Pair of Drexel Heritage Old Continent Lighted Curio China Cabinet Display Case
View Similar Items
Pair of Drexel Heritage Old Continent Lighted Curio China Cabinet Display Case
About the Item
- Creator:Drexel (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 80 in (203.2 cm)Width: 34 in (86.36 cm)Depth: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:French Provincial (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Late 20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU934114486222
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.
- Antique English Georgian Style Mahogany Corner China Cabinet Display Case CurioLocated in Philadelphia, PAAntique English Georgian style mahogany corner China cabinet display case curio. Item features individual panes of glass, pencil inlay, s...Category
Late 20th Century English Georgian Cabinets
MaterialsGlass, Mahogany
- Bernhardt 354-356 Modern Cherry & Iron Door Lighted Curio China Display CabinetBy BernhardtLocated in Philadelphia, PABernhardt 354-356 Modern Cherry Wood & Iron Door Mediterranean Modern Lighted Curio China Display Cabinet. Item features Mirror back, ornate iron doors, touch light with 3 illuminati...Category
Late 20th Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsGlass, Mirror, Cherry
- Vintage Jasper Oriental Chinoiserie Red Display China Cabinet Curio CredenzaBy Jasper Furniture CompanyLocated in Philadelphia, PAVintage Chinoiserie / Oriental style three piece display cabinet by Jasper Cabinet Company. Item features high quality solid wood construction, ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Chinoiserie Cabinets
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- Asian Mother of Pearl Rosewood Cherry Lg China Cabinet Curio Display Wall UnitLocated in Philadelphia, PAAsian mother of pearl rosewood cherry large China cabinet curio display wall unit. Item features large impressive size, mother of pearl inlay throu...Category
Late 20th Century Asian Chinoiserie Cabinets
MaterialsGlass, Wood, Mother-of-Pearl
- Antique Mission Oak Arts & Crafts Bowed Front China Display Cabinet CurioLocated in Philadelphia, PAAntique Mission Oak Arts & Crafts bowed front China Display cabinet Curio. Item features front door with bowed plexiglass panel, side panels are gl...Category
20th Century Arts and Crafts Cabinets
MaterialsGlass, Plexiglass, Oak
- English Edwardian Satinwood Inlay Bowed Curved Glass China Display Cabinet CurioLocated in Philadelphia, PAAntique English Edwardian satinwood inlay bowed curved glass China display cabinet curio. Item features satinwood inlay, curved glass sides, individ...Category
20th Century English Edwardian Cabinets
MaterialsGlass, Mahogany
- Drexel Heritage "Passage" Campaign Style Lighted China CabinetBy DrexelLocated in West Chester, PAVintage campaign style china cabinet from the "Passage" series by Drexel Heritage. The lighted top has easy access with three glass doors and adjustable two glass shelves with mirror...Category
Late 20th Century American Campaign Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- DREXEL HERITAGE Chippendale Flame Mahogany China CabinetBy DrexelLocated in Charlotte, NCA Chippendale style china cabinet by Drexel Heritage. Mahogany with inlaid flame mahogany, brass hardware, crown moulding with pediment...Category
Late 20th Century American Chippendale Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Chinese Curio Glass Front Curio Display CaseLocated in Douglas Manor, NY1287 This exquisite piece features six shelves with varying levels and glass door for displaying small items such as jade carvings and snuff bottles. Wall hung with hooks on back. ...Category
Early 20th Century Cabinets
MaterialsHardwood
- DREXEL 18th Century Collection Banded Mahogany Curio / Display Cabinet - BBy DrexelLocated in Charlotte, NCA Chippendale style display cabinet by Drexel, from their 18th Century Collection. Banded mahogany with brass hardware. Upper cabinet with dual glass doors, lighted interior and two ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Chippendale Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- 1960s Heritage Furniture Lighted Curio CabinetBy Heritage FurnitureLocated in West Chester, PAVintage china cabinet by Heritage Furniture with unique full length doors and two interior light fixtures. Five adjustable glass shelves meas...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Drexel Heritage Limited Ed Heirloom Federal Style Breakfront China CabinetBy DrexelLocated in Toledo, OHAn unusual knotty cherry china display cabinet made by Drexel Heritage Furniture as part of their Heirloom Collection. The heirloom collection provided li...Category
Late 20th Century Cabinets
MaterialsCherry