Vintage Mid-Century Low Dresser by Drexel
View Similar Items
Vintage Mid-Century Low Dresser by Drexel
About the Item
- Creator:Drexel (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 66 in (167.64 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Great condition with vintage wear such as some scratches, marks, mainly on legs, and some on the sides.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU94731230964
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 range of vintage Drexel furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes end tables designed by Edward Wormley, walnut side tables designed by Kipp Stewart and lots more.
- Mid Century Curved Front 8 Drawer Dresser by DrexelBy DrexelLocated in Freehold, NJThis mid century eight drawer dresser by Drexel features hardwood construction, bleached walnut veneer with original finish, traditional brass hardware, curved drawer fronts, and tap...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Mid Century Curved Front Highboy Dresser by DrexelBy DrexelLocated in Freehold, NJThis mid century eight drawer dresser by Drexel features hardwood construction, bleached walnut veneer with original finish, traditional brass hardware, curved drawer fronts, and tap...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWalnut
- Mid-Century Credenza Dresser Boho Drexel “Accolade” Campaign DresserBy DrexelLocated in Baltimore, MDA gorgeous, Boho Drexel Campaign mid-century, credenza, dresser. Minimalist Danish Modern inspired profile, with exceptional construction and style and adorned with original stylish, sculpted, brass pulls. Two available. Features rectangular top over three center dovetail joinery drawers top drawer with divider ideal for storing various objects. The center drawers are flanked by cabinet doors that open to reveal a beautiful interior each with a fixed shelf, giving ample storage capability, authentication stamp (Drexel) on the interior of one drawer. This beautiful credenza is raised on a plinth base. This classically designed piece of exceptional craftsmanship can be used throughout your home either as a sideboard/buffet in the dining room, or a storage piece for the living room, office or bedroom. Two available dressers. Consider pairing this with a matching Campaign Dresser...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
$1,516 Sale Price20% Off - Drexel Declaration Ten Drawer Low Dresser by Kipp StewartBy Drexel, Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall, Kipp StewartLocated in BROOKLYN, NYA gorgeous Mid-Century Modern walnut triple dresser from the desirable declaration line designed by Kipp Stewart and Stewart MacDougall for Drexel in the 1950s. On the right are fou...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWalnut
- Mid-Century Modern 4 Drawer Walnut Dressers by Drexel Parallel CollectionBy DrexelLocated in New York, NYAmazing pair of late 1950's drexel 4 drawer walnut dressers with solid brass handles from the Parallel Collection, fully restored with minor we...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Mid Century MODERN DRESSER / Credenza by DREXEL Declaration by Kipp StewartBy Kipp Stewart, DrexelLocated in Weehawken, NJMid Century Modern Walnut Dresser by Drexel "Declaration" designed by Kipp Stewart & Stewart McDougall. This simply designed piece offers a wealth of storage in its six deep and spac...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsPorcelain, Walnut