I first laid my everlovin’ child-of-the-’70s eyes on Drexel Whimsy vintage furniture in 2011. Sightings since then have been virtually nil, but now — a very exciting email from Michigan, where there is a complete set of bedroom furniture for sale. Up for grabs is: a bed, end table, low dresser, tall dresser, modular corner desk with chair — and even a coordinating bedspread. 
At first glance, the painted design on this furniture appears wackadoodle. But look more closely: It is very planful — certain parts of some flowers aren’t even painted, the natural finish of the wood is part of the design.
What do you think? Are our nearest-dearest design preferences set when we are… about 16? I sure think mine were.
The corner treatments — the gold L-pieces — make this “campaign style”. Well, 70s-campaign-flower-power-mash-up-style.
Kate also spotted the wonderful drawer pulls — Drexel’s attention to detail was terrific. And see up close how you can see that certain flower petals and middle parts of flower peek through to the natural wood?
The desk looks like it fits into a corner.
See how paint trends come … and paint trends go…?
The 70s saw a revival in Victoriana… hipsters o’ that time were pulling stuff out of their grandparents’ attics, basements and bedrooms… and reinventing it with paint. Lots of paint. Of course, a few decades later, many folks regretted messing with the original finishes…. Did you see my story –“Is it a decorating mortal sin to paint wood furniture — three votes yes, two votes no” on The Huffington Post“ earlier this week? I am now blogging for HuffPost on occasion…. they don’t pay me, but it’s good added exposure for RetroRenovation.com, don’t you think?
If you want to nab this Drexel Whimsy bedroom set:
- It’s available for sale, located in Brighton, Michigan (near Ann Arbor). The asking price is $2,700 for the set. Contact: info@accreditedmngt.com
- Note, from the same estate there is a Drexel Declaration dining room set. Table and chairs are $950, buffet is $550.
More eye candy, retrolicous furniture designs from our archive:
- Drexel Plus One — I adore this one, too!
- Not to be confused with Broyhill Chapter One.
Richard says
Hi Pam,
Congratulations on the Huffington Post gig!
Meanwhile, in your crystal ball, might you see this old barn somewhere not too far from where you live that is affordable and would make the perfect Retro Renovation Mid Century Museum? Heck yea! And the Whimsey set could be the first major acquisition. Just saying’…
Cathy says
I loved finding your photos, because I have this bedroom set with all these pieces and more. My sister and I got this furniture in 1969 when it was made. I still have all eleven pieces and now my daughters use it. It must have been really well made because the set I have looks as good as the one in the photos.
pam kueber says
WOWOWWOWOWO — all 11 pieces! Lucky you — and now, a second generation! Thanks for writing!
Jordan says
Absolutely beautiful choice! I am adoring the vintage colorful vibe. Now I want it for MY room, too!
Mary Elizabeth says
Congratulations, Pam, on making the Huff Post. You are in good company.
I agree that our taste in furniture is set very young. My bedroom set when I was 10 (in 1957) was a maple four-poster bed passed down from one relative, a maple chest of drawers thrown out by a military academy, and a sage-green painted desk (it came that way from the factory) from another relative. The walls were painted pale pink and the bedspread and curtains were green chenille. My guest room in my new house nearly reproduces that bedroom, except I haven’t had time to paint it pink and find a green desk.
Also, I ditched the chenille in favor of a handmade quilt. Remember waking up from naps with the pattern of the chenille embossed on your cheek? 🙂 For those of you who still love the chenille from the ’50s, you can buy it at Vermont Country Store.
Mary Elizabeth says
And I would have chosen something like that Drexel furniture if I could have had the choice!
I forgot to say that I helped my father strip off the old wallpaper in the room and picked out the paint myself. I made a mock-up of the room in my Girl Scout decorating badge notebook, similar to the ones Pam and Kate do here, using pictures of furniture (similar to mine), draperies and bedspreads cut out of Sears and Roebuck and Montgomery Ward catalogs, a paint chip, etc. I was given a budget for the curtains and bedspread, and I found them on sale in Sears and Roebuck. Wish I could remember what they cost!
pam kueber says
Sounds lovely — Mamie-influenced colors, for sure!
Mary Elizabeth says
She was a great fashion influence on my wee bit self. Saw her in person at a submarine launch. Such a wonderful fur coat and cute hat she had on. 🙂
Robin, NV says
I can’t help but feel the set belongs in a museum – it’s so wonderfully of its time. I’ve never seen anything like it. I wonder if it’s rare.
Jay says
Congrats on the new gig! Please continue to let us know when you pop up there or elsewhere. It was nice to read that on a Thursday of all days seeing how the NYT dropped its Thursday home section. I wasn’t able to see the comments, I guess you have to be a registered user and log in.
Kirstie says
This kind of looks like the dresser I had when I was growing up, except mine was red w/ the speckled black paint and the drawers were outlined in yellow. Also, the pulls had escutcheons that were shaped like flowers. I wonder if it was by Drexel. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
Bonnie says
Sounds a bit like Stanley’s Ole furniture: http://goldcountrygirls.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-nearly-lifelong-love-affair-with.html
pam kueber says
Thanks for that link!
Kirstie says
That’s it!!! Thank you for the name and link. I had the tall dresser and my bed was a Jenny Lind style bed that came from a girls’ boarding school.
midmichigan says
A cool 70’s set for sure. Those colors and flowers are right out of the hippy era! I bet there’s a good chance if you opened that drawer on the nightstand you’d find an old Easy Rider 8 track.
Great article and exposure for you at HuffPo, Pam. I think you’re exactly right about not painting MCM furniture. I’ve seen that sin foisted on what were some nice Heywood Wakefield pieces and it just doesn’t work for me. For some reason I have the same feeling about painting original masonry/ brick too. I’d use every means I could to keep it original before whitewashing it; but that’s just me.
lynda says
Such a cute set. Owners seem to know value of set. Not a Craigslist steal, for sure. I think the buyer of the furniture will be lucky and will have a darling room full of furniture. It would be nice to see the ad for this set to see what type of comforter, wall colors, etc. were used back in the day. And yes, writing for Huffington Post is a good thing for you!
Anne says
As the lucky girl who grew up with this let me add that the wall color in my room was bright yellow. I did lots of babysitting and odd jobs to buy the chair with my own money. The striped comforter is featured in the photos. Drapes were light cream fabric and had coral and sage stripes. Carpeting a tame cream color. Hope someone will buy this and treasure it’s beauty for a long time.
pam kueber says
🙂
Thanks for letting us feature this, Anne!
Mary Elizabeth says
So good to hear the origin of the bedroom set. I love the detail about you buying the chair with your own money. I know that having just the right chair to sit and do my homework was important to me as a girl. I’m sure whoever buys it will enjoy it as much as you did, Anne.
linda h says
Just a couple of weeks ago I purchased on ebay a couple of magazine ads from the year I was seventeen. One was for the pattern of dishes that I really loved but could not afford back then. I have in the last ten years finally purchased from estate sales a set of 12 place settings and lots of serving pieces. The other was an ad from for a fabric I really wanted back then (1971). I have not been able to find that fabric and not sure if I still have the the fabric sample my Mom’s decorator friend got for me back then. Anyway I thought they would look good framed on the wall on my sunporch. My comment on the subject of tastes being set in our teens (ha).