6 Drexel Declaration Walnut Dining Chairs by Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall
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6 Drexel Declaration Walnut Dining Chairs by Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall
About the Item
- Creator:Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall (Designer),Drexel (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 22 in (55.88 cm)Length: 32 in (81.28 cm)Seat Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1950s-1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. All are in fabulous vintage condition with their original finish. We have recovered their seats in a simple off-white canvas. Please see photos.
- Seller Location:Topeka, KS
- Reference Number:Seller: BEY-SEA-2361stDibs: LU1873316424881
Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall
While American furniture designers Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall created a range of mid-century modernist works for Glenn of California and other manufacturers, the duo is best known for Declaration, a collection they designed for Drexel Furniture.
It’s true that design lovers have long revered Drexel’s bedroom furniture of the 1960s, and collectors of mid-century modern pieces are drawn to vintage Drexel dressers, Drexel Heritage sofas and the series that Stewart (1928–2022) and MacDougall (1927–2016) designed for the North Carolina manufacturer. But Drexel’s story actually begins decades before its celebrated Declaration line and other postwar furnishings took shape.
Drexel was founded in 1903 and earned a reputation for works that were inspired by historic European furniture, like the popular French Provincial–style Touraine bedroom and dining group that borrowed its curves from Louis XV-era furniture. Others replicated the ornate details of 18th-century chinoiserie or the embellishments of Queen Anne furniture.
By the time he graduated from Chouinard Art Institute in his adopted home state of California, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-born Kipp Stewart was steeped in the world of modern seating design, experimenting with new chair models that bridged form and function. Charles and Ray Eames were important influences on his early work.
The Eameses — whose lounge chair is among the most iconic works manufactured by legendary Michigan company Herman Miller — were also inspirational for Stewart MacDougall, a Pasadena, California-born designer who, like Kipp, attended Chouinard.
When Drexel embraced the clean lines of mid-century modernism with the Declaration collection, Kipp and Stewart were producing case pieces and more for Glenn of California, an Arcadia-based brand that also manufactured furniture designed by the likes of Greta Magnusson Grossman, Milo Baughman and others.
Drexel’s Declaration line was constructed entirely of natural walnut and featured the choice of white porcelain or brass drawer pulls and cabinet door handles. Although its stylish credenzas, dressers and other pieces reflect the kind of slim-lined, low-slung silhouettes for which mid-century design has become known, there are also elements that nod to earlier American and European furniture design, such as the dining chairs whose flattened spindle backs recall Shaker and Windsor chair design, distinguishing them from the modern designs becoming prolific in Scandinavia at the time.
While Kipp Stewart found success as a painter and with his Ventana Big Sur project, which he designed in 1972 — and had also created chairs, chests and more for Directional — the Drexel Declaration line is his widely recognized furniture collection and remains highly sought after by collectors today. Stewart MacDougall’s interests also spanned other areas of design — he worked on vintage cars, created golf clubs and built sailboats — but furniture obsessives know him best for the distinctive Declaration series.
The Declaration pieces were so indicative of a particularly American style, in fact, that several items from the collection were selected by the U.S. government to represent the country at the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958.
Find vintage Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall furniture on 1stDibs.
Drexel
While vintage Drexel Furniture dining tables, dressers and other pieces remain highly desirable for enthusiasts of mid-century modern design, the manufacturer's story actually begins decades before its celebrated postwar-era Declaration line took shape.
In 1903, in the small town of Drexel in the foothills of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, six partners came together to found a company that would become one of the country’s leading furniture producers. The first offerings from Drexel Furniture were simple: a bed, washstand and bureau all crafted from native oakwood, sold as a bedroom suite for $14.50.
One of Drexel’s early innovations was to employ staff designers, something the company initiated in the 1930s. This focus on design, which few other furniture companies were committing to at the time, allowed Drexel to respond to a variety of new and traditional tastes. This included making pieces inspired by historic European furniture, like the popular French Provincial–style Touraine bedroom and dining group that borrowed its curves from Louis XV-era furniture. Others replicated the ornate details of 18th-century chinoiserie or the embellishments of Queen Anne furniture. Always ready to adapt to new customer demands, during World War II, Drexel built a sturdy desk designed especially for General Douglas MacArthur.
In the postwar era, Drexel embraced the clean lines of mid-century modernism with the Declaration collection designed by Stewart MacDougall and Kipp Stewart that featured elegant credenzas and more made in walnut, and the Profile and Projection collections designed with sculptural shapes by John Van Koert. In the 1970s, Drexel introduced high-end furniture in a Mediterranean style.
Drexel changed hands and visions throughout the years. It was managed by one of the original partners — Samuel Huffman — until 1935, at which time his son Robert O. Huffman took over as president. It was then that the company began to expand, with several acquisitions of competitors in the 1950s, including Table Rock Furniture, the Heritage Furniture Co. and more.
With the manufacturer’s success — spurred by its embrace of advertising in home and garden magazines — it opened more factories in both North and South Carolina. By 1957, the company that had started with a factory of 50 workers had 2,300 employees and was selling its furniture nationwide.
Drexel underwent a series of name changes in its long history. Its acquisition of Southern Desk Company in 1960 bolstered its production of institutional furniture for dormitories, classrooms, churches and laboratories.
In the following decades, contracts with government agencies, hotels, schools and hospitals brought its high-quality furniture to a global audience. U.S. Plywood-Champion Papers bought Drexel Enterprises in 1968, and it became Drexel Heritage Furnishings.
In 2014, the last Drexel Heritage plant, in Morganton, North Carolina, reportedly closed its doors. The company rebranded as Drexel in 2017.
