Lane Burl Wood Nightstands

When the first iteration of the Lane Furniture company began to produce its now-famous Lane cedar chests in the early 20th century, the family behind the brand was unsure of how successful they’d be, so they initially didn’t bother adding their name to the offerings.

The manufacturer was off to a modest start but the family was industrious: The Lanes were made up of farmers and contractors who’d built more than 30 miles of the Virginian railroad. They owned a cotton mill and purchased thousands of acres of land in Campbell County, Virginia, where the Virginian railroad was intended to cross the main line of the Southern Railway.

The Lanes hoped to start a town in this region of the state, and by 1912, streets for the town of Altavista had been laid out and utility lines were installed. In the spring of that year, John Lane purchased a defunct box factory at a bankruptcy auction. His son, Edward Hudson Lane, was tasked with the manufacturing of the cedar “hope” chests for which the Lane family would become known, even though the company was initially incorporated as the Standard Red Cedar Chest Company.

The Standard Red Cedar Chest Company struggled in its early days but introduced an assembly system at its small factory after securing a contract with the federal government to produce ammunition boxes made of pine during World War I. The company prospered and applied mass-production methods to its cedar-chest manufacturing after the war, and, in 1922, rebranding as the Lane Company, it implemented a national advertising campaign to market its products. Ads tied the company’s strong cedar hope chests to romance. Anchored by copy that read “The gift that starts the home,” the campaign rendered a Lane cedar chest a necessary purchase for young women to store linens, clothing and keepsakes as they prepared to marry.

Wartime production during World War II had Lane producing aircraft parts. In the 1950s, the family-owned company began to branch out into manufacturing tables, bedroom pieces and other various furnishings for the entire home. The brand’s vintage mid-century furniture is highly sought after.

Lane’s Acclaim walnut furniture line, which, designed by Andre Bus, has been compared to Drexel’s Declaration series for its blend of modern furniture’s clean contours and traditional craftsmanship. Ads for the Lane series suggested that it included “probably the best-selling table in the world.” (There are end tables, cocktail tables and more in the Acclaim collection, sporting graceful tapered legs and dovetail inlays.) Later, during the 1960s, Lane offered handsome modular wall units designed by the likes of Paul McCobb. The company was acquired by United Furniture Industries in 2017 and became particularly well-known among contemporary consumers for its upholstered furniture. In 2022 United abruptly closed and ceased operations at Lane.  

Vintage Lane furniture is generally characterized by relatively neutral styles, which are versatile in different kinds of interiors, as well as good quality woods and careful manufacturing. All of these attributes have made Lane one of the most recognizable names in American furniture.

Browse storage cabinets, side tables and other vintage Lane furniture on 1stDibs.

No matter what kind of bedroom furniture you prefer — be it lavish, low-key or minimalist — your bedroom will always be your own personal sanctuary. But it didn’t start that way. It wasn’t until around the 19th century that the bedroom became a realm of privacy. For many Europeans in the medieval era, eating, congregating and sleeping all took place in a single room, and later, royalty such as Louis XIV of France worked on legal orders while sitting in his bed, surrounded by members of his court.

Now, we return to our bedrooms for solace, private space and intimacy. We’ve certainly come a long way, and so has our bedroom furniture.

Whether you’re seeking bright or moody, Baroque or mid-century modern, consider the amount of time that will be spent in this space. Don’t choose furnishings you won’t enjoy looking at every day.

The most important piece of bedroom furniture is, not surprisingly, the bed. When shopping for a bed and bed frame, keep the size of your bedroom in mind — you’ll need to navigate your way around the bed during your daily routine. Bed sizes range from twin to king, and there is also the California king. At 76 inches wide and 80 inches long, a king-size bed is approximately 16 inches wider than a queen-size mattress, and your bed frame will probably add two to five inches to each side. (The California king bed is 84 inches long.)

If you’re putting together design ideas for a large bedroom, why not go all out? A king platform bed is low-profile and minimalist — a mattress is placed directly on a simple and solid frame, which offers support without a box spring. A traditional bed sees a mattress rest on a box spring or foundation.

Smaller bedrooms or guest rooms could benefit from something more streamlined, such as a vintage daybed. The important thing is not to choose a bed that is too big for your space. After all, you still need to squeeze in an Italian nightstand and an elegant American of Martinsville dresser.

Headboards can make or break the style of a bedroom. If you are going for a clean and contemporary look, maybe a headboard isn’t the best fit, but if not having a headboard will keep you up at night, there are plenty of options. Rattan headboards are a great choice to top off a casual country theme. Alternately, you can think of the headboard as a statement piece. With maximalism riding high in the design world, bedrooms are getting on board with vibrant upholstered headboards, and an upholstered bed may very well be the one thing you need to pull the entire look of your bedroom furniture together.

Once your bedding is situated, shift your focus to other pieces for the room.

The size of your closet will have an impact on the size and amount of furniture you need. If you have a small closet, for example, a larger dresser is going to come in handy. If you are lucky enough to have a large walk-in closet, you can utilize the extra bedroom space for other pieces, such as an antique or vintage nightstand.

Turn your humdrum bedroom into a dramatic hideaway that you never want to leave — find vintage, new and antique bedroom furniture today on 1stDibs.