furniture often followed the metropolitan trends — including the Rococo or neoclassical aesthetics of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI — since it was produced in the French countryside it was more subdued with nods to its rustic settings.

Local materials like fruitwoods, oak, beech and walnut were used to construct large French Provincial armoires for storage and comfortable armchairs with rush-woven seats. Wrought-iron elements and carvings like floral details and scallop patterns were common as ornamentation. Furniture was frequently painted white or other muted colors that coordinated with gilt and would acquire a patina of age over time. Other wood was just stained with vibrant fabric such as toile de Jouy, which sometimes depicted pastoral scenes, adding color as upholstery.

The style arrived in the United States after World War I, with soldiers returning home wanting furniture like what they had seen in the rural homes and castles of France. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, designer John Widdicomb split from his family business, the Widdicomb Furniture Company, and had been focusing on Louis XV– and French Provincial–style furnishings since the early 1900s. Other American manufacturers such as Baker, Drexel, Henredon and Thomasville also responded to demand. Today antique French Provincial pieces and reproductions continue to be popular.

Find a collection of antique French Provincial dining tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.