Dixie Mahogany Dresser

Born in 1889, designer and entrepreneur Henry Link studied at Yadkin College and began his career as a banker in Lexington, North Carolina, and New York before taking leadership of the Dixie Furniture Company in 1936. 

Established in 1901, the small Lexington company initially became known for its production of oak and walnut bedroom furniture. At the time, the region was home to busy textile mills and furniture production facilities such as the Crowell Furniture Company, Standard Parlor Furniture Company and more. With Link at the helm, Dixie grew following a merger with the Elk Furniture Company. While Link is best known today for his high-quality wicker dressers, desks, chairs and other seating, he was also a key figure in revolutionizing America’s furniture industry and moving it toward mass production during the early 20th century.

Link was overseeing the manufacturing of bedroom furniture for middle-class families during the late 1930s at Dixie when he visited Henry Ford’s automobile plant in Detroit, Michigan. Dixie had two plants and approximately 90 employees at the time. At the Ford plant, Link became inspired by the factory’s assembly process. Upon his return to Lexington, Link installed automatic conveyors and mass-production techniques at Dixie.

To facilitate Dixie Furniture Company’s exponential growth, four separate divisions were created in the 1950s and 1960s, including Henry Link Furniture. Although the Link collection was initially known for its line of girls’ bedroom furniture, it expanded with a range of styles — from striking reproductions of French Provincial furniture to Polynesian-inspired designs. By the 1970s, Link’s division was among the first in America to popularize casual wicker furnishings such as bohemian-chic dressers, side tables, end tables and center tables. Among Link’s other popular designs were chinoiserie “Mandarin” cabinets, Chinese Chippendale accent chairs and bamboo dining room chairs.

In 1987, the Dixie Furniture Company and its divisions — including Henry Link Furniture — were bought by Michigan’s Masco Corporation and renamed Lexington Furniture Industries (Lexington was among the top ten largest furniture brands in the nation by the late 1980s). Meanwhile, Link was posthumously inducted into the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame in 1998.

Today, Link’s pieces are highly coveted by interior designers and avid collectors of mid-century modern wicker and rattan furniture.Find vintage Dixie furniture on 1stDibs.

Of all the antique and vintage case pieces and storage cabinets that have become popular in modern interiors over the years, dressers, credenzas and cabinets have long been home staples, perfect for routine storage or protection of personal items. 

In the mid-19th century, cabinetmakers would mimic styles originating in the Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI eras for their dressers, bookshelves and other structures, and, later, simpler, streamlined wood designs allowed these “case pieces” or “case goods” — any furnishing that is unupholstered and has some semblance of a storage component — to blend into the background of any interior. 

Mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts will cite the tall modular wall units crafted in teak and other sought-after woods of the era by the likes of George Nelson, Poul Cadovius and Finn Juhl. For these highly customizable furnishings, designers of the day delivered an alternative to big, heavy bookcases by considering the use of space — and, in particular, walls — in new and innovative ways. Mid-century modern credenzas, which, long and low, evolved from tables that were built as early as the 14th century in Italy, typically have no legs or very short legs and have grown in popularity as an alluring storage option over time. 

Although the name immediately invokes images of clothing, dressers were initially created in Europe for a much different purpose. This furnishing was initially a flat-surfaced, low-profile side table equipped with a few drawers — a common fixture used to dress and prepare meats in English kitchens throughout the Tudor period. The drawers served as perfect utensil storage. It wasn’t until the design made its way to North America that it became enlarged and equipped with enough space to hold clothing and cosmetics. The very history of storage case pieces is a testament to their versatility and well-earned place in any room. 

In the spirit of positioning your case goods center stage, decluttering can now be design-minded.

A contemporary case piece with open shelving and painted wood details can prove functional as a storage unit as easily as it can a room divider. Whether you’re seeking a playful sideboard made of colored glass and metals, an antique Italian hand-carved storage cabinet or a glass-door vitrine to store and show off your collectibles, there are options for you on 1stDibs.