The vintage Drexel furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes end tables designed by Edward Wormley, walnut side tables designed by Kipp Stewart and lots more.
- Drexel Declaration Lounge Chair & Ottoman by Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougallBy Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall, DrexelLocated in Topeka, KSStunning Drexel Declaration molded plywood and black faux leather lounge chair and ottoman by Kipp Stewart and Stewart MacDougall. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that these are...Category
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$3,196 Sale Price / set20% Off - MCM Drexel Declaration Full Size Headboard by Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougallBy Drexel, Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougallLocated in Topeka, KSHandsome vintage MCM or Mid-Century Modern Drexel Declaration full size walnut headboard by Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that this is vintage and not new so will have signs of use and wear. A chip on the back of one leg has been repaired. It has been cleaned and re-Danish oiled. Please see photos and zoom in for details. We attempt to portray any imperfections. Circa, 1960’s. We have a DECLARATION to make!!! A DREXEL declaration, that is!! We have a stunning vintage mid-century modern Drexel Declaration full size walnut headboard designed by Kipp Stewart and Stewart MacDougall to offer to you!!! It is comprised of gorgeous walnut with stunning wood grain and features wonderful, cut out sculpted slats across the front of headboard and a lower stretcher. You’ll just need a Hollywood frame to complete it OR hang it on the wall! Modern box springs & mattresses are taller than they used to be and it’s a fabulous way to show off the headboard! It is going to add just the right splash of mid-century modern magnificence to any bedroom in your home where you will be sure to sleep in stylish splendor. Kipp Stewart, a celebrated American designer, born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania did not lead a charmed childhood. Sent to California to live with distant relatives at a young age, you could call him a self-made man. His furniture designing fate was sealed at 15 when hitchhiking to school he passed a storefront shop and studio on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles with pencil industrial drawings in the windows and fell in love with them. Kipp worked hard, turning down a track and field scholarship at USC and instead enrolled at Chouinard Art Institute in the late 1940s. Again, he worked very hard days and nights becoming a renowned artist, architect, and award-winning designer. He currently resides in Carmel, California and is still painting. Alexander Stewart Orton MacDougall was born in the late 1920s in Pasadena and grew up in a Green and Green house which he credits for his fascination and love of design. Judged early with a learning disability which he obviously overcame, Stewart attended Chouinard Art Institute after a short time in the Navy. He then went to work for Victor Gruen and Associates where he met his mentor Rudolf Baumfeld who had studied under Le Courbusier...Category
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$1,596 Sale Price20% Off - Four Drexel Heritage Chinoiserie Ming Style Spindle Back Dining ChairsBy DrexelLocated in Topeka, KSHandsome set of four Drexel Heritage Chinoiserie Ming style spindle back dining chairs with semi-loose cushion seats which are upholstered ...Category
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$1,116 Sale Price / set20% Off - Vintage MCM Keller Furniture Oak Valkerie ii Dining Chairs by Edmond J SpenceBy Keller, Edmond J. SpenceLocated in Topeka, KSHandsome vintage Mid-Century Modern Keller furniture Valkerie II Line dining or side chairs by Edmond J. Spence, a pair. Comprised of oak frames, blue fabric upholstered seats, and chrome sabots on the front feet. This piece has been attributed based upon archived research including online sources, vintage documentation and catalogs, designer literature, and other materials. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that these are vintage and not new so will have signs of use and wear. The seats have been newly upholstered in a plain blue/black duck fabric. Please see photos and zoom in for details. We attempt to portray any imperfections. Circa, mid-20th century. What a TERRIFIC TWOSOME!!! This is a gorgeous pair of vintage Valkerie II Line dining or side chairs designed by Edmond J. Spence for Keller Furniture. They are comprised of lovely oak frames with slightly angled backs featuring sculpted “boomerang” shaped backs with spindles, straight round tapered front legs with stretchers and chrome sabots on the feet. Their seats have been freshly upholstered in a plain blue/black duck fabric. (We are calling it blue / black as some see it as black and some see it as a deep navy blue.) Did you notice that the handsome chair back and flared back legs are all one piece? Just an awesome design… and super comfortable!! They are mid-century modern with a Danish or Scandinavian modern flair, and they are going to be magnificent seating in your dining or kitchen area, side chairs in your bedroom, or extra seating in your family room. Sometimes you just need a simple little pair of chairs. You know? Just good looking, sturdy, and serviceable chairs. This is just that pair! Edmond J. Spence was an American designer who made a name for himself interpreting Danish Modernism in his own way and blending it with the atomic and organic influences of the mid to late 1950's. Mr. Spence grew up in a family business that manufactured high quality traditional furniture, including ornate, custom carved pieces. He was trained as a designer, and created industrial products, household items including clocks and radios. He began to focus on furniture, and he sensed the trend toward modern design. During the 1950s, Spence drew on Asian and Swedish influences in developing ideas for his own style of modern furniture. He incorporated aspects of Mexican design to create the Continental-American collection tagged “Ageless Furniture-Edmond J. Spence Design.” Manufactured in 1953 by Industria Mueblera. His work has been described as “a little bit Deco, a little tiki, with a heavy atomic & Danish influence.” He won awards and in the early 50’s his work was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York. And a fun fact, his furniture was used on the set of the “I Love Lucy” show for many years. -Mid 2 Mod. Mr. Spence passed away in 1986. Keller Manufacturing Company was founded in 1885 but Keller Furniture history dates back to 1866 when the “Keller Store” in Corydon Indiana was established. From that time, the operation entered into various businesses, including wagon productions from 1901-1912, running an electrical light plant, manufacturing spokes for farm wagons...Category
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