It’s pretty interesting seeing the different pieces, the fabrics and suggested layouts. For posterity (and because Pam over at Retro Renovation archives these too, which I will send her way) I went ahead and scanned the entire catalog. One of the things that I did keep was the original Perennian catalog from 1962. I very, very rarely see Perennian furniture out in the wild – but interestingly, Tricia over at Modchester (in her fancy Rochester mid-century house) inherited a beautiful group of Perennian furniture from the original owners of her place. Ultimately, we kept one of the end tables, and Grandma wanted the others for her new apartment after moving out. The living room also has several Perennian pieces as well – a three-part coffee table set and two end tables. In the end, my aunt took the dining room set to a new house she bought, so this problem went away on it’s own, fortunately.

Interestingly, the fact that this furniture wasn’t worth “a lot” became a point of contention – my grandmother and aunt insisted they were worth more than an appraiser said. Much nicer and higher quality than vintage Acclaim and Broyhill Brasilia, for instance. It’s also very nice, sturdy, high quality, mostly solid wood furniture, which is typical of Heritage. In spite of the subdued looks, it is very mid-century. Perennian furniture represented a bridge between very contemporary mid-century furniture designs from makers like Knoll (who produced Eames, Saarien, Noguchi and others) and the more traditional furniture that Heritage had been known for previously (and is known for today.) The furniture featured subdued but modern lines and made extensive use of woods such as walnut, pecan, and wormy chestnut. Perennian isn’t a very “hot” vintage mid-century item, precisely because it wasn’t very avant-garde for its time and therefore stand out as must-have mid-century for collectors today. Heritage today is known as Drexel Heritage (a combination made in the late 1950s, though for a time they were still marketed separately.)

In the living room and dining room spaces, they purchased higher end Heritage furniture, from a collection called Perennian. They shied away from “traditional” furniture and lines. They are now based in High Point, NC and operate ten factories in North Carolina and one in South Carolina and are one of the leading furniture manufacturers in the world.My grandparents were no slouches when it came to purchasing durable goods for the house – they saved up and purchased things that were nice, and generally contemporary for their time. They continued to add to their styles and lines and were sold again and then in 1986 became part of Masco Corporation one of the country’s largest furniture manufacturers. In 1968 they were purchased again, and Drexel Enterprises became Drexel Heritage Furnishings, Inc. The 1960s had them adding industrial and hospitality furniture to their lines. They acquired other furniture companies along the way and by the late 1950s employed 2300 workers. By 1950 under the younger Huffman’s leadership Drexel had grown from a small factory to a leader in furniture manufacturing. Sam Huffman, one of the initial founders, managed the enterprise until his death in 1935 when his son, Robert O. Drexel Furniture Company was founded in 1903 in Drexel, North Carolina by six business men for a total investment of $14,000.00.

1986 drexel furniture catalog