Drexel Furniture
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 range of vintage Drexel furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes end tables designed by Edward Wormley, walnut side tables designed by Kipp Stewart and lots more.
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Drexel Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Brutalist Drexel Furniture
Wood
1960s North American Chinoiserie Vintage Drexel Furniture
Lacquer
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Drexel Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Aluminum
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Glass, Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Walnut
1970s Chinoiserie Vintage Drexel Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Drexel Furniture
Walnut, Milk Glass
Late 20th Century Campaign Drexel Furniture
Walnut
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Drexel Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Drexel Furniture
Chrome
Late 20th Century American Georgian Drexel Furniture
Brass
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Drexel Furniture
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Glass, Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Upholstery, Cane
Late 20th Century American Georgian Drexel Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
1950s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Drexel Furniture
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Upholstery, Rosewood, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Campaign Drexel Furniture
Wood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Elm
1970s North American Campaign Vintage Drexel Furniture
Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Upholstery, Rosewood, Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Upholstery, Rosewood, Walnut
1980s American British Colonial Vintage Drexel Furniture
Yew
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Chinese Regency Drexel Furniture
Composition
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Drexel Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Chippendale Drexel Furniture
Mahogany
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Drexel Furniture
Wood
1970s Unknown Post-Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Cotton, Silk, Velvet
20th Century Campaign Drexel Furniture
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Walnut
1970s American Chinoiserie Vintage Drexel Furniture
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Wood
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Upholstery
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Walnut
1960s American Louis XV Vintage Drexel Furniture
Bronze
1990s American Chinoiserie Drexel Furniture
Walnut
1960s American Chinoiserie Vintage Drexel Furniture
Giltwood, Lacquer
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Drexel Furniture
Bronze
1970s American Chinoiserie Vintage Drexel Furniture
Mirror, Faux Bamboo
1960s North American Hepplewhite Vintage Drexel Furniture
Mahogany
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Drexel Furniture
Fabric
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Drexel Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Campaign Drexel Furniture
Brass
1980s American Anglo-Japanese Vintage Drexel Furniture
Brass
1980s American Anglo-Japanese Vintage Drexel Furniture
Lacquer
Drexel furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to Drexel
- 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.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Yes, Drexel Heritage and Drexel Furniture are the same thing. The company began as Drexel Heritage, but changed their name in 2017 to reflect their shift toward producing contemporary as well as traditional furniture. You'll find a range of Drexel furniture on 1stDibs.
- What is Drexel Touraine?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 31, 2023Drexel Touraine is a line of furniture produced by Drexel Furniture. The pieces reflect the stylistic elements of the French Provincial style, and the company manufactured them from the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s. In the postwar era, North Carolina’s Drexel Furniture also 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. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of Drexel furniture.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Drexel Heritage no longer makes furniture and the company has gone out of business. The last company to own Drexel was Heritage Home Group who filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018. It has since gone out of business and sold its headquarters and showroom. Shop a collection of authentic Drexel furniture from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Whether or not Drexel Heritage furniture is considered quality is largely a matter of personal opinion. However, the company does produce pieces from carefully selected materials. Many made decades ago still remain in good condition today. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Drexel Heritage furniture.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Drexel Furniture was known for the use of oak wood, native to the area in North Carolina where the company was based. Their attention to quality and detail highlighted the beauty of the wood they used. Browse a variety of Drexel Furniture pieces from top sellers on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022Yes, Drexel Heritage is indeed high-end furniture. High-end furniture is made using the highest quality materials with the best in craftsmanship and Drexel Heritage furniture is no exception. Shop a collection of Drexel Heritage furniture from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.