Mid-Century Step End Table, Lane Acclaim
A mid-century step end table from the Lane Acclaim line from Snowdrift Antiques.
The Lane Furniture Company was founded in Altavista, VA in 1912. For decades they were known for their cedar chests. By 1950 they saw Danish modern furniture imports begin to take hold in households. The Acclaim line of Lane furniture was one of their first and probably their most recognizable foray into this market. The Acclaim line is often called “the dovetail collection” for its striking use of oak, walnut and fruit woods to create a non-functional but highly decorative and contrasting dovetail look. This line was designed by Andre Bus and introduced in 1958 and produced through the very early 1970s.
Lane went to extreme lengths to make sure the wood chosen for Acclaim furniture was of the highest quality.
~ Original Lane Acclaim advertisement~
“The inlaid dovetailed border. The warm, rich, seasoned walnut. The satiny finish only hand-rubbing can achieve! One after another, custom details you’ll see in every beautiful Acclaim table by Lane! And underneath it all – craftsmanship where it counts! In the sturdy top that won’t warp, won’t split. In joinings, locked to a grown-together fit. In legs so exact, so firmly planted, there’s no rock, no wobble, no place for it to start! Indeed the proudest cabinetmaker might have made this table. But never at anything near the modest Lane price you pay!”
This Lane Acclaim step end table is Acclaim style 900-007 and called the "Step Table" by Lane. The wood has great grain and color and is the original finish. I strongly prefer the original finish on an Acclaim because of the high contrast seen when they are re-finished. It has a raised base in back, perfect for a lamp. It has stretcher bars for stability between all four legs. Underneath it has the Lane maker's mark as well its serial number "367021". Reading this serial number backwards tells you it was manufactured on December 7, 1963.
The table measures 21 inches high to the top surface and 28 inches high by 21 inches wide.
This table is in excellent vintage condition. The grain and color is excellent, as Acclaims typically are. There is some less than age appropriate wear here and there, with the only real sign of wear being a lamp sized slightly darker circle on the top step, where the wood was protected from sunlight by a lamp for decades. I have oiled it lightly to relieve it from the Colorado dryness and the wood grain and color glows as you would expect from Acclaim.
We also have a matching Acclaim Flat End and the Acclaim Round Cocktail table in this shop.