Dramatic Mid-Century Lounge Chair by Heywood Wakefield
View Similar Items
Dramatic Mid-Century Lounge Chair by Heywood Wakefield
About the Item
- Creator:Heywood-Wakefield Co. (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 33 in (83.82 cm)Depth: 32 in (81.28 cm)Seat Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. Wear to finish, fabric shows wear and will need to be replaced.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU97876820723
Heywood-Wakefield Co.
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 furnishings 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, they 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, the company brought in designer Gilbert Rohde, a champion of the Art Deco style. Before departing in 1932 to lead the Michigan furniture maker Herman Miller, 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 a collection of vintage Heywood-Wakefield desks, chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Mid Century Club Chair Att. to Heywood WakefieldBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in New York, NYExtra clean mid century lounge chair attributed to Heywood Wakefield. This example is well constructed, well designed and in. exceptional, ready to use condition. Measures: Total ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Mid Century Heywood Wakefield Prophecy Desk and Chair c. 1960'sBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in New York, NYRare Heywood Wakefield Prophecy desk and chair. This stylish desk features a white Formica asymmetrical top, with a solid wood base. The desk has three deep storage drawers, each wit...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks
MaterialsFormica, Wood
- Dramatic Bamboo Hood ChairBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in New York, NYDramatic high back hood form bamboo and reed wicker chair. Unusual, graphic architectural chic lounge chair, selling without cushion. This example...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsBamboo, Reed
- Mid Century Bentwood Bamboo Style Loveseat Sofa by Heywood Wakefield c. 1950'sBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in New York, NYVoguish two section loveseat with a bentwood faux bamboo frame , and original turquoise vinyl upholstered cushions. This chic sofa is in good, original condition, the wood finish s...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsUpholstery, Bentwood
- Pair of Armless Lounge Chairs with Ottomans after WormleyBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYPair of armless lounge chairs with ottomans in the style of Wormley for Dunbar. Measures: Chairs 32 1/2" H x 19 1/2" W at top x 15" H to ...Category
Vintage 1950s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery
- Mid Century Lounge Chair Attributed to Gunlocke after RisomBy Gunlocke, Jens RisomLocated in New York, NYStylish Mid Century lounge chair design after Jens Risom, attributed to Gunlocke. The chair has orange vinyl cushions, and a solid wood (probably maple) frame. The chair is solid and...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Maple
- Heywood Wakefield Mid Century Tuxedo Dining Chairs, Set of 6By Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Countryside, ILHeywood Wakefield mid century tuxedo dining chairs - Set of 6 Each chair measures: 19 wide x 21 deep x 31.75 high, with a seat height of 18 inches...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Heywood Wakefield Style Mid Century Ladder Back Chairs, PairBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Countryside, ILHeywood Wakefield style mid century ladder back chairs - Pair Each chair measures: 20 wide x 21 deep x 37 inches high, with a seat hei...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Mid-Century Modern Oak Lounge Chair by Heywood WakefieldBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Brooklyn, NYHandsome, Mid-Century Modern, lounge chair by Heywood Wakefield features a low-profile, oak frame with wide upturned arms. The cushions are newly upholstered in red tweed blend.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Oak
- Mid-Century Chair by BaumritterBy BaumritterLocated in Brooklyn, NYStriking baby blue slipper chair by Baumritter. Simple mid-century style with tufted back and sculpted wood accents. Please confirm location NY or NJ.Category
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric
$1,260 Sale Price30% Off - Mid-Century Style Whitewash ChairLocated in Westwood, NJA Mid-Century style whitewashed finish cane back chair with linen upholstered seat accented with nailhead trim. It includes one loose cushion for the back. Dimensions: 25" W x 32" ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
$1,460 / item - Mid-Century Style Paloma ChairLocated in Westwood, NJA Mid-Century style whitewashed finish slatted back chair with linen upholstered seat. It includes one loose cushion for the back. Dimensions: 25" W x 26" D x 31" H Seat - 18" H...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
$1,275 / item
