Buying Vintage Henredon Furniture

Henredon has long been considered one of the best five furniture producers in the world. As such, it is also one of the most expensive, unless you are buying at consignment stores in Cincinnati like Legacies Upscale Resale in Cincinnati.

The name Henredon, which comes from the first names or initials of the company founders, is most known for dressers, cabinets and armoires. Though not cutting-edge in terms of style, the company has always stayed in step with each era’s tastes.

Collectors admire Henredon both for its sleek, sensual 1970s furnishings and for its partnerships with famous designers.

Designer Partnerships

• In 1953, Henredon began to work with America’s first professional interior designer, Dorothy Draper. She was known for creating bravura interior designssuch as San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel and West Virginia’s Greenbrier resort. Her made-modern nods to history were reflected in notched medallions that hearkened back to the ornate baroque era.
• Two years later, the company launched the Taliesin Ensemble by Frank Lloyd Wright, named after the famous Chicago architect’s houses in Wisconsin and Arizona. The pieces are recognizable by their angular shapes and a dentil edge motif.
• Later, Henredon partnered with Ralph Lauren and Laura Ashley. The company turned stylish in the 1970s, making odd forms like mirrored room dividers and tables of burl-wood veneers with round corners.

The Henredon Story

In 1945, four men in Morgantown, NC, set out to make a living building a quality line of custom furniture. At first, they only sold three kinds of dressers. Later, they added a full line of hand-designed upholstered wooden furniture.

While they were successful for many decades, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2013. At that time, most of the Henredon operations were moved to a Drexel Heritage plant.

The company’s assets have been sold many times since then. The Authentic company bought the Henredon name in 2020. It is unclear at present whether Henredon furniture is still being made. Their website says “Coming Soon.”

If you own a piece of furniture made by Henredon, you might want to wait to sell it. If Henredon does not come back into production, your item might become even more valuable later.

Identifying Highly-Valuable Henredon Pieces

Vintage Henredon is highly valued by collectors. A Henredon Folio dining room set in decent condition can sell for over $2,000. An Aston Court Henredon dresser can command over $1,000.

How can you tell if your furniture is Henredon? Furniture makers leave their mark on every piece. On a chest of drawers, the mark might be in a top-drawer edge, or at the back of each drawer. It might be a steel or paper tag, or a stamp.

Often, the marks have worn away. So here are some other tips for spotting a Henredon:

If the mark or tag is missing

Look for part of the name Henredon, an HH, a serial number, model number or stamped symbol with initials. If you find something, describe it in an online search to learn more.

Look at the wood

If the piece is made of timber or reclaimed driftwood, it was probably crafted in North Carolina, the hub of U.S. furniture-making for decades.

Details on a piece will sometimes point to the era of origin. Study the assembly: the uniformity of the screwing or gluing will tell you if the item was hand- or machine-made.

Go to the catalogs

Used bookstores and public libraries often have old Henredon catalogs, and you can also search for photos online.

Henredon at Legacies

We do our best to identify the maker of every piece of furniture that goes on our showroom floor. When we have a verified Henredon, it sells quickly.