Mid-Century Modern Broyhill Forward Sideboard / Dresser

The Broyhill Furniture Company is one of the stalwart North Carolina makers of mid-priced, traditional wooden furnishings, and it has been serving American families well since the 1920s. The Colonial Revival style — chairs with turned legs; beds with split pediment headboards — has always been the company’s stock in trade. But among fans of mid-century modern design — particularly those who enjoy more flamboyant stylings, such as those of Adrian Pearsall — Broyhill is most admired for its brief foray into the contemporary furnishings of the late 1950s and ‘60s.

     In 1957, responding to changing tastes, the firm launched its Broyhill Premium line with the Sculptra series. Sculptra pieces featured decorative molding with a square-within-a-square motif and horizontal cat’s eye-shaped drawer pulls. Five years later, Broyhill introduced the Brasilia furniture group, inspired by the Oscar Niemeyer architecture for the brand-new Brazilian capital.

     The cabinet door fronts of Brasilia pieces feature moldings based on the sweeping colonnades and parabolic curves of such buildings as the Palácio da Alvorada ( “Palace of the Dawn”), the presidential residence. As you will see on these pages, Broyhill created a striking and spirited line of furnishings that will make a happy keynote in an Atomic Age decor.