Our son, Michael, haunts Craigslist, especially now that he broke his foot at rugby. I try to keep up but with his foot elevated and nothing but time on his hands, I’m no match for him.
During one of his late night scavenges, he found a mostly complete bedroom set from the Kent-Coffey Sequence Collection, so David and I hit the road for a look. We liked what we saw and offered the seller $50 less than her asking price. Nothing doing. She knew she could get her price. We all knew she could get it — so we gave her the money.
The Kent-Coffey Manufacturing Company was a furniture powerhouse in the 1950s and 1960s, producing modern, sturdy, affordable designs for a rising middle class. It was part of the American Dream.
Based in Lenoir, NC, Harold Coffey began the company in 1907. He counted among his friends James Broyhill and John Bernhardt, local owners of their own iconic furniture companies. Quality furniture flowed from little Lenoir’s factories.
Here’s a 1956 Kent-Coffey ad for its Sequence Collection:
Here in the “Sequence” group, you see proof of Kent-Coffey’s success in making furniture that seems to be so much more expensive than it really is! Everywhere you look you see fine details — like parquetry on every top surface, and unique drawer pulls, aligned so as to form slim columns of brass. All pieces are “off the floor,” resting lightly on sculptured bases. And everywhere you see the rich grain that makes walnut so lovely! Basic, go-anywhere pieces give the “Sequence” group a marvelous flexibility. Chests, bookcases, desk, dressers — see how they align themselves to solve a difficult “long wall” problem, or turn a corner neatly. Ask your Kent-Coffey dealer to show you the “Sequence” soon! Or write for name of nearest dealer to Kent-Coffey, Dept. L-6, Lenoir, N.C.
While walnut is the primary wood, the secondary wood is mahogany. The drawers have a mahogany bottom rather than a cheaper, softer wood such as poplar.
We unloaded the pieces in our driveway for the Before photo shoot. You can see the dresser and chest here; you can’t see David holding up our bamboo rug as a backdrop.
Four vertical parquetry stripes on the dresser’s top surface are visible in this next photo. All of the pieces in this collection have the same surface: mahogany veneer forming the perimeter as well as running vertically down the center and dividing the tops into thirds or halves.
And the night stands:
David cleaned the pieces thoroughly, which was a tremendous job. He applied Watco Medium Walnut Danish Oil to highlight the rich tones of the wood and to restore the top coat.
All four pieces of Kent Coffey sit on a floating frame, a design feature borrowed from Danish Modernism. It makes heavy, blocky furniture feel lighter and expands the visible space of the room. Alas, our set doesn’t include the original Atomic Mirror pictured below. If any of you have or know of one, we would be thrilled to reunite the dresser with a matching mirror.
For those of you paying attention, just last week we finished an exhausting rearrangement in our booth featuring a 1933 Heywood-Wakefield furniture set. Those pieces came with such a romantic story that we were determined to keep them together despite many offers for individual items. We succeeded and in the blink of an eye sold out half of our booth.
This serene new configuration in our booth at Avonlea Antiques and Design Gallery doesn’t show the hours of labor David, Michael and I put in over the weekend to achieve this elegant look. But we walked away pleased with our efforts.
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Ann Marie and David
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Robin from RPK Interiors
March 9, 2016 at 3:53 am (3 years ago)How amazing to find an almost complete set! It’s great that you took the time to research the history of the manufacturer. I’ve had the pleasure of working on a few Kent Coffey pieces and love the quality craftsmanship!
Don’t you just love tp see the old advertisements? It’s so Don Draper (were you a Mad Men fan?)!
Stopping by via Elizabeth & Co Be Inspired. I’m so glad you shared…Pinning this one! 🙂
irisabbey
March 9, 2016 at 4:38 am (3 years ago)Robin — yes, I’m a Mad Men fan. Kent-Coffey furniture looks so stylish. We really want to keep this set together. I learned that a customer came in yesterday and wanted only one of the night stands. My son declined her offer. We successfully sold a Heywood-Wakefield set recently, so I’m standing firm for now. And we have another Sequence chest in stock but it will require some work. Thanks so much for your comment.
Vicki @ EntriWays.com
March 11, 2016 at 1:26 pm (3 years ago)What a great find! Your son has a great eye. MCM furniture is so incredibly versatile.
irisabbey
March 11, 2016 at 9:53 pm (3 years ago)Vicki, thanks for your comment. I just visited your site and signed up. I’m especially interested in your business articles. We want to get into Etsy but haven’t just yet. You provided a push.
Diana
March 16, 2016 at 4:50 pm (3 years ago)You certainly have had tremendous luck finding furniture on Craigslist, Ann Marie! What an amazing ensemble, and in such great shape. Thanks for sharing your find and all the interesting background with us at Vintage Charm 🙂
irisabbey
March 17, 2016 at 3:28 pm (3 years ago)Thanks, Diana. My son’s been instrumental in finding Craigslist items.
Lauren S
October 16, 2016 at 9:26 pm (2 years ago)In the image that displays the whole set can you tell me about the piece behind the tufted stool? Is it part of the Kent Coffey line The Sequence? I have a single piece that I have yet to find elsewhere.
irisabbey
October 17, 2016 at 2:07 am (2 years ago)Lauren, I believe you are looking at a vanity that is not part of any Kent Coffey line. Sadly, I don’t know anything about it. The mirror was fabulous and the set sold pretty quickly.
I wrote about that piece and the recovered seat in this post: https://irisabbey.com/mid-century-modern-furniture/mid-century-modern-vanity-upholstered-stool/
Lauren S
October 17, 2016 at 7:25 pm (2 years ago)Thank you. I looked a the piece and it is so cool.
The nightstand I have is marked with the KC logo & The Sequence underneath, but I have yet to find it anywhere else. It is the last remaining piece from my parents original bedroom set. Could I send you a pic? If so, where?
irisabbey
October 17, 2016 at 7:32 pm (2 years ago)I’d love to see a photo, Lauren. My email address is annmariebyrd@gmail.com
Kaedi
December 14, 2016 at 8:51 pm (2 years ago)I just got the highboy at the thrift store here in California for $30. I still can’t believe it. Near-perfect condition, only the hardware on the top two drawers has been replaced. From what I have been able to gather, the original Hardware was a triangular shaped knob, is that correct? I would love to find something to replace what they put in.
irisabbey
December 15, 2016 at 1:04 am (2 years ago)Kaedi, Congrats on your score. That’s amazing. Finding a hardware match is going to be tricky to impossible. You can try The Hardware Exchange — it’s a public group on Facebook. You request to be admitted and then post a photo of what you’re looking for, including measurements: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1477579779154923/
I find it extremely difficult to find missing hardware, but sometimes persistence pays off. Good luck!
Louise Schleeweis
August 19, 2017 at 3:10 pm (2 years ago)Hi, wondering if you’ve sold this set. I have same I may try to sell & have no idea of value. Would appreciate any advice you’d be willing to share. Thanks
irisabbey
August 19, 2017 at 5:01 pm (2 years ago)Hi, Louise — We did sell the entire Kent-Coffey Sequence Collection.
Markets vary from region to region, from city to city. Here is a link to a post I wrote in response to the numerous inquiries I receive about White Fine Furniture prices.
https://irisabbey.com/the-market/much-white-fine-furniture-worth/
The same advice applies to your Kent-Coffey set. You’ll need to research your market in pursuit of your buyer.Good luck!