Vintage Drexel Desk by John Van Koert
View Similar Items
Vintage Drexel Desk by John Van Koert
About the Item
- Creator:John Van Koert (Designer),Drexel (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35.25 in (89.54 cm)Width: 54 in (137.16 cm)Depth: 33.5 in (85.09 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Newly refinished, Minor wear on leather.
- Seller Location:North Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU127028213533
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.
- Vintage "Biscayne" Floating Top Walnut Desk by DrexelBy Milo Baughman, DrexelLocated in North Hollywood, CAWonderful vintage “Biscayne” floating top walnut desk by Drexel and manufactured in the United States, circa 1960s. This desk has been built from the highest quality walnut wood and ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsBrass
- Vintage Embossed Leather Desk by Karl SpringerBy Karl SpringerLocated in North Hollywood, CAAn elegant vintage leather desk designed by iconic designer Karl Springer in the United States, circa 1970s. Standing out for its minimalist design, this desk has 2 large drawers that are great for storing documents and office supplies...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Vintage Walnut Executive Desk by Florence KnollBy Knoll, Florence KnollLocated in North Hollywood, CAAmazing vintage executive desk designed by architect and furniture designer Florence Knoll in the United States, circa 1960s. This iconic design...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsSteel, Chrome
- Vintage Art Deco "Fletcher Aviation" Executive Desk by Frank FletcherBy Frank Fletcher, Fletcher AviationLocated in North Hollywood, CABeautiful vintage Art Deco “Fletcher Aviation” designed by Frank Fletcher for Fletcher Aviation in the United States, circa 1940s. Due to its design and...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsMetal
- Midcentury German Rosewood "Omega" Desk by Hans EichenbergBy Hans Eichenberger, Haussmann & HaussmannLocated in North Hollywood, CAWonderful midcentury rosewood “Omega” desk designed by Hans Eichenberger for Haussmann and Haussmann in Germany, circa 1950s. This desk has a Minimalist but highly functional design....Category
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsChrome
- Mid-Century Modern Walnut "Mainline" Desk by HookerBy Hooker FurnitureLocated in North Hollywood, CAFabulous Mid-Century Modern walnut “Mainline” desk by Hooker Furniture in the United States, circa 1960s. This desk has been built from the highest quality walnut wood. It has a desi...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsAluminum
- Modernist Desk by John Van Koert for DrexelBy John Van Koert, DrexelLocated in Sagaponack, NYA boldly angled modernist single pedestal desk having a distinctive raised gallery with sliding doors and a warm dark grey leather surface.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass
- American Mid-Century Desk Deisgned by John Van Koert Fro Drexel, circa 1960By John Van KoertLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn American mid-century walnut desk with side extension designed by John Van Koert fro Drexel, circa 1960.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsWood
- Vintage Drexel "Meridian" Cabinet by John Van KoertBy John Van Koert, DrexelLocated in Brooklyn, NYBring home out-of-this-world vintage design with the "Meridian" series from Carolina's Drexel Furniture! Designed by American modern pioneer John Van Koert, it features carved oak an...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- High Style George Washington Double End Desk by DrexelBy DrexelLocated in Van Nuys, CACustom made high style bird's-eye maple George Washington double end desk by Drexel. The desktop features a leather topped writing surface embossed with gold leaf. There are three pu...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass, Gold Leaf
- John Van Koert Designed 'Counterpoint' for DrexelBy John Van Koert, DrexelLocated in Brooklyn, NYGreat mid-century design by John Van Koert with luxurious mahogany, blended with wild-grained cherry wood. Inset hardware, rounded lines and tapered legs. Six drawers and center cabi...Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWood, Cherry
- Drexel Sandia Collection Jacobean Drop-Front DeskBy DrexelLocated in Chicago, ILDrexel drop front desk from the Sandia Collection, circa 1960s. Interesting writing desk marrying the form of a Govenor Winthrop drop front desk with early English Jacobean...Category
Vintage 1970s American Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsBrass