Drexel French Provincial Furniture
Vintage 1970s French Provincial Night Stands
Oak
20th Century American French Provincial Settees
Fabric, Wood, Down
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Night Stands
Fruitwood
Vintage 1960s American French Provincial Dining Room Tables
Oak
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Bookcases
Brass
Vintage 1960s American French Provincial Sideboards
Brass
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Dressers
Brass
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Beds and Bed Frames
Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Floor Mirrors and Full-Leng...
Mirror, Pine
Vintage 1960s American Louis XV Night Stands
Brass
Vintage 1960s American Louis XV Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1960s American Louis XV Vanities
Brass
Vintage 1980s French Provincial Armchairs
Cotton, Wood
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Cabinets
Brass
Vintage 1980s French Provincial Console Tables
Wood
20th Century American French Provincial Game Tables
Leather, Walnut
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
Vintage 1960s American French Provincial Carts and Bar Carts
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Louis XVI Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Side Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Louis XVI Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Walnut
Late 20th Century American Louis XVI Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Cane, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Buffets
Wood
20th Century American French Provincial Cupboards
Oak
20th Century American French Provincial Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Chestnut
20th Century American French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Chestnut
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Velvet, Wood, Beech, Feathers
Antique Early 1900s French Belle Époque Living Room Sets
Silk, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric, Wood
20th Century American Organic Modern Sofas
Leather, Fabric, Grasscloth, Cane, Raffia, Rattan
Antique Early 1900s French Louis XVI Beds and Bed Frames
Silk, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Louis XVI Loveseats
Wood
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Abalone, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American Neoclassical Armchairs
Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern Swivel Chairs
Metal
Antique Mid-19th Century Swedish Gustavian Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal, Bronze
Antique 1820s French Louis XIII Cabinets
Oak
20th Century American William and Mary Settees
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Sofas
Fabric, Down, Oak
Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Campaign End Tables
Metal, Brass
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Vintage 1960s North American French Provincial Dressers
Wood
20th Century American Modern Chairs
Cotton
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Wall Mirrors
Mahogany, Mirror
Vintage 1980s French Provincial Cabinets
Glass, Cherry
Vintage 1980s French Provincial Buffets
Cherry
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Night Stands
Brass
Mid-20th Century North American French Provincial Benches
Fabric, Oak
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Night Stands
Brass
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Sideboards
Brass
Late 20th Century French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Cherry
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Bergere Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut, Down
Vintage 1950s American French Provincial Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1950s American French Provincial Dressers
Brass
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Dressers
Brass
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Brass
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Dressers
Brass
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Oak, Fabric, Cane
Vintage 1960s American French Provincial Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Beds and Bed Frames
Wood, Paint
Vintage 1960s American French Provincial Dressers
Wood
Late 20th Century American Louis XVI Dining Room Tables
Metal
Vintage 1960s French Provincial Buffets
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Sideboards
Marble, Brass
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Credenzas
Brass
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Beds and Bed Frames
Cane, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Credenzas
Brass
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Sideboards
Mahogany
Vintage 1960s French Provincial Beds and Bed Frames
Walnut
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Sideboards
Marble
Vintage 1980s French Provincial Beds and Bed Frames
Oak
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Buffets
Wood
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Buffets
Composition, Brass
Late 20th Century French Provincial Desks and Writing Tables
Leather, Cherry
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Cane, Wood, Paint
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Buffets
Brass
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Night Stands
Brass
Late 20th Century French Provincial Dining Room Tables
Cherry
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Night Stands
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Beds and Bed Frames
Cane, Hardwood
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Walnut
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Beds and Bed Frames
Cane, Walnut
1990s American Louis XV Armchairs
Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Louis XV Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Wood
20th Century American French Provincial Dressers
Marble
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Cabinets
Glass, Wood
20th Century American French Provincial Lounge Chairs
Leather, Walnut
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
Antique 1890s French Trunks and Luggage
Brass
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Vintage 1980s American French Provincial Sofas
1990s North American French Provincial Console Tables
Carrara Marble
Drexel French Provincial Furniture For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Drexel French Provincial Furniture?
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 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.
A Close Look at french-provincial Furniture
Removed from the fashions of the court, French Provincial style developed in the provinces of the country, such as Provence, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, French Provincial furniture was not as ostentatious as the designs being produced for the royal palaces, but elegant S-shape cabriole legs and ornate carvings elevated the sturdy chairs, sofas, tables and bedroom furniture intended for everyday use.
Although it varies by region, antique French Provincial furniture is unified by solid construction and an artisanal attention to design. While this furniture often followed the metropolitan trends — including the Rococo or neoclassical aesthetics of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI — since it was produced in the French countryside it was more subdued with nods to its rustic settings.
Local materials like fruitwoods, oak, beech and walnut were used to construct large French Provincial armoires for storage and comfortable armchairs with rush-woven seats. Wrought-iron elements and carvings like floral details and scallop patterns were common as ornamentation. Furniture was frequently painted white or other muted colors that coordinated with gilt and would acquire a patina of age over time. Other wood was just stained with vibrant fabric such as toile de Jouy, which sometimes depicted pastoral scenes, adding color as upholstery.
The style arrived in the United States after World War I, with soldiers returning home wanting furniture like what they had seen in the rural homes and castles of France. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, designer John Widdicomb split from his family business, the Widdicomb Furniture Company, and had been focusing on Louis XV– and French Provincial–style furnishings since the early 1900s. Other American manufacturers such as Baker, Drexel, Henredon and Thomasville also responded to demand. Today antique French Provincial pieces and reproductions continue to be popular.
Find a collection of antique French Provincial dining tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021Yes, Drexel Furniture makes high-quality furniture in a variety of styles. The company's vintage pieces are highly sought after by collectors. You can find a wide range of Drexel Furniture on 1stDibs.