Makers / BassettBy maker0 available, 13 found

Bassett

Bassett Furniture was founded in 1902 in Bassett, Virginia, by the Bassett family, who turned their sawmill timber into furniture. By mid-century it was one of the largest wood furniture makers in the United States, selling moderately priced bedroom, dining and occasional furniture in modern, Scandinavian, Colonial, provincial and traditional styles.

None available right now, 13 in the archive

Bassett walnut lowboy dresser with a fluted center panel between two top drawers, brass pulls and tapered legs, on a white backgroundMCM Bassett Furniture Dresser & Nightstand Set – 3 Piece Walnut Bedroom SetStunning MCM Bassett China CabinetMCM Bassett Tall Chest - 4 Drawer Dresser

The timeline

Founded
1902
Where
Bassett, Virginia
Through Forma
13 pieces
  1. 1902

    J.D. Bassett, his brothers Charles and Samuel and Reed L. Stone found the Bassett Furniture Company in Bassett, Virginia.[1]–[3]

  2. 1924

    Thomas B. Stanley, J.D. Bassett's son-in-law and a Bassett executive, leaves to found Stanley Furniture nearby.[1][17][18]

  3. 1930–31

    The family's separate furniture companies are brought together as Bassett Furniture Industries.[1][2][4]

  4. 1958

    Bassett is selling both Scandinavian-style groups, such as the Denmark occasional tables, and traditional suites, such as Monticello.[12][13][15]

  5. 1959–65

    Bassett runs national magazine advertising for suites designed by Leo Jiranek, among them Monticello, Chimney Corners and Royal Dane.[1][12]

  6. 1964

    Bassett's catalogues bill the company as the world's largest manufacturer of wood furniture.[5][11][12]

  7. Today

    Bassett remains in business as a public company selling through its own and licensed stores.[4][6]

Available now

(00)

Nothing by Bassett is in the studio right now. Tell Kate what you need and she will look for one.

What they made

According to the International Directory of Company Histories, Bassett's first products were oak beds, dressers and washstands, with dining room furniture added in 1925. In the 1950s and 1960s it sold complete suites for the bedroom and dining room, plus occasional tables, chairs, sectionals and nursery furniture, at prices its advertising pitched to ordinary family budgets.

Black and white group photograph of about forty men and several children in work clothes and hats, seated and standing on lumber in front of a clapboard factory building with an open doorway
Early Bassett Furniture Company employees outside the plant in Bassett, Virginia, early 1900s.Unknown photographer; Bassett Furniture, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (source)

The company covered almost every popular style at once. Its 1964 catalogue moves from Scandinavian and contemporary groups in walnut or cherry veneer to Italian Provincial, French Provincial, Early American and English country designs, and its magazine advertising from 1959 to 1965 shows the same range.

Catalogue page headed 'and the Master Bedroom' with photographs of an Aztec walnut bedroom with carved panels on a long dresser and chest, and a Charter House cherry bedroom
Aztec, finished in Mayan Walnut, and Charter House, from Bassett's 1964 catalogue.Bassett Furniture Industries; The Hoard catalogs, via Internet Archive, Public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0) (source)

Most case pieces were veneered. Better lines used walnut, cherry or mahogany veneer over hardwood, while budget lines used veneer over particleboard, with stapled drawers and hardboard backs. Many 1960s Bassett dressers, chests and tables have tops of wood-grain or plain Formica laminate rather than wood.[1][7][9]–[12]

Catalogue page showing a Danish-style walnut sofa and chairs, and the Artisan Group of walnut cocktail tables, including a sectional cocktail table and a round table with a slatted shelf
The Artisan Group of walnut tables, from Bassett's 1964 catalogue.Bassett Furniture Industries; The Hoard catalogs, via Internet Archive, Public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0) (source)
Catalogue sheet showing a Bonanza walnut dining room with buffet, china cabinet, table and chairs, with style numbers 340-61-300 to 340-61-451 and the line 'World's largest manufacturer of wood furniture'
Bonanza by Leo Jiranek, suite 340-61 in Regency Walnut, from a 1964 Bassett sheet.Bassett Furniture Industries; The Hoard catalogs, via Internet Archive, Public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0) (source)

Lines and collections

(14)

