Artefacts is a line of campaign furniture that was manufactured by Henredon in the 1960s. It incorporates the classic campaign elements of boxy shape and inset hardware.
Henredon produced several other campaign-style furniture lines during this period, but Artefacts is unique due to its delicate handle style.
To clarify, Henredon was the manufacturer, and Artefacts was the name of that specific line that they produced, probably for a short time. If you want to learn more about campaign furniture, you can read my blog post here.
Identifying Henredon Artefacts
Two distinct elements of this furniture line that make it easy to identify your vintage find are the U-shaped inset hardware and the stamp inside the drawer.
U Shaped Inset Hardware
The distinct U shape of campaign hardware is impossible to miss when you first see this furniture out in the wild. Generally, campaign pulls are a big, chunky square. Henredon made the classic campaign hardware feminine by reducing its brass footprint. I love this version of traditional campaign hardware.
Henredon Artefacts Stamp
Every piece of vintage furniture generally has a maker’s mark and the name of that particular furniture line in one of the top drawers for case goods. Generally, it’s the top left drawer. This line is no exception. The stamp looks like this. If no maker’s mark is present, then it can be a copycat, although I have not seen one out in the wild, so I can’t comment on that.
What Is It Made Of?
While it’s impossible to tell the exact wood of every element of a piece of furniture just by looking at it, we can certainly say that the exterior is made of or made to look like oak. The heavy oak grain was a desired look (now dated) back then. The veneer might be stamped to recreate the look of oak.
Restor-A-Finish is a unique finish-penetrating formula that restores wood finishes while blending out minor scratches, blemishes and abrasions.
The Interior of the drawers is made of beautiful cherry wood, a distinct feature of vintage Henredons. The cherry wood is gorgeous and looks fabulous with a good cleaning and wiping with some Restore-A-Finish. Vintage Henredon is known and loved for its lavish use of cherry for interior drawers.
Another feature of Artefacts and other Henredon is the drawers have dividers that make organizing easy.
Henredon Artefacts Hardware
As I said earlier, Henredon made the campaign hardware elegant by redesigning it. They specially designed this hardware manufactured exclusively for the Artefacts line. Some other campaign lines, like Drexel Heritage, have similar-looking hardware, but it’s not the same.
Replacing Henredon Artefacts Pull
I always get this question: “Do you sell this handle? I have this dresser, but one of the handles is broken, and I can’t find a replacement.” Unfortunately, I don’t sell this hardware. Nobody does. The hardware on vintage pieces is impossible to replace, and Artefacts are no exception.
Henredon is out of business, and the hardware they made is on the furniture they already sold. It’s no longer in production, so, unfortunately, it is irreplaceable.
Look For Henredon Artefacts Hardware On eBay
If you have a piece of artefacts furniture with one or two broken pulls, what do you do? Your best bet is to look at eBay. You may have to look for months or set up a notification so you know as soon as it pops up on eBay. It likely came from another severely damaged piece from the same line, so it should fit your piece of furniture.
As far as I know, most local metal repair places can’t fix a broken handle because the metal is an alloy that can’t be soldered.
Get it Cast
There is one last resort, and it is costly! You can get the hardware cast by a foundry. Yeah, I know, it sounds complicated because it is. You have to send a handle for them to create a mould. Then they can pour and make a new one. We have used Vintage Hardware in Washington to do this in the past, and it cost us about $300 apiece. A piece!!
BKF Soft Cleanser is safe to use as a Corian countertop cleaner and polish on other non-stone countertops. This rust cleaner and stain remover makes dirty bathroom fixtures look like new again.
If you are lucky enough to have all the hardware intact on your vintage find, just as an FYI, you can clean it with a little bit of Barkeeper’s Friend and some elbow grease. It will become shiny again!
Henredon Quality
Of all the vintage furniture floating out on the internet, Henredon is probably one of the best quality furniture manufacturers. Maybe Baker is comparable, but I don’t remember seeing cherry wood drawers on the Baker pieces I have come across.
Because of its quality construction and use of hardwoods, almost every Henredon piece of furniture weighs a TON. It is super heavy to move. It is the heaviest vintage piece of furniture.
Henredon went out of business in 2018, so their website says “Coming Soon,” which is not very helpful, but this article details Henredon as a vintage brand. It is very disheartening to learn that an American company considered the hallmark of quality is now out of business. The good thing is that many pieces are available on the second-hand market, so you can acquire and enjoy them for years to come.
We just bought a Henredon 7 drawer dresser in top condition at an estate sale. Had no idea of its value. All hardware is in great shape. I would love to sell it to someone who would appreciate it for a mid century modern home. I was going to paint it but now I think not! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and educating me.
Please, Please, Please, do NOT paint it. It is probably mahogany, walnut, ash or olive burl. The pieces Henredon made are a part of American Furniture making history and as forests are cut these woods are becoming rarer.