Drexel Passage
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Brass
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Velvet, Cane, Wood
Late 20th Century American Campaign Side Tables
Wood
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century Post-Modern Dining Room Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Oak
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Wood
Vintage 1980s Campaign Night Stands
Oak
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
Brass
Vintage 1980s Campaign Dressers
Oak
Late 20th Century American Campaign Desks
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Campaign Dry Bars
Late 20th Century American Campaign Cabinets
Brass
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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Color Photography
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Metal, Brass
1990s European Wall Lights and Sconces
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Scandinavian Modern Cabinets
Burl
21st Century and Contemporary American Scandinavian Modern Wall Lights a...
Brass, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount
Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary British Organic Modern Wall Lights and Sco...
Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
Vintage 1930s Scottish Art Deco Fireplaces and Mantels
Limestone
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
Chrome
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Chairs
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Table Lamps
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
2010s American Modern Dining Room Chairs
Brass
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.