Pennsylvania House Bar Cabinets

Once a household name, Pennsylvania House was an American furniture producer known for its fine solid wood pieces. In operation for more than a century, the company made living, dining and bedroom furniture like chairs, end tables and chests of drawers, most of which were crafted from solid cherry. 

The company was founded in 1887 in a small factory in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. From the outset, Pennsylvania House sourced most of its raw materials from old-growth cherry tree forests within 100 miles of the factory. For almost the entirety of the company's history, particularly during its heyday from the 1930s to the 1970s, colonial-style cherry furniture endured as its most popular offering. 

Over time, Pennsylvania House expanded into reproduction Victorian furniture and even offered a line of modern pieces to appeal to shifting tastes. In the 1960s and throughout the ’70s and ‘80s, furniture made of maple, oak, walnut and pine also grew in demand for its lower price points and lighter finishes. Cherry, however, remained a mainstay.

In the 1990s, the changing global marketplace posed a challenge to Pennsylvania House and many other American furniture companies. Solid wood furniture decreased in popularity as more affordable options were introduced from abroad.

 La-Z-Boy purchased the company in 2005 and its operations were moved overseas. In 2007, Pennsylvania House was sold again, and no new furniture was produced under the brand.

Today, vintage Pennsylvania House solid wood furniture is beloved by collectors for its exceptional beauty and quality.

On 1stDibs, find Pennsylvania House case pieces, tables, seating and more.

The name “dry bar” can be a bit of a misnomer. After all, the last thing you would want a bar to do is run dry. In this case, the “dry” descriptor in your antique or vintage dry bar doesn’t refer to a lack of drinks. Instead, it serves to differentiate dry-bar furniture from wet-bar installations. The latter is typically a permanent fixture in a home, requiring plumbing to support a built-in sink.

In short, a dry bar is a piece of furniture or tabletop area that you’ve built into your space for mixing cocktails and storing everything needed —bottles, barware and other accessories — for the intoxicating in-home bar you’ve designed.

Some dry bars were built with minimalism in mind. Those crafted by designers associated with mid-century modernism or Scandinvanian modern, for example, likely looked to these as practical furnishings to serve as a cabinet or case piece. But there have been decorative and even outwardly sculptural interpretations by Art Deco furniture makers and those working in the Hollywood Regency style over the years.

No matter what kind of antique, new or vintage dry bar fits your space, these versatile furnishings can definitely elevate your home bar area as well as your hosting. We’ll toast to that!

Find your dry bar as well as all the barware you need on 1stDibs.