Before You Buy Furniture At A Thrift Store, Check These 13 Midcentury Brands

That sturdy old dresser sitting between the lamps and the casserole dishes at your thrift store may be worth far more than the sticker says. The trick is knowing which names to look for.

In a January 2026 piece by Alison Martin, House Digest names 13 mid-century furniture brands worth looking out for in thrift stores. Here is the list, with what the article says about each one.

A word on prices before we start: the figures House Digest mentions are mostly what pieces are listed for on resale sites such as 1stDibs and Chairish. Those are asking prices, not final sales, and condition changes everything.

Herman Miller Is The Big Name Owners Rarely Give Away

House Digest says the company began as the Michigan Star Furniture Company, and D.J. De Pree persuaded his father-in-law, Herman Miller, to buy most of the shares in 1923. Its designers included Gilbert Rohde, George Nelson, Charles and Ray Eames, and Isamu Noguchi.

Originals sell for thousands on 1stDibs, according to the article. They are hard to find in thrift stores because owners usually know what they have.

United Furniture’s Nightstands Can Fetch Several Thousand

United Furniture was founded in Lexington, North Carolina, in 1905 and grew into one of the largest U.S. furniture makers. It was sold in 1987, and production stopped soon after.

House Digest says a pair of nightstands in good condition could sell for several thousand dollars. Nightstands and highboys are the pieces it points to.

Drexel Has No Famous Designer But Still Sells High

Drexel started in North Carolina making lower-priced traditional furniture, and Robert O. Huffman shifted it toward higher-end markets in the 1930s. According to the article, contemporary styles reached 36% of sales by 1955.

It became Drexel Heritage Furnishings in 1968 and stopped operating in 2014. Without famous designer partnerships, resale is lower than for some brands, but a dresser or nightstands in good condition can still resell for several thousand dollars.

Poul Hundevad Brought Danish Teak To The Thrift Aisle

Hundevad was a Danish-born designer who opened his own company in the 1940s. His style is Scandinavian simplicity with plenty of teak, and his rolling bar cart and Model 60 chair are still in production.

Sites like 1stDibs list his pieces from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Many companies have reproduced his designs, so originals are hard to find secondhand.

Vintage IKEA Has Gone Up Sharply In Value

This one may surprise you. House Digest says IKEA began selling furniture in 1948, with designers including Bengt Ruda and Johan Bertil Häggström, and vintage values have risen sharply.

The article says a pair of Ruda’s Grill chairs can sell for more than $8,000. Vintage pieces are in demand, so they are harder to find but not impossible.

Knoll Pieces Are Worth Buying At Most Prices

Hans and Florence Knoll founded the company, with Hans as the businessman and Florence as the designer who brought in other creatives. Designers included Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer.

House Digest says Chairish often lists Knoll chairs for over $2,000 and casegoods for over $5,000. The article calls Knoll difficult to find but worth buying at most prices.

Thonet’s Cafe Chairs Are Easier To Find

Michael Thonet opened his first workshop in Germany in 1819 and founded Gebrüder Thonet in Vienna in 1853. The No. 14 cafe chair, which appeared in works by Henri Matisse and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, is now sold as the Brentwood 214.

Because so many chairs were made, Thonet is easier to find and less expensive, according to House Digest. Some styles sell for more on Chairish.

Hooker Furniture’s Mainline Is A Good Deal When You Find It

Hooker was founded in 1925 in Martinsville, Virginia, and is one of the last family-owned U.S. furniture companies. Its mid-century line, Mainline by Hooker, is known for solid-wood casegoods.

Depending on condition, Mainline pieces can resell for around $2,000, per the article. That is less than vintage Knoll.

Lane Furniture Started Out Making Cedar Chests

Lane began in 1912 as the Standard Red Cedar Chest Company. Its mid-century lines include Perception, designed by Warren C. Church, and the bowtie Tuxedo collection by Ernest Swarts and O.B. Solie.

Because Lane still manufactures in Virginia and Mississippi, its products turn up in thrift stores more often. Resale is lower than for many others on the list, though House Digest says Brutalist designs see higher demand.

Mengel Furniture Hired The Designer Behind The Coca-Cola Bottle

Mengel started in 1877 in Louisville, Kentucky, as a lumber manufacturer making whiskey barrels and tobacco boxes. After World War II it entered furniture and hired Raymond Loewy, known for the Coca-Cola bottle, the Shell logo and the Lucky Strike package.

The article says the quality is high and the pieces can be worth a lot when resold. It also suggests researching Loewy’s other designs for other companies.

Craft Associates Made The Glass-Top Coffee Table

Adrian Pearsall formed Craft Associates in 1952, and it is known for glass-top coffee tables with walnut bases. The company grew from eight to 600 employees.

Pearsall sold it to Lane in 1968, and many of his designs have been reproduced. House Digest advises checking every label carefully to confirm a piece is authentic.

Broyhill’s Brasilia Line Can Top A Thousand Dollars

Broyhill began in 1926 as the Lenoir Chair Company. Its mid-century lines include Premier Sculptra from 1957 and Brasilia from 1962.

The company is known for quality materials and artisan craftsmanship, and resale can exceed a thousand dollars depending on quality. The article reminds shoppers to measure their space before buying.

Bernhardt’s Flair Division Pieces Are Called Worth The Investment

Bernhardt began production over 135 years ago and is still family-owned. Its 1960s Flair Division line was expertly upholstered and remains in high demand, according to House Digest.

Because the company sells almost exclusively to retailers and designers, initial prices stay high. The article says nearly any Bernhardt piece found at a thrift store is a good deal.

How do you tell a treasure from a lookalike? House Digest suggests pulling open drawers and checking the undersides of pieces for a label. It also says to judge materials by weight, since solid wood and steel are heavy while particle board and MDF are noticeably lighter.

Take a photo of any label and look it up before you buy. Then compare it with listings for similar pieces, remembering that asking prices are not the same as what a piece actually sells for.

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