Drexel Dining Accolade
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
Cane, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Wood
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century American Campaign Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Nutwood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wood
Vintage 1970s North American Campaign Console Tables
Walnut
Vintage 1970s American Campaign Buffets
Brass
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Campaign Dining Room Tables
Metal
Late 20th Century American Campaign Dining Room Tables
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century American Campaign Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Nutwood
Late 20th Century American Campaign Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Nutwood
Late 20th Century American Campaign Dining Room Chairs
Nutwood, Fabric, Cane
Late 20th Century American Campaign Wall Mirrors
Brass
People Also Browsed
Early 20th Century French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Cane, Walnut
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Brass
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Cane, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Teak
Mid-20th Century Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Hardwood
Vintage 1970s North American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
Leather, Cane
Vintage 1970s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Sets
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Walnut
1990s Armchairs
Metal
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Walnut, Burl
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Wood
Drexel for sale on 1stDibs
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 oak wood, 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, 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.
- 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 25, 2024Yes, Drexel Furniture is good quality, and owing to the commendable level of craftsmanship that characterizes the company's work, Drexel's furnishings typically retain or increase in value over time. Vintage Drexel dining tables, dressers and other pieces remain highly desirable for enthusiasts of mid-century modern design.
The North Carolina manufacturer initially became known for pieces inspired by historic European furniture. In the postwar era, Drexel adapted to changing tastes and 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. The Profile and Projection collections of the period, designed with sculptural shapes by John Van Koert, also see demand on today’s secondary market.
Find vintage Drexel Furniture for sale on 1stDibs.