Vintage Drexel Selectra Walnut Credenza
View Similar Items
Vintage Drexel Selectra Walnut Credenza
About the Item
- Creator:Drexel (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 66 in (167.64 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960's
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU89851983002
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.
- Studio Walnut BenchLocated in Palm Springs, CACustom walnut bench measuring 55" wide, 18.5" deep and 16" high. Great walnut grain.Category
Vintage 1980s Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsWalnut
$1,800 - Pair of Lathe Cut Walnut LampsLocated in Palm Springs, CAPair of mid century lathe cut walnut lamps. Each lamp measures 21" high and 7.5" diameter. We had them professionally rewired with high quality brass sockets. Brass rods have been po...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsBrass
$1,700 / set - Vintage Modern ChandelierLocated in Palm Springs, CAA circa 1960s modern chandelier with four square canisters radiating from a central square hub. Smoked grey plexiglass windows soften the light behind....Category
Vintage 1960s American Chandeliers and Pendants
$695 Sale Price30% Off - Parallel Bar Walnut Coffee Table by Florence Knoll for KnollBy Florence Knoll, KnollLocated in Palm Springs, CAFlorence Knoll designed this circular coffee table for Knoll, part of the Parallel Bar Series, produced from 1955-1968, model 404. It has a walnut top supported by four stainless ste...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Vintage Wood Marquetry LampLocated in Palm Springs, CADramatic modern form lamp with a combination of marquetry with parquetry. Measurements are 11" diameter base, 30" high to the top of the finial. Height to the bottom of the socket is...Category
Vintage 1930s American Folk Art Table Lamps
MaterialsWood
- Vintage Pair of Italian Ceramic LampsLocated in Palm Springs, CAA matched pair of glazed ceramic table lamps with rows of raised dots running top to bottom. Lamps marked MADE IN ITALY on the bottom. Lamps have been prof...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
MaterialsCeramic
$1,895 / set
- Drexel Declaration Credenza in Walnut by Kipp StewartBy Drexel, Kipp StewartLocated in Berkeley, CAOrigin: USA Designer: Kipp Stewart Manufacturer: Drexel Era: 1960s Materials: Walnut Measurements: 72.5″ wide x 20″ deep x 31″ tall Condition: In good original condition with typic...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsCane, Oak
- Kipp Stewart for Drexel Declaration Mid Century Walnut CredenzaBy Drexel, Kipp StewartLocated in Countryside, ILKipp Stewart for Drexel Declaration Mid Century Walnut Credenza This credenza measures: 72.25 wide x 20 deep x 31.25 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had in what we call ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsWalnut
- Barney Flagg for Drexel Mid Century Walnut Tambour Door CredenzaBy Barney Flagg, DrexelLocated in Countryside, ILBarney Flagg for Drexel Mid Century Walnut Tambour Door Credenza This credenza measures: 53.75 wide x 17 deep x 36.5 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had in what we call ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsWalnut
- Late 20th Century Vintage Drexel Three Section CredenzaBy DrexelLocated in west palm beach, FLNostalgic campaign style vintage Drexel credenza. Midcentury hardware sets this great storage piece apart. Sleek design that incorporates twelv...Category
Late 20th Century American Campaign Credenzas
MaterialsMetal
- Drexel Heritage French Provincial Louis XV Carved Walnut Dresser or CredenzaBy DrexelLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous French Provincial Louis XV style long dresser or credenza. By Drexel Heritage, "Brittany Collection". USA, 1970s Measures:...Category
Vintage 1970s American French Provincial Dressers
MaterialsBrass
- Kipp Stewart for Drexel Declaration Walnut Dresser or Credenza, Newly RefinishedBy Drexel, Kipp StewartLocated in South Bend, INAn exceptional Mid-Century Modern long dresser or credenza By Kipp Stewart for Drexel "Declaration" Line USA, Mid-20th Century Walnut, with original brass hardware. Measu...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBrass