Immediately hailed as an important contribution to American design, several pieces were selected by the U.S. For example, California modernists Kip Stewart and Stewart McDougall worked with Drexel Heritage to create Declaration, which was a modern collection made of natural walnut. We pioneered the concept of partnering with outside designers to conceptualize new collections. Several other factors in the 1950s were significant contributions to who we are today. The General’s letter of thanks remains in our archives today.

A group of employees dedicated their personal time to crafting a custom desk for General Douglas MacArthur. While these numbers are impressive, our proudest contribution was perhaps that of a single desk. Wartime commitments resulted in the production of 50,000 government desks and 4,000 bedroom suites that we made for government housing at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Within a few years and into the 1950s, much of that editorial coverage actually featured Drexel Heritage, as we increasingly became known as a leading manufacturer of traditional, transitional and modern furniture.ĭuring this era, we also established our foothold as a quintessential American brand. Understanding our customers’ fine appreciation for aesthetics and their hunger for design inspiration, we began our home and garden magazine advertising in the 1940s in publications that provided style-savvy editorial coverage with a flair for fashion.

Called Touraine, this Louis XV-inspired bedroom and dining room group was widely popular for several decades, is considered to be one of the industry’s first well-known success stories and continues to be highly sought-after by collectors.

This early designer team created a top-selling collection that was influenced by the demand for reproductions of famous English cabinetmakers and inspired by French designs. Because of this, our company has enjoyed an irrefutable reputation for superior design, underscored today by the fact that Drexel Heritage is sold only in the finest furniture stores and design studios in the country.Īs early as the 1930s, Drexel Heritage employed dedicated staff designers as one of the first furniture companies to commit fulltime resources to style and design. From that very first suite produced, Drexel Heritage has always taken a stylish eye toward helping our customers complete their homes with classic furniture that has a timeless beauty. Our rich history of crafting quality furniture to our customers’ exacting standards began in 1903 when our first product was a bed, bureau and washstand suite made from native oak and sold for $14.50, wholesale.

Drexel heritage furniture inc.