Vintage Lane Acclaim catalog — showcasing 48 pieces in this classic furniture design favorite

The vintage Lane Acclaim line of furniture seems to have been very popular in mid century America. We speculate that — much like the popular Drexel Declaration line — the design of Lane Acclaim appealed to Mrs. America because it was a good compromise between traditional and modern. It was a little bit Early American, a little bit mid mod.

Remember: The mass of Mrs. Americas were not nuts about mid century modern. But maybe she could tiptoe in. Interestingly — also like Drexel Declaration, there’s a Shaker feel to the Lane Acclaim design — you can see how the wood is connected. Reader Dave is a big fan of the line. He recently acquired what seems to be a very hard-to-find catalog of available pieces from the Lane Acclaim Line — and graciously shares it with all of us today.

Dave writes:

After much hunting, I finally tracked down a complete Lane Acclaim catalog on Ebay and have scanned it. This is a small booklet, 3″ x 4″, that was hung on showroom pieces with a string. As someone who owns six lane pieces (all tables) I was surprised to learn how extensive the line actually was! Especially since you mostly see only the tables trading, with possibly an occasional hutch or desk. I think it would be of value for MCM fans to have access to this great historical record of a classic furniture line. It’s a valuable reference for buyers and sellers.

This story is particularly fun for me, because I have a Lane Acclaim table — it is the cocktail table 900-01 (shown in the lead photo.) My mother in law gave it to me. It was her parent’s coffee table.

But, I’ve never seen most of the furniture that is in this catalog. Look at those nesting tables above — it looks to me like the top one has the dovetailed edge and the inner one doesn’t. Very interesting.

And what is that I see — a TV snack cart on wheels? Amazing!

The Boomerang table above is one I’ve seen before — but the picture window table with the big drawer — that’s new to me.

From the Lane Acclaim catalog:

Although contemporary in classification, Acclaim furniture has a distinct hand-crafted quality that gives it unusual warmth and mellowness. Edges are softly rounded and suggest patient hand-working, rubbing, more hand-working and rubbing to achieve the soft, sculptured contours. Only the top 35% grade of walnut on the market is considered for this furniture. Then, out of 100 feet purchased, only 40 feet will meet Lane’s exacting requirements for grain and color. This fine wood is then finished with a mellow gunstock patina, enriched in character with dovetail inlays. Let your finger-tips brush across the satin-sooth dovetailing — you won’t be able to tell where the joinings are. Drawers operate easily and smoothly on steel ball bearing drawer guides.

The hutches and buffets are especially interesting. The drawer edges seem to have the same dovetail detail that the popular coffee tables have. I’d love to see one of these in the wild.

Above: Lane Acclaim chairs — who would have guessed?

Where there are chairs there is bound to be a few dining table options — again sporting the signature dovetail edges. Fantastic!

The dressers and chests in this line are also quite amazing.Being Lane — the company most notably known for their cedar chests — of course the Acclaim line had to have one. The Lane Acclaim Cedar Chest above appears to have “matchmaker changeable front panels” giving it maximum decorative versatility.

Again — I was surprised to see that there are headboards in this line — sporting the well known dovetailed motif.

The catalog also has cleaning and care instructions for Lane Acclaim furniture:

Directions: To polish, first clean the surface lightly with a moistened cloth. Then apply a good furniture polish smoothly with the grain. After it dries, gently polish the surface with a soft cloth. With brand-new furniture, do this once a week for the first month. After that time, polish occasionally to keep the beautiful finish. Dust regularly, but do it lightly because dust is abrasive.

Caution: Don’t place rubber-based lamps, telephones, radios or other objects on lacquer finishes unless the surfaces are protected by pads. Rubber can cause a chemical reaction, turning the finish yellow. It is also advisable to avoid placing furniture where it is constantly exposed to direct sunlight.

Mega thanks to reader Dave for sharing his treasured Lane Acclaim catalog with the Retro Renovation clan. To view the catalog, see our slideshow below:

Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:?

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