Created by the 19th-century merger of two venerable Massachusetts furniture makers, Heywood-Wakefield was one of the largest and most successful companies of its kind in the United States. In its early decades, the firm thrived by crafting affordable and hugely popular wicker pieces in traditional and historical styles. In the midst of the Great Depression, however, Heywood-Wakefield reinvented itself, creating instead the first modernist furniture — chairs, tables, dressers and more — to be widely embraced in American households.
The Heywoods were five brothers from Gardner, Massachusetts, who in 1826 started a business making wooden chairs and tables in their family shed. As their company grew, they moved into the manufacture of furniture with steam-bent wood frames and cane or wicker seats, backs and sides.
In 1897, the Heywoods joined forces with a local rival, the Wakefield Rattan Company, whose founder, Cyrus Wakefield, got his start on the Boston docks buying up lots of discarded rattan, which was used as cushioning material in the holds of cargo ships, and transforming it into furnishings. The conglomerate initially did well with both early American style and woven pieces, but taste began to change at the turn of the 20th century and wicker furniture fell out of fashion.
In 1930, Heywood-Wakefield brought in designer Gilbert Rohde, a champion of the Art Deco style. Before departing in 1932 to lead Herman Miller — the prolific Michigan manufacturer that helped transform the American home and office — Rohde created well-received sleek, bentwood chairs for Heywood-Wakefield and gave its colonial pieces a touch of Art Deco flair.
Committed to the new style, Heywood-Wakefield commissioned work from an assortment of like-minded designers, including Alfons Bach, W. Joseph Carr, Leo Jiranek and Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, a Russian nobleman who had made his name in Europe creating elegant automotive body designs.
In 1936, the company introduced its “Streamline Modern” group of furnishings, presenting a look that would define the company’s wares for another 30 years. The buoyantly bright, blond wood — maple initially, later birch — came in finishes such as amber “wheat” and pink-tinted “champagne.” The forms of the pieces, at once light and substantial, with softly contoured edges and little adornment beyond artful drawer pulls and knobs, were featured in lines with names such as “Sculptura,” “Crescendo” and “Coronet.” It was forward-looking, optimistic and built to last — a draw for middle-class buyers in the Baby Boom years.
By the 1960s, Heywood-Wakefield began to be seen as “your parents’ furniture.” The last of the Modern line came out in 1966; the company went bankrupt in 1981. The truly sturdy pieces have weathered the intervening years well, having found a new audience for their blithe and happy sophistication.
Find vintage Heywood-Wakefield desks, vanities, tables and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
1950s Heywood-Wakefield Bamboo Style Table Lamps Pair of Mid Century Modern
By Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Beautiful pair of 1950s Heywood-Wakefield, ( no maker’s mark). table lamps featuring elegant triple bamboo-form splayed shafts rising from circular wood bases with gilt metal accents...
Wood
19th Century American Victorian Wicker Floor Lamp by Heywood-Wakefield
By Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in Queens, NY
American Victorian natural wicker floor lamp with an over-sized square shade with an open woven design and a table top supported on 4 legs (HAYWOOD BROS-WAKEFIELD label).
Wicker
$1,560Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 37.5 in Dm 8.5 in
Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps in Tommi Parzinger Style, Circa 1950s
By Tommi Parzinger
Located in Miami, FL
Pair of metallic gold and light green painted plaster table lamps with large nickel-plated rings, circa 1950. Both lamps are signed by the manufacturer on the back of the lamp. These...
Nickel
19th Century Antique Victorian Brass Oil Lamp
Located in Suffolk, GB
A 19th century Victorian brass oil lamp having a pretty tulip shaped white and green elegantly etched glass shade with a single burner stood ...
Brass
Mid Century modern table lamp STILUX Milan, 1950s
By Stilux
Located in Vittoria, IT
Gorgeous mid century lamp from the 1950s made by stilux milan, perfectly original, original cord, power outlet replaced.
Sheet Metal
19th Century English Cut Crystal Column Lamp
Located in London, GB
A good quality English cut crystal column lamp. The lamp would have originally been configured as an oil burner and has since been converted to electricity. Condition: Minor nibble...
Crystal
$3,850 / set
H 15 in Dm 14 in
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Lightolier Table Lamps by Gerald Thurston, 1950s
By Lightolier, Gerald Thurston
Located in Camden, ME
This exceptional matched pair of Mid-Century Modern table lamps was designed by Gerald Thurston for Lightolier during the 1950s. Characterized by Thurston’s signature balance of arch...
Brass
Antique American Wicker Rattan Arts & Crafts Table Lamp, 1918-1920
By Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Exceptional antique Arts & Craft table lamp was hand made in wicker and rattan by an artisan in New York state in 1918-1920. Round base and columnar body are done in tightly wov...
Brass
Art Deco Style Mid-Century Modern 1950s Green and Gold Table Lamp
Located in DE
Beautiful 1950s table lamp in green and gold. The top can be slightly tilted up and down. The light bulb is a standard E27. Elegant office table lamp.
Metal, Brass
19th Century French Lamp
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exquisite 19th-century French lamp is a masterpiece of Neoclassical design, combining luxurious materials with intricate craftsmanship. The base is made of finely cut crystal, s...
Bronze
$941
H 10.63 in Dm 7.09 in
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Marbled Cocoon Tulip Table Lamps from Goldkant, 1950s
Located in Nürnberg, Bayern
Pair of Mid-Century Modern Marbled Cocoon Tulip Table Lamps from Goldkant, 1950s Good condition, the cocoon shades with typical patina. Please see photos. The lamp needs 1 x E14 / ...
Metal
Pair of Large Mid-Century Modern Brass and Bamboo Table Lamps
Located in Brussels, BE
Pair of Large Mid-Century Modern Brass and Bamboo Table Lamps
Brass
$1,759Sale Price|20% Off
H 14.18 in W 22.05 in D 7.49 in
Vintage Italian Brass Table Lamp, Mid-Century Modern, 1950s
Located in London, GB
Italian vintage brass table lamp (circa 1950s). A timeless desk lamp with delightful mid-century detail including an angled arm extending from the very weighty base. The brass featur...
Brass
19th century American Twisted Cranberry Glass Column Lamp
Located in Savannah, GA
This unusually tall antique American glass oil lamp features a tall ruby colored twisted rope column extending to a ruby font. The round base an...
Brass
Sold
H 21 in W 17 in D 17 in
Antique Heywood Wakefield Arts & Crafts White Wicker Table Lamp With Shade
By Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Antique Heywood Wakefield Arts & Crafts White Wicker Table Lamp With Shade. Item features original wicker body and shade, very nice antique item, possibly by Heywood Wakefield. Circa...
Wicker
Antique Heywood Wakefield Wicker Triple-Light Floor Lamp C1920
By Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in Big Flats, NY
Antique Heywood Wakefield Wicker Triple-Light Floor Lamp with Flared Base & Dome Shade, C1920 Measures - 71"h x 28"diam
Wicker
Heywood Wakefield Floor lamp w/ Drum shade
By Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Beautiful black lacquer Heywood Wakefield floor lamp. The elegantly tapered body of the lamp is crowned with a spun fiberglass drum shade. Unique vintage to...
Brass