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 oak wood, 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, closed its doors. The company rebranded as Drexel in 2017.
The vintage Drexel furniture for sale on 1stDibs includes end tables designed by Edward Wormley, walnut side tables designed by Kipp Stewart and lots more.
Custom California Studio Onyx Pedestal Tables Modernist Sierra Neveda Retreat
Located in Camden, ME
Each table features a dramatic freeform top of banded onyx, displaying swirling hues of amber, honey, rust, and cream. Natural concentric rings, crystalline inclusions, and rugged ed...
Onyx
1980s Charles Cobb Studio California Cherub Chest Figured Acacia and Lacquer
By Charles B. Cobb
Located in Camden, ME
A Charles Cobb chest hand made at his Californian studio in the early 1980s This extraordinary studio-crafted “Cherub Chest” by Charles Cobb, created in the 1980s, exemplifies the poetic fusion of art and function that defined the American Studio Craft movement. Cobb, who established his studio in Northern California in the mid-1970s, gained recognition for one-of-a-kind sculptural furniture pieces that conveyed personal symbolism through expressive carving and masterful materiality. Hand-carved in figured Acacia wood, the chest features lyrical, chiseled details across its surfaces—abstract cherubic forms that subtly emerge from the grain, inviting touch and contemplation. The drawer fronts are edged in cerulean blue, providing a vivid contrast to the organic warmth of the wood. Inside, drawer boxes in curly maple and walnut speak to Cobb’s devotion to craftsmanship, even in hidden elements. Two sculptural rosewood pulls anchor cabinet doors on a medium white-painted body, balancing the composition with quiet elegance. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Cobb was commissioned for significant private and public projects, with work collected by discerning clients across California, New York, and Japan. His pieces are held in both residential and institutional collections, appreciated for their narrative depth and finely wrought form. The Cherub Chest is a rare,example of Cobb’s vision—where furniture becomes symbolic, sculptural, and enduring. A museum-worthy piece for collectors of American studio furniture, sculptural design, and 20th-century West Coast craftsmanship. The profile of this beautifully hand crafted piece reminds me of a bouquet of flowers gracefully drooping over the edge of a large container. The chest is from his series of one off cabinets titled Cherub Chests...
Ebony, Maple
Elegant Maple and Burl Wood Credenza
Located in Camden, ME
Credenza or buffet from the 1960s. Maple cabinet with bookmatched burl-wood faced doors across the base and two faux-ivory embossed accordion doors enclose 2/3 of the upper case. The...
Brass
Paul Frankl Corner Table, Rosewood Stained Maple, Art Deco, USA, 1950
By Paul Frankl, Johnson Furniture Company
Located in Camden, ME
Paul Frankl corner table for Johnson Furniture Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan from the 1950s. The frame is a rosewood stained maple with clear lacquered cork tops. Restored in ver...
Brass
Pair of Italian Solid Brass Side Tables with Omyx Tops, 1970s Modern Classic
By Italian school XX ct.
Located in Camden, ME
This refined pair of Italian side tables exemplifies the sophisticated material language and architectural restraint associated with high-quality Italian production of the late 1960s...
Onyx, Brass
1960s Heritage Oval Side Tables with Pecky Cypress & Gilt Iron Bases
By Heritage Furniture
Located in Camden, ME
This rare pair of 1960s oval side tables—stenciled HERITAGE and dated 9-69—showcases the warm, organic beauty of pecky cypress paired with sculptural wrought-iron craftsmanship. The ...
Metal, Iron
Mid-Century Burl Wood Pedestals by Drexel Heritage - Set of 2
By Drexel
Located in Miami, FL
A beautiful pair of vintage burl wood pedestals by Drexel Heritage, featuring elegant gold detailing around the base. The light burl wood brings warmth and character, while the swirl...
Wood, Burl
Vintage Boho Drexel Heritage Bookmatched Burl Wood Pedestals - A Pair
By Drexel
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Showcase your finest art or plants with this exceptional pair of vintage pedestals by the celebrated American maker, Drexel Heritage. Each pedestal is a masterclass in minimalist des...
Burl
Pair Of Connoisseur By Heritage Burl Maple and Brass Pedestals / Columns
By Heritage Furniture
Located in Germantown, MD
Pair Of mid 20th Century Connoisseur By Heritage banded and Burl Pedestals / Columns. Measures 16" in width, 16" in depth and 29" in height.
Brass
Milo Baughman Style Mid-Century Modern Pedestals by Drexel Heritage, Refinished
By Milo Baughman, Drexel
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous pair of Mid-Century Modern pedestals or plant stands In the manner of Milo Baughman By Drexel Heritage USA, Circa 1970s Beautiful book-matched burled olive wood, with ...
Brass
Fantastic Pair Burl Wood Heritage Rolling End Tables Flip Top Mid-Century Modern
By Heritage Furniture
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Unusual pair of burl wood rolling end tables by Heritage with flip up ends. Wow, these small rolling tables do it all with tons of storage and both ends flip up to increase the tabl...
Brass
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Burl Veneer Night Cabinets, 1970s
By Henredon, Paul Evans, Milo Baughman, Karl Springer, Lane Furniture
Located in Palm Desert, CA
Pair of 1970s Mid-Century Modern nightstands showcasing beautifully figured burl veneer and clean-lined architectural form. The streamlined silhouette, balanced proportions, and warm...
Wood, Burl
