Heritage Henredon Dresser

Vintage Heritage-Henredon dressers and other furnishings are widely loved by design enthusiasts all over the world.

During the mid-century years, North Carolina furniture manufacturers Henredon and Heritage had a cross-licensing agreement. Works by legendary designers Dorothy Draper and Frank Lloyd Wright for these brands during the era are usually labeled Heritage-Henredon.

Heritage was founded in 1937 in High Point by Elliott Wood — with the support of his father, George, who owned a wholesale rug business — while Henredon was established in 1945, in Morganton, by a group of Drexel Furniture Company executives interested in making unique custom furniture for new homeowners of the postwar era. 

Henry Wilson, Ralph Edwards and Don VanNoppen — the first few letters of their names combined to create the name Henredon — launched the brand with a total of three chest trunks for sale (Sterling Collett, a fourth figure mentioned in Henredon’s history, chaired the company and served as treasurer). Heritage’s Wood was an original investor in Henredon when the company was getting off the ground.

North Carolina became a hub for furniture design — there was Thomasville and Tomlinson in Thomasville and High Point, respectively, while iconic mid-century modern brands Century, Broyhill and Drexel also opened their doors in the so-called “Tar Heel State.” 

During a heyday of production in the mid-1950s, Heritage entered into a partnership with iconic designer Dorothy Draper, while Frank Lloyd Wright created several lines of furniture for Henredon — the works by both designers were marketed under the Heritage-Henredon name. Wright, a legendary architect who gave us some of the most elegant buildings in America, designed his popular Taliesin Series — named after his houses in Wisconsin and Arizona — while Draper, famed for bravura interior design commissions such as the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco and the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, is known to Heritage-Henredon enthusiasts for her España chests, side tables and other pieces. 

On 1stdibs, find vintage Heritage-Henredon dressers, cabinets, tables, seating and more.

Antique, new and vintage dressers are a staple in any household. Whether it’s a 19th-century solid pine or oak Welsh kitchen dresser you’re using to store tableware or a Broyhill Brasilia highboy in your bedroom, these furniture fixtures are essential for making the most of your space.

The first step in finding the perfect dresser is considering your particular needs. Most tall dressers offer anywhere from five to seven drawers, essentially allowing for the organization of an entire wardrobe, while shorter, waist-height dresser varieties can be equipped with a convenient vanity mirror.

A highboy dresser is usually around six feet tall, with some versions standing even taller at seven feet or so. Highboys, which began to appear with frequency during the early 17th century in England, are essentially very tall dressers with lots of drawers, whereas a lowboy is a different type of storage furniture in that it's a dressing table with one or two rows of drawers. 

When shopping for your antique or vintage dresser, consider those that bear the hallmarks of solid construction. Good furniture means making an investment, and solid hardwood pieces of maple, walnut or cherry will prove far more durable than a bedroom dresser made of particleboard.

If you’re looking for a mid-century modern case piece that boasts a subdued pairing of wood grains and uncomplicated drawer pulls, browse elegant dressers designed by Florence Knoll, Harvey Probber, Paul McCobb and other furniture makers associated with the celebrated style on 1stDibs. 

Dressers characterized by bolder designs are also popular: Not only will your new piece of furniture be a storage solution, but it'll also make a statement.

Art Deco furniture makers preferred to work with dark woods and typically incorporated decorative embellishments. An ornately carved French or Italian Art Deco dresser complete with vanity mirror and cabriole scrolled feet might better complement the other pieces in your home. Alternatively, if you favor sumptuous antique furniture with curving lines and floral flourishes, the collection on 1stDibs also includes sophisticated 1800s-era Victorian walnut dressers and washstands with marble tops.

After all, a good case piece isn’t merely for minimizing clutter in your space. The style of your chosen dresser and its specific attributes should add something to your decor and your home. Modern creations include one-of-a-kind shapes, like the venturesome chests of drawers in leather, marble and wood crafted by the likes of Roberto Cavalli.

Explore a broad array of antique and vintage dressers today on 1stDibs.