Vintage Drexel Tall Dresser Chest of Drawers
View Similar Items
Vintage Drexel Tall Dresser Chest of Drawers
About the Item
- Creator:Drexel (Cabinetmaker)
- Dimensions:Height: 44.25 in (112.4 cm)Width: 32.25 in (81.92 cm)Depth: 18.25 in (46.36 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Pasadena, TX
- Reference Number:Seller: MR105221stDibs: LU86719543313
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.
- Vintage Marble Wood Dresser Chest of DrawersLocated in Pasadena, TXVintage European Marble Dresser 39" Marble top paired with striped mahogney Four drawers configuration with brass pulls Tapered legs See match...Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsMahogany
- Drexel Passage Campaign Pecan DresserBy DrexelLocated in Pasadena, TXCampaign style Drexel dresser circa 1970s Drexel Passage Series dresser in flaxen flared grain. Brass recessed pulls. This dresser provides compact ...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Italian Book Form Burl Nightstand Chest of DrawersLocated in Pasadena, TX23" Vintage Italian Book Form Burl Nightstand Chest of Drawers Very unusual libro (book style) nightstand or dresser from Italy. Four drawers and...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Dressers
MaterialsBurl
- John Widdicomb Tall Campaign Style DresserBy John WiddicombLocated in Pasadena, TXA prime piece of furniture in burled elm veneer (over oak wood) by John Widdicomb. Dresser features Inset brass pulls in the "campaign" style allow for ease of use and style. Signed ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBronze
$1,920 Sale Price31% Off - Hollywood Regency Ebonized Tall DresserLocated in Pasadena, TXHollywood Regency Dresser Tall 5 drawer ebonized dresser with Greek key details. Recessed pulls and tapered legs accented in gold. Restored.Category
Vintage 1960s North American Hollywood Regency Dressers
MaterialsWalnut
$1,040 Sale Price35% Off - Bassett Asian Style Ebonized Chest of DrawersBy Bassett FurnitureLocated in Pasadena, TXChin Hua Hollywood Regency Ebonized Dresser by Bassett Hollywood Regency dresser or credenza in an ebony lacquer finish. Features five large storage drawers with brass finished pu...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Chinoiserie Cabinets
MaterialsWood
$2,320 Sale Price20% Off
- Drexel Viewpoint 70 Gentlemen’s Chest \ DresserBy DrexelLocated in Denton, TXDrexel Viewpoint 70 Gentlemen’s chest \ dresser. Tons of drawers for maximum storage. The left side drawers make a perfect jewelry storage space. R...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsChrome
$3,600 Sale Price20% Off - Large Eight Drawers Tall Dresser ChestBy John StuartLocated in Rockaway, NJMid-Century Modern light walnut 8 drawers large high chest dresser by John Stuart.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut
- Vintage Drexel Lowboy Dresser Dovetail DrawersLocated in Seattle, WAVintage Drexel lowboy dresser dovetail drawers. Dimensions: 54 W ; 19 D ; 30 H.Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWood
$2,156 Sale Price20% Off - Midcentury Kipp Stewart for Drexel Dresser Bachelor ChestBy Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall, DrexelLocated in Baltimore, MDFabulous Mid-Century Modern dresser bachelor chest designed by Kipp Stewart and Stewart MacDougall for Drexel’s Declaration Collection, circa 1960s. Featuring a solid, beautifully grained walnut wood case and frame housing three dovetailed drawers, each is adorned with original brass pulls with walnut inlay, creating a striking contrast to the walnut wood. Maker Stamp (by Drexel) on the inside of the top drawer. A recessed base of round tapered legs and apron provide stabile support while conveying an airy “floating” effect. Additional Maker Stamp (Declaration by Drexel...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
$2,137 Sale Price25% Off - Drexel Heritage Georgian Mahogany Chest on Chest Highboy DresserBy DrexelLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous Georgian or Chippendale style eight-drawer chest on chest highboy dresser By Drexel Heritage USA, Circa 1980s Mahogany, with...Category
Late 20th Century American Georgian Dressers
MaterialsBrass
$1,760 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage Boho Drexel Campaign DresserBy DrexelLocated in west palm beach, FLA stunning vintage Boho Campaign dresser. Made by the iconic Drexel group and tagged inside the drawer. Beautiful wood grain detail and burnished brass Campaign hardware. Acquired fr...Category
Late 20th Century American Campaign Dressers
MaterialsMetal