Vintage Drexel Parallel Walnut & Glass Occasional Table attr. to Ed Wormley
View Similar Items
Vintage Drexel Parallel Walnut & Glass Occasional Table attr. to Ed Wormley
About the Item
- Creator:Drexel (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)Depth: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Very good vintage condition. Missing one small brass screw cover at the lower drawer pull as pictured.
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9341755603
Drexel
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.
- Drexel Heritage French Provincial Fruitwood Bombe Low Commode NightstandBy DrexelLocated in Philadelphia, PADrexel Heritage French Provincial fruitwood bombe low commode nightstand. Item features a banded top, solid wood construction, beauti...Category
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Night Stands
MaterialsFruitwood
- Barney Flagg for Drexel Parallel Walnut Sculpted Lounge Chair and OttomanBy Barney FlaggLocated in Philadelphia, PABarney Flagg for Drexel Parallel walnut sculpted Lounge chair and ottoman. Item features a lounge chair with matching ottoman, solid ...Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Vintage Mid-Century Modern Tobago Sculpted Walnut Nightstands, a PairLocated in Philadelphia, PAVintage Mid-Century Modern Tobago sculpted walnut nightstands - a pair. Item features beautiful wood grain, nicely craved details, 2 swing doors, 1 wooden shelf, very nice vintage pa...Category
Mid-20th Century Canadian Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- Mid-Century Modern Walnut Double Pedestal Nightstand Bedside TableLocated in Philadelphia, PAMid-Century Modern walnut double pedestal nightstand bedside table. Item features sculpted metal pulls, double pedestal base, gallery top, 2 dra...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- Antique Carved Walnut Renaissance Revival Depression Nightstand Bedside TableLocated in Philadelphia, PAAntique Carved Walnut Renaissance Revival Depression Nightstand Bedside Table. Item features one dovetailed drawers, one swing door, nicely c...Category
Early 20th Century Renaissance Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- Joerns Bros Mid Century Art Deco Walnut Step Up Nightstand Side TableLocated in Philadelphia, PAJoerns Bros Mid Century Art Deco Walnut Step Up Nightstand Side Table. Item features beautiful wood grain, original label, 1 dovetailed drawer, tapered legs, quality American craftsm...Category
Early 20th Century Art Deco Night Stands
MaterialsWalnut
- Barney Flagg for Drexel Parallel Walnut and Cane Full Size HeadboardBy Barney Flagg, DrexelLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous Mid-Century Modern full size headboard By Barney Flagg for Drexel Furniture, "Parallel Collection" USA, 1960s Sculpted wa...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsCane, Walnut
- Pair of Edward Wormley for Drexel Precedent End TablesBy Drexel, Edward WormleyLocated in Buffalo, NYRefined simplicity designed by Edward Wormley for Drexel. The end tables are part of the Precedent collection that he produced in the 1950s. Professionally restored, stunning off whi...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Drexel Heritage Hispana Brutalist Walnut Nightstand Chest Side TableBy DrexelLocated in Dayton, OH"Vintage Hispana Drexel Heritage low chest, nightstand or side table, circa 1960s. Made of walnut featuring two drawers with paneled fronts, brass knocker pulls, and turned bun feet. Item number 493-312-6. Drexel Furniture Company was established 1903 in Drexel, North Carolina. Although Samuel Huffman managed the enterprise, he and five other men founded the business with an investment of $14,000. By 1935, Sam Huffman died, and his son Robert O. Huffman became president. The younger Huffman made several changes in operations, including manufacturing medium-priced furniture instead of low-priced and spending more on advertising. By 1950, Drexel had grown from a small factory of fifty workers who made dressers and washstands to being a leading manufacturer in traditional and modern furniture. In the process, the company had partnered with other manufacturers to create new product lines. In 1951, for instance, Drexel acquired Table Rock Furniture and Heritage Furniture Company, and in 1956, Morganton Furniture Company. By 1957, Drexel employed 2,300 workers, and its furniture was sold nationwide in approximately 2,500 stores. By the late 1960s, the company manufactured laboratory, dormitory and hospital...Category
Vintage 1960s Brutalist End Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- 1960s Black Stained Walnut Four-Drawers Nightstand by Edward Wormley for DrexelBy DrexelLocated in Pasadena, CAThis mid-century nightstand of black stained walnut features steel drawer pulls and drawers in graduating sizes. The largest drawer, at the bottom, measures 7.50 inches high and the ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsSteel
$950 Sale Price20% Off - Edward Wormley Pair of Nightstands Precedent Line Drexel, 1950s / 1960sBy Drexel, Edward WormleyLocated in Camden, MEEdward Wormley pair of nightstands for the Precedent collection by Drexel, circa 1947 The pair of silver elm nightstands have been refinished in a blac...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Mid-Century Walnut Drexel Declaration Twin HeadboardBy DrexelLocated in Bay City, MIThis is a nice vintage twin Drexel headboard. Made out of rich walnut veneer giving it a luxurious clean look. It is in great vintage condition. One o...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsHardwood
