Drexel Heritage Asian
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Night Stands
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Dressers
Wood
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Dining Room Tables
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Chinoiserie Console Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century American Ming Dining Room Tables
Mahogany, Paint
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Side Tables
Mahogany
Early 2000s American Chinoiserie Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Walnut, Burl
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Bookcases
Brass
20th Century American Chinoiserie Side Tables
Wood
20th Century Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century American Chinoiserie Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
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Late 20th Century Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century American Neoclassical Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Chinese Tang Animal Sculptures
Terracotta
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Console Tables
Mahogany
Vintage 1970s American Modern Night Stands
Steel, Brass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Buffets
Brass
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Chippendale Console Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century American Campaign Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Cabinets
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century Chinese Ming Console Tables
Lacquer
Vintage 1970s American Campaign Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1980s Post-Modern Console Tables
Wood, Birdseye Maple, Lacquer
Late 20th Century Wall Mirrors
Mirror, Giltwood
20th Century English Rustic Console Tables
Porcelain, Pine
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Brass
Vintage 1970s Danish Scandinavian Modern Console Tables
Teak
Recent Sales
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Wall Mirrors
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Chinoiserie Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
Vintage 1970s American Hollywood Regency Dressers
Wood
Late 20th Century American Chinoiserie Secretaires
Brass
Late 20th Century American Chinoiserie Cabinets
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Chinoiserie Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Hollywood Regency End Tables
Wood
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Chinoiserie Night Stands
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Beds and Bed Frames
Wood
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Beds and Bed Frames
Walnut
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Beds and Bed Frames
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Sideboards
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Hollywood Regency Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Dressers
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Chinoiserie Dining Room Tables
Mahogany, Paint
Vintage 1980s American Hollywood Regency Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Console Tables
Mahogany
Vintage 1980s American Campaign Night Stands
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie End Tables
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie End Tables
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Campaign End Tables
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Hollywood Regency Wall Mirrors
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
Brass
Late 20th Century American Ming Dining Room Tables
Faux Bamboo, Wood
Vintage 1980s American Campaign Dressers
Brass
Late 20th Century American Chinoiserie Dining Room Tables
Glass, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Chinoiserie Buffets
Brass
Vintage 1980s Chinoiserie Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Burl, Wood
Late 20th Century American Campaign Night Stands
Brass
Vintage 1980s Post-Modern Console Tables
Mahogany
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Wall Mirrors
Walnut, Mirror
Vintage 1970s American Chinoiserie Night Stands
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Cabinets
Wood
Vintage 1970s American Hollywood Regency Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Chinoiserie Dining Room Tables
Walnut, Lacquer
Vintage 1970s Chinoiserie Wall Mirrors
Mirror
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Ming Dining Room Tables
Mahogany, Paint
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
Brass
Vintage 1970s Chinoiserie End Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century American Ming Dining Room Tables
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Campaign End Tables
Brass
Vintage 1980s American Campaign End Tables
Brass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
20th Century American Armchairs
Wood, Upholstery
Drexel Heritage Asian For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Drexel Heritage Asian?
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.
- 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.