Vintage 1940s Eight Drawer Dresser by Heywood-Wakefield
View Similar Items
Vintage 1940s Eight Drawer Dresser by Heywood-Wakefield
About the Item
- Creator:Heywood-Wakefield Co. (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 34 in (86.36 cm)Width: 53.5 in (135.89 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Wood,Other
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading. Condition: age appropriate wear, vintage finish worn, scuffs/scratches, edge wear, discoloration, chips, interior marks, see photos.
- Seller Location:Trenton, NJ
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU7426235182352
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.
- Heywood-Wakefield Writing DeskBy Heywood-Wakefield Co., Count Alexis de SakhnoffskyLocated in Trenton, NJInvite mid-century charm into your workspace with this Heywood Wakefield Desk, a highly sought and highly functional icon of vintage modern furniture. This desk, with its sleek curve...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables
MaterialsWood
$1,596 Sale Price20% Off - Mid-Century Modern Six Drawer DresserLocated in Trenton, NJThis impressive Mid-Century Modern six drawer dresser features a beautiful vintage blonde finish with unique pointed wooden drawer pulls. The quality vintage construction and mid-cen...Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWood
- Midcentury Three Drawer Dresser Attr. Mel SmilowBy Mel SmilowLocated in Trenton, NJIntroduce a bit of midcentury splendor into your home with this exquisite midcentury Three-Drawer Dresser (Attr. Mel Smilow),now available. This dresser embodies the essence of midce...Category
Mid-20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWood
$1,000 Sale Price20% Off - Hollywood Regency Three Drawer Campaign DresserLocated in Trenton, NJStep into the glamour of the Hollywood Regency era with this Vintage Bachelor's Chest, a piece that exudes both charm and functionality. In its original off-white finish with golden ...Category
20th Century Unknown Hollywood Regency Dressers
MaterialsMetal
$556 Sale Price20% Off - Mid-Century “Simplex” Three Drawer Dresser or Nightstand by Kent CoffeyBy Kent-CoffeyLocated in Trenton, NJUpgrade your bedroom with the timeless charm of this Vintage Mid-Century Modern Kent Coffey 3-Drawer Chest or Nightstand. This striking vintage modern dresser from the Simplex line o...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsMetal
- Mid-Century Four Drawer Dresser by Mengel Furniture- attr. Raymond LoewyBy Raymond Loewy, Mengel Furniture Co.Located in Trenton, NJImmerse yourself in vintage sophistication with this Raymond Loewy designed Mid-Century 4-Drawer Dresser, manufactured by Mengel Furniture. This exquisite piece not only encapsulates...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsMetal
$796 Sale Price20% Off
- Heywood Wakefield Sculptra Mid Century Wheat 6 Drawer DresserBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Countryside, ILHeywood Wakefield Sculptra Mid Century Wheat 6 Drawer Dresser This lowboy measures: 56 wide x 19.25 deep x 31.25 inches high All pieces of furniture can be had in what we call rest...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWood
- Heywood-Wakefield "Kohinoor" Sculpted Extra-Wide 6-Drawer DresserBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Van Nuys, CAHeywood-Wakefield "Kohinoor" 6 -drawer dresser with extra-wide drawers, sculpted front, and tapered legs all finished in the "Encore Yellow" Birch.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsBirch
- Mid-Century Modern Blonde Solid Maple 6 Drawer Dresser by Heywood WakefieldBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in BROOKLYN, NYMid-Century Modern Blonde solid Maple 6 Drawer dresser by Heywood Wakefield. Good Vintage Condition clean inside and out. Drawers slide smooth. Very unique mid century and deco desig...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsMaple
- Mid Century Modern 8 Drawer Lowboy Dresser Styled After Heywood WakefieldBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Freehold, NJThis mid century modern lowboy dresser in the style of Heywood Wakefield features solid maple construction, original champagne finish, eight drawers with carved wood pulls, and uniqu...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsMaple
- Burled Maple and Brass HiBoy Dresser after Heywood WakefieldBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Brooklyn, NYExceptional highboy dresser in the unmistakable style of Massachusetts' Heywood Wakefield furniture. A beautiful burled maple veneer elevates the piece to a higher tier of luxury des...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsWood, Hardwood, Maple, Burl
- Burled Maple and Brass Long Dresser after Heywood WakefieldBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Brooklyn, NYExceptional lowboy dresser in the unmistakable style of Massachusetts' Heywood Wakefield furniture. A beautiful burled maple veneer elevates the piece to a higher tier of luxury desi...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsMetal, Brass
