Heywood Wakefield : Moving with the Times
Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company was established in 1897 as a merger of two makers who both produced furniture objects from wicker and rattan. The company continued to change and evolve with a name change to Heywood-Wakefield and the acquisition of three other companies in the early part of the 20th century.
By the 1920s, the company had swelled to a large operation – one image shows it to have been operating with four factories and ten warehouses across the US including one in London. Despite the size, they maintained a connection to market tastes and hired talented designers. Moving to the mid-century period they moved away from the Deco era and other decorative styles to a more modernist style.
Image: Stylemutt Home
Image: Atomic Ranch / Photo by Bret Gum
Heywood-Wakefield furniture from the mid-century period remains collectable for its recognisable timber and finish, matched with memorable lines and surprising details produced from Northern Yellow Birch. Our favourites are the storage pieces with unique square outline handles or the wonderful outward shaped legs are classic designs which have mid-century character but remain timeless.
At the beginning of a new era of mid-century collectors, in 1994 South Beach Furniture Company picked up on the demand for the wooden Heywood Wakefield designs and continues to produce these with new technology and interpretive designs in keeping with contemporary taste.
We are pleased to represent designs from this maker in our current and archive collection, below.
Image: The Gardner News
From Our Archive: Heywood-Wakefield 'Sculptura' Chest of Drawers
From Our Archive: Heywood-Wakefield 'Sculptura' Chest of Drawers
American furniture maker Heywood Wakefield was a pioneer in contemporary designer furniture during the early to mid-20th century.
.avif)
.webp)