Waterfall

1938

The International Directory of Company Histories dates a large, elaborate Bassett 'Waterfall' design to 1938, the rounded-edge style of the period.[1]

Denmark

1958

A 1958 group of Scandinavian-style occasional tables on hardwood bases, sold in a walnut finish with brass ferrules or a pale 'pumice' finish with chrome ferrules.[13]

Monticello

late 1950s, Leo Jiranek

An 18th-century traditional bedroom and dining group of 23 major pieces, advertised in LIFE in 1958; one owner found the name printed on the back of a dresser.[12][15]

Chimney Corners

about 1959–64, Leo Jiranek

An Early American collection of about 90 open-stock pieces in a spice-brown or honey finish, with pineapple-motif hardware, poster beds, hutches and a water bench.[10][12]

Royal Dane

early 1960s, Leo Jiranek

A Scandinavian-style bedroom and dining group in cherry veneers with brass accents and oversized mirrors.[12]

Selandia

early 1960s

A low-priced Scandinavian group sold in a pale Champagne or a walnut finish.[12]

Trimline

1960s

A mid-century line that appears in Bassett's 1959 to 1965 advertising and that dealers describe as one of its better-built modern lines.[9][12]

Aztec (Mayan Walnut finish)

1960s, Leo Jiranek

Walnut-veneer bedroom furniture with carved wood pulls and carved panels inspired by Aztec carving, finished in a colour Bassett called Mayan Walnut. The finish name is the likely source of the 'Bassett Mayan' name dealers use.[7][10][16]

Artisan

1960s

In the 1964 catalogue Artisan is a group of thirteen occasional tables in walnut veneer with shaped tops and an oiled walnut finish; dealers also use the name for Bassett walnut case pieces.[7][9][10]

Bonanza

1964, Leo Jiranek

A straight-lined contemporary bedroom and dining group with rounded wood mouldings that double as drawer pulls, in American walnut (Regency Walnut, suite 340-61) or African mahogany (Gala Mahogany, suite 340-21), with Formica table tops.[11]

Focal

1964

Contemporary bedroom and dining furniture in walnut veneers with thin oval overlays on drawers and doors, tapered legs and wood-grain Formica tops.[10]

Charter House

1964

A contemporary bedroom group in cherry veneer, sold in Royal Cherry or a black and gold finish.[10]

Facade

1964

Italian Provincial living, dining and bedroom furniture with parquet panels of maple burl and birch veneer and carved rosettes.[10]

Versailles

early 1960s

French Provincial bedroom and dining furniture on cherry veneer, finished in Patrician Cherry or Chateau White.[10][12]

From the archive

(13)

What they’ve sold for

$120 to $1,050

13 Bassett pieces sold by Forma

  • Dressers (7)$210 to $695
  • Desks (2)$120
  • Nightstands (2)$285 to $895

Forma’s own sale prices, as shown on each sold piece’s page. They are past sales, not appraisals.

About Bassett

Bassett grew out of a lumber business. The Bassett family ran sawmills in Henry County, Virginia, that cut railroad ties and other timber for the railways. In 1902 John David (J.D.) Bassett, his brothers Charles and Samuel, and their brother-in-law Reed L. Stone formed the Bassett Furniture Company to turn that local hardwood into furniture instead of selling it as lumber. J.D. Bassett also put money and know-how into other furniture companies in the area, several of them run by relatives, including Stanley, Hooker and Vaughan-Bassett. His son-in-law Thomas B. Stanley was a Bassett executive until 1924, when he left to found Stanley Furniture. In the early 1930s the family's separate furniture firms were brought together as Bassett Furniture Industries. By the middle of the century the company was turning out wood furniture in large volume. Bassett is still in business and sells through its own stores.[1]–[8][17]–[19]

Designers

(01)

Leo Jiranek

A Grand Rapids-born freelance designer (1900–1990) who worked for many American makers; Bassett's advertising and catalogues from 1959 to 1965 credit him with Monticello, Chimney Corners, Royal Dane and Bonanza.[11][12][14]

Common questions

Is Bassett furniture solid wood?

Usually not entirely. Bassett's own catalogues describe most case pieces as walnut, cherry or mahogany veneer, and many tops are Formica. Its better mid-century lines put veneer over solid hardwood with solid wood legs, while budget lines used particleboard. A few groups, such as a 1964 Colonial table group, were sold as solid maple.[7][9]–[11]

How can I tell how old my Bassett furniture is?

