Drexel Heritage French Provincial Louis XV Carved Walnut Secrétaire À Abattant
View Similar Items
Drexel Heritage French Provincial Louis XV Carved Walnut Secrétaire À Abattant
About the Item
- Creator:Drexel (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 57 in (144.78 cm)Width: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Depth: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Style:French Provincial (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Excellent original vintage condition. Minimal wear from age and use.
- Seller Location:South Bend, IN
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2745319509662
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 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
- Heritage French Provincial Louis XV Carved Walnut Commode or NightstandBy Heritage FurnitureLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous French Provincial Louis XV style bedside chest, commode, or side table By Heritage USA, Circa 1960s Carved walnut and oak, with original brass hardware. Measur...Category
Vintage 1960s American French Provincial Night Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Henredon French Provincial Louis XV Carved Walnut Bombay ChestBy HenredonLocated in South Bend, INA beautiful French Provincial Louis XV style bombay form chest of drawers or commode By Henredon USA, 1980s Carved walnut, with original brass hardware. Measures: 36.5"W ...Category
Vintage 1980s American French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Drexel French Provincial Louis XV Carved Walnut Sideboard or Bar CabinetBy DrexelLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous French Provincial Louis XV style sideboard, credenza, or bar cabinet By Drexel USA, Circa 1960s Carved walnut, with original brass hardware. Measures: 78"W x 19"D x 30...Category
Vintage 1960s American French Provincial Sideboards
MaterialsBrass
- Auffray & Co. French Provincial Louis XV Carved Walnut Chest of DrawersBy Auffray FurnitureLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous French Provincial Louis XV style commode or chest of drawers By Auffray & Co. USA, circa 1950s Carved walnut, with original brass hardware. Measures: 30.88" W ...Category
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Baker Furniture French Provincial Louis XV Carved Walnut Chest of DrawersBy Baker Furniture CompanyLocated in South Bend, INA gorgeous French Provincial Louis XV style bombay form dresser, commode, or chest of drawers By Baker Furniture USA, Circa 1960s Carved walnut, with original brass hardware...Category
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- French 19th Century Walnut Secrétaire à AbattantLocated in Baton Rouge, LAThis wonderful walnut secre´taire a` abattant was constructed in the style of Louis XVI during the 19th century. Topped with a great piece of black and white marble. A single, slim d...Category
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsStone, Marble, Metal, Brass
- French Provincial Louis XV Walnut CommodeLocated in New York, NYFrench Provincial Louis XV (18th Century) walnut commode with 2 doors having burl walnut panels separated by a carved center panel under 3 drawers.Category
Antique 18th Century French French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Dra...
MaterialsWalnut
- 19th Century French Provincial Louis XV Carved Walnut Bombe Double CommodeLocated in Miami, FLA finely carved late 20th century walnut commode in the French provincial Louis XV style particular to Nimes. The commode of bombe form with carved canted corners flanking four long ...Category
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
$4,556 Sale Price20% Off - Louis XV Provincial Walnut Bombe CommodeLocated in Essex, MAWith serpentine top over three drawers with original handles and a carved floral pierced apron raised on carved scrolled feet. Provenance; Fogg Estate, Chestnut Hill...Category
Antique Mid-18th Century French French Provincial Commodes and Chests of...
- French 19th Century Empire Secrétaire à AbattantLocated in Baton Rouge, LAA statley 19th century mahogany secre´taire a` abattant from France, circa 1810. This desk has an exceptional charcoal marble top resting above a single drawer disguised into the apron. Just below the top drawer, the front of the desk folds forward to reveal a work area inset with vibrant red leather detailed with gold tooling. The leather is in great antique condition making this a comfortable place to work. When open, you can see the theatre is equipped with five drawers and a large, arched top cubby flanked with column forms. With the desk down the maximum depth is 32”; the writing surface is 28-½” heigh. The desk front...Category
Antique 19th Century French Empire Buffets
MaterialsMarble, Brass
- Antique French Provincial Louis XV Carved Serpentine CommodeLocated in Forney, TXA fine French Provincial Louis XV style chest of drawers commode, early 20th century, having a serpentine shaped wooden top with molded edge, over conforming high quality solid wood case fitted with three drawers, each with dovetail joinery, ornate scrolling brass pulls, and floral carvings, flanked rounded corners and paneled sides, scalloped apron with foliate shell reliefs, rising on acanthus leaf carved knee low cabriole legs ending in whorl feet. As warm and attractive as it is useful, having the ideal size and proportions for a variety of different uses, including bedroom dresser, dining sideboard server, credenza, or oversized console...Category
Early 20th Century Louis XV Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass