John Van Koert “Counterpoint” Bookshelf for Drexel
View Similar Items
John Van Koert “Counterpoint” Bookshelf for Drexel
About the Item
- Creator:John Van Koert (Designer),Drexel (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 33.75 in (85.73 cm)Depth: 12 in (30.48 cm)Length: 30 in (76.2 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Newly Refinished.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU97113952823
John Van Koert
John Van Koert was integral to the rise in popularity of Scandinavian modern furniture during the mid-20th century all over the United States. The Canadian-born designer’s spare walnut coffee tables and elegant armchairs, for example — particularly those that he created for North Carolina’s Drexel Furniture — reflected the influence of the era’s alluring Danish design and were prominently featured in the modern interiors of postwar American homes.
Originally from Manitoba, Van Koert moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to attend the University of Wisconsin. There he studied sculpture and trained in metalwork. Van Koert later taught design in the school’s art department. After World War II, Van Koert settled in New York City. He created jewelry for Harry Winston before shifting his focus to flatware and furniture design.
Van Koert found quick success with his flatware designs for Towle Silversmiths. His Contour set was part of the “Knife, Fork and Spoon” exhibition organized by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis in the early 1950s. In 1954, he served as design director for the “Design in Scandinavia” exhibition, which toured Canada as well as the United States and featured hundreds of designs created in Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden by the likes of Kaj Franck, Ilmari Tapiovaara, Finn Juhl and others.
Van Koert kept busy over the years. Drexel embraced the clean lines of mid-century modernism during the postwar era with the Declaration collection designed by Stewart MacDougall and Kipp Stewart that featured elegant credenzas and more made in walnut, and the Profile, Casa Del Sol and Projection collections designed with sculptural shapes by Van Koert.
In the early 1960s, Van Koert created a contemporary line for Richardson-Nemschoff, a furniture manufacturer based in the designer’s former stomping grounds of Wisconsin. During the early 1970s, he partnered with Sarreid Ltd., a brand that got its start sourcing materials from Spain and Italy and bringing the exceptional talents of European wood carvers, sculptors and painters to the forefront of American home decor.
On 1stDibs, find vintage John Van Koert seating, tables and storage pieces.
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.
- Expertly Restored - Rare John Van Koert "Counter Point" Night Stands for DrexelBy John Van Koert, DrexelLocated in Los Angeles, CARare John Van Koert "Counter Point" night stands for Drexel. ________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furnit...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- Expertly Restored - Mid-Century Modern Walnut Free-Standing Bookshelf UnitLocated in Los Angeles, CA________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing history back to life, and we take this journey with passion and precis...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsWood, Rosewood
- Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall “Declaration” Dresser for DrexelBy Drexel, Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougallLocated in Los Angeles, CASplendid dresser designed by Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall for Drexel’s Declaration line in the United States circa 1950’s. This beautiful dresser has been recently refinished by...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Kipp Stewart & Stewart "Declaration" 10-Drawer Dresser for DrexelBy Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougall, DrexelLocated in Los Angeles, CATransforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing history back to life, and we take this journey with passion and precision. With over 17 years of artisanal exper...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Expertly Restored - Kipp Stewart “Declaration” Night Stand for DrexelBy Drexel, Kipp Stewart & Stewart MacDougallLocated in Los Angeles, CA________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing history back to life, and we take this journey with passion and precis...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Expertly Restored - Janet Schwietzer "Obra" Wall Unit for Pace CollectionBy Pace Collection, Janet SchweitzerLocated in Los Angeles, CA________________________________________ Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing history back to life, and we take this journey with passion and precis...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Shelves
MaterialsAluminum
- John Van Koert Designed 'Counterpoint' for DrexelBy John Van Koert, DrexelLocated in Brooklyn, NYGreat mid-century design by John Van Koert with luxurious mahogany, blended with wild-grained cherry wood. Inset hardware, rounded lines and tapered legs. Six drawers and center cabi...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWood, Cherry
- John Van Koert for Drexel Counterpoint Mahogany and Grasscloth Credenza DresserBy John Van Koert, DrexelLocated in Brooklyn, NYMid-Century Modern, mahogany, credenza dresser by John Van Koert for Drexel Counterpoint features a custom grasscloth facade treatment that contrasts nicely with his signature round brass plated...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsGrasscloth, Mahogany
- John Van Koert for Drexel “Profile” Freestanding Pyramidal Bookcase in EspressoBy Edward Wormley, John Van KoertLocated in St. Louis, MOJohn Van Koert for Drexel “Profile” collection, freestanding pyramid or floating bookcase, refinished in dark espresso on silver elm. Unmarked, three...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsElm
- Modernist Desk by John Van Koert for DrexelBy Drexel, John Van KoertLocated in Sagaponack, NYA boldly angled modernist single pedestal desk having a distinctive raised gallery with sliding doors and a warm dark grey leather surface.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Drexel "Meridian" Cabinet by John Van KoertBy John Van Koert, DrexelLocated in Brooklyn, NYBring home out-of-this-world vintage design with the "Meridian" series from Carolina's Drexel Furniture! Designed by American modern pioneer John Van Koert, it features carved oak an...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- “Profile” Pyramidal Bookshelf in Walnut by John Van Koert for Drexel, USABy John Van KoertLocated in Deland, FLMid-Century Modern bookshelf designed by American designer John Van Koert and manufactured by Drexel in the United States circa 1950’s. With a solid and stable walnut wood frame and three tapered...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Bookcases
MaterialsWalnut