Find the label or stamp, usually inside a drawer or on the back, and note the line name and any style number. Then match them to dated Bassett catalogues or magazine ads; owners have dated pieces this way, for example matching a Monticello dresser to a 1958 LIFE advertisement.[7][8][12][15]

Is Bassett still in business?

Yes. Bassett Furniture is still based in Bassett, Virginia, is publicly traded and sells through its own and licensed stores.[4][6]

Is vintage Bassett good quality, and what is it worth?

It varies by line, because Bassett made everything from budget to better furniture. Walnut lines with dovetailed drawers and solid hardwood frames are well built; particleboard budget lines are not. Dealers generally price Bassett below comparable Lane or Drexel pieces and below designer-attributed furniture, with walnut and named lines holding value best.[7][9]

What is Bassett Mayan furniture?

Dealers use 'Mayan' for 1960s Bassett walnut pieces with carved, geometric panels and pulls. Bassett's 1964 catalogue calls the carved group Aztec and Mayan Walnut its finish, which is why labels and listings use both names.[7][10][16]

Is Vaughan-Bassett the same company as Bassett?

No. Vaughan-Bassett is one of several furniture firms that J.D. Bassett helped start with capital and know-how, run by relatives; Stanley and Hooker are others. They were separate companies from Bassett Furniture.[1][3][5]

Good to know

Mayan, Aztec and Artisan names are used loosely

In the 1964 catalogue, Aztec is the carved bedroom group, Mayan Walnut is its finish and Artisan is a group of occasional tables. Listings often apply these names to other Bassett walnut pieces, so a label is the safest guide.[7][10][16]

Looking for one?

Looking for a piece by Bassett? Tell Kate what you need, with the size and budget you have in mind, and she will look for one. Or write to hello@formanashville.com.

New pieces go out first in the weekly letter.

Find me one

Sourcing: Bassett

Makers in a similar vein

Sources

  1. Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc., International Directory of Company Histories, via Encyclopedia.com
  2. Bassett Furniture Company (agent record), Virginia Tech Special Collections
  3. John D. Bassett, Wikipedia
  4. Bassett Furniture, Wikipedia
  5. J.D. Bassett, American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame
  6. Company, Bassett Furniture
  7. Vintage Bassett furniture: the collector's guide to mid-century pieces, ModCityMad
  8. How to identify Bassett furniture, 1stDibs
  9. Bassett furniture, Mid Century Warehouse (Modern Hill)
  10. The name to plan with is Bassett (catalogue, 1964), Bassett Furniture Industries, via Internet Archive
  11. Bonanza, suite no. 340-61 (catalogue sheet, 1964), Bassett Furniture Industries, via Internet Archive
  12. Bassett furniture magazine advertisements, 1959–1965, Internet Archive (magazine clippings)
  13. The Denmark group, style tables by Bassett (1958), Bassett Furniture Industries, via Internet Archive
  14. Leo A. Jiranek, American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame
  15. Bassett dresser (Show & Tell post), Collectors Weekly
  16. 1960s Bassett Aztec collection dresser by Leo Jiranek, Chairish
  17. Thomas B. Stanley, Wikipedia
  18. Thomas B. Stanley (1890–1970), Encyclopedia Virginia
  19. Virginia House of Delegates History: Thomas Bahnson Stanley

Image credits

  • Early Bassett Furniture Company employees outside the plant in Bassett, Virginia, early 1900s.. Unknown photographer; Bassett Furniture, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Source
  • Aztec, finished in Mayan Walnut, and Charter House, from Bassett's 1964 catalogue.. Bassett Furniture Industries; The Hoard catalogs, via Internet Archive. Public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0). Source
  • The Artisan Group of walnut tables, from Bassett's 1964 catalogue.. Bassett Furniture Industries; The Hoard catalogs, via Internet Archive. Public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0). Source
  • Bonanza by Leo Jiranek, suite 340-61 in Regency Walnut, from a 1964 Bassett sheet.. Bassett Furniture Industries; The Hoard catalogs, via Internet Archive. Public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0). Source

All other photographs are Forma's own.

Forma is not affiliated with Bassett or any maker named on this site. Names describe where a piece came from.

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