Walk into enough estate sales in Utah and you will start to recognize a name stamped on the back of dressers, the underside of coffee tables, and the inside lid of cedar chests: Lane. Lane Furniture was one of the most successful furniture makers of the twentieth century, and it is one of the easiest mid-century brands to actually find here, because the company made so much of it and made it to last. If you have ever wondered why a Lane cedar chest shows up at nearly every sale your grandmother's generation left behind, this one is for you.
Who Was Lane Furniture?
Lane started in Altavista, Virginia, in 1912, and by the mid-twentieth century it had become a household name across the country, largely on the strength of one product: the cedar hope chest. For decades, Lane gave away miniature promotional hope chests to high school girls across the United States, banking on the idea that a young woman who kept her jewelry in a tiny Lane chest would want a full-size one when she married. It worked. Lane hope chests became a fixture of American homes, and the company grew into a full-line furniture manufacturer producing bedroom sets, dining sets, and the sleek, tapered-leg case goods we now think of as classic mid-century.
By the 1950s and 60s, Lane was producing furniture with the same clean lines, dovetailed drawers, and warm walnut veneers associated with pricier designer names, but at a price point that made it into a huge number of American homes. That is exactly why it shows up so often in Utah, a state that grew fast during those same decades.
What to Look For
The easiest way to identify a Lane piece is to check the drawers. Lane stamped or branded most of its furniture, so pull out a drawer and look at the sides, the back, or the underside of the case for a Lane logo, a model number, or a manufacture date. Cedar chests almost always have a small brass or metal tag on the front, and many still have the manufacturing date stamped inside the lid.
Beyond the branding, look for the details that separate a well-made Lane piece from a flimsier reproduction: dovetail joinery on the drawers, solid wood drawer sides rather than particleboard, and a walnut or mahogany veneer with real depth and grain, not a printed laminate. Tapered, angled legs, often called Danish-style or peg legs, are a hallmark of Lane's most collectible mid-century lines. Hardware matters too. Original brass pulls in a starburst, diamond, or simple round shape are worth keeping if they are in good condition, since they are period-correct and hard to match exactly if lost.
Common Lane Pieces You'll Run Into
The cedar hope chest is the piece most people already know, and it remains genuinely useful today as a blanket chest, a coffee table with storage, or an entry bench. Beyond that, keep an eye out for Lane dressers and highboys with sculpted drawer fronts, dining tables with the brand's signature tapered legs and pop-up leaf extensions, and the occasional Lane Acclaim or Perception line piece, which mid-century collectors seek out specifically. None of these require you to know the exact line by name before you buy. If the construction is solid and the price is fair, a Lane piece is a safe bet regardless of which decade or series it came from.
What a Lane Piece Is Worth Today
Because Lane made so much furniture, prices stay reasonable compared to rarer designer names like Dunbar or Widdicomb. A well-kept cedar chest typically runs in the low hundreds, and dressers or dining sets fall into a similar range depending on size and condition. That accessibility is part of the appeal. You get genuine solid-wood, dovetailed, mid-century construction without paying collector prices reserved for harder-to-find brands. The tradeoff is that you do need to check condition carefully, since decades of use mean drawer glides wear out and finishes get scuffed. Neither issue is a dealbreaker; both are easy for a refinisher to address.
Bringing a Lane Piece Home
A Lane cedar chest works as well at the foot of a bed today as it did in 1965, and a Lane dresser or credenza slides right into a modern Utah home without looking dated, thanks to those clean mid-century lines. We regularly come across Lane pieces in our own sourcing, and we check the joinery, hardware, and finish on every one before it goes out on the floor. If you are hunting for a specific Lane piece, or just want to know what is currently in the shop, we are happy to help you track one down.
Call or text us at 801.369.0337 and we will let you know what Lane pieces or other mid-century finds we have on hand.
Based in Saratoga Springs, Utah. Local delivery available from Provo to Ogden — delivery rates vary by distance. Pickup by appointment welcome.