Craftique Furniture Company
North Carolina Brand, Craftique Furniture Company, was an industry leader for many years until they closed in 2012. Principally, Craftique made incredible high end mahogany furniture for 66 years. Their traditional designs coupled with heirloom quality craftsmanship made Craftique Furniture quite desirable among upper class Americans.
Vintage furniture by Craftique Company ranks very highly amongst furniture experts. Of course, the fine woods, beautiful designs and high level of craftsmanship help contribute to Craftique’s reputation.
Today, the only way to source fine furniture by Craftique is to:
- Visit Online Antique Stores
- Search for Craftique on Craigslist, eBay and other venues online
- Find it at Thrift stores or Consignment shops.
Craftique Furniture History
Craftique Furniture opened in 1946 under the direction of L.P. Best. He opened the factories in the small town of Mebane, North Carolina. Of course, the great state of North Carolina houses multiple furniture factories to this day. Brands like Henredon and Thomasville Furniture also got their start in North Carolina.
Craftique Furniture Company in many ways stuck with traditional styles throughout their 66 year history. Of course, many refer to this type of furniture company as a Reproduction Company, as most of the Craftique Catalog tended to feature Colonial Style adaptations.
So, throughout the years, Craftique largely stuck with classic Early American design features, including simple bracket foot chests, like on their Mary Washington Chest. The Mary Washington Chest really acts as a Craftique nightstand, or beautiful small server.
No doubt, you will also see beautiful poster beds in Craftique’s bedroom collections. Craftique beds bolted together, forming a nice solid and tight fit. Unlike brackets that can loosen, Craftique beds remain very sturdy.
Indeed, Craftique’s slogan, “Quality without Compromise” really describes their products.
However, by the 2000’s, like many furniture companies, Craftique struggled. In 2011, in order to diversify its offerings, Craftique started to make cabinetry for kitchens, offices and bathrooms. Owners, John Erwin and Craig Shoemaker tried very hard to keep their workers in business.
Unfortunately, by 2012, the company was forced to close. No doubt due to the imported furniture trade, Craftique faced the same fate as Pennsylvania House and later as Harden Furniture. Indeed, very few American companies in the furniture business can survive a harsh globalist economy.
China and Mexico offered a far cheaper product to the American consumer. Although not nearly as good, imported furniture started to bring down the perceived value of fine furniture.
Craftique Furniture Catalog
The Craftique Furniture catalogs from years past have an incredible selection. Because the company used such prime imported Mahogany woods, the furniture has a richness and depth.
Of course, there are no plastic or overly shiny furniture finishes which tend to come on imported furniture today. Rather, the sheen on rich Craftique beds and Craftique dressers has a satin look and beautiful clarity.
As mentioned, this comes from layers and layers of hand-rubbed finish. Indeed, the furniture made by Craftique took an arduous and multiple step process in the finishing department.
Likewise, Craftique dining room furniture represents some of the best cabinetmaking you will find. For instance, high grade select mahogany dining tables show off beautiful wood grains. Certainly, the lustrous sheen on such Craftique dining tables demonstrate the numerous coats of hand rubbed finish.
Craftique china cabinets feature this same attention to detail. Glass doors feature hand glazing in between wooden mullions. Additionally, all cabinet backs are finished and attached with screws (not staples).
Obviously, Craftique Furniture Company sought to distance themselves from shoddy assembly line furniture. Instead, the Craftique line offered handsome quality and beauty.
Craftique Furniture Finishes
Craftique Furniture finishes offered something for everyone. So, in its heyday, Craftique Company offered five beautiful finishes for their furniture. The finishes were described as the following:
- English Mahogany: rich brown with subtle antique markings, filled grain, waxed, medium gloss.
- Coffee Finish: Dry, high lighted Coco Brown, Distressed.
- Mellowax: Satin Gloss, Warm Brown, No Distressing (and a slightly higher sheen Mellowax was also offered).
- Cognac:Light brown finish with a medium or satin sheen. Small distressing (or aging) is also standard with this finish.
- New Oxford: Darker brown finish with a medium or “Satin” sheen and no distressing.
So, as you can see, the beautiful Cuban and African mahogany Craftique used could be finished in a range of colors and styles. Obviously, this range of finishes helped Craftique fit in both formal homes and more modern design schemes. The custom level of finishes again separated the company from other furniture companies that offered fewer choices.
Craftique Furniture Value
Craftique Furniture values can fluctuate like any market. Of course, on the used market, Craftique’s quality no doubt shows even to the most inexperienced shopper.
That said, Craftique never reached the distribution heights of other high end furniture companies, like Baker Furniture or even Henkel Harris Fine Furniture.
So, sadly, they just are not as well known as some other brands on our list. Of course, their slight obscurity makes them a little tougher to sell in some ways.
However, Craftique furniture values do hold their own. Most Craftique secretary desks sell for between $1200 and $2000, depending on condition.
Also, Craftique dressers tend to sell for $1200 to $2000, especially if they are in good shape. A Craftique dining table can easily sell for $1500. And many dealers could see a Craftique sideboard or buffet bring between $1500 and $2500, depending on the design and condition.
Obviously, on the high end used furniture market, Craftique brand offers a great choice for consumers.
Vintage Craftique Furniture
If you are looking for incredible solid wood furniture that was produced in the United States, look no further than our Vintage Craftique Furniture pages.
As furniture dealers ourselves, we loved every piece of Craftique we sold.
I can remember some pretty spectacular pencil poster beds that looked stunning in their new homes. We even delivered an incredible blind door secretary desk to upstate New York State! Indeed, once people start collecting Craftique Furniture, it seems they will hunt until they can find more.
Craftique Catalog
Craftique continues to rank high with furniture dealers and auctioneers. While many of their designs were simple, the beauty of these well crafted solid wood gems lives on. Certainly, Craftique furniture has great adaptability. It looks great in both modern and historic homes.
Of course, dollar for dollar, you know you will be getting a value when you invest in fine vintage furniture like Craftique. Sadly, solid wood furniture rarely makes the retail cut anymore.
But stylish solid wood furniture like Craftique furniture can be purchased at an incredible price on eBay pages or in high end consignment shops.
So, if you would like to learn more about this vintage brand, make sure you check out our video on the subject.