Heywood-Wakefield Company

The Heywood-Wakefield Company is an American furniture manufacturer established in 1897. It went on to become a major presence in the US. Its older products are considered collectibles^[1][2][3] and have been featured on Antiques Roadshow.^[4][5]

History

Heywood Brothers was established in 1826 and Wakefield Company was established in 1855.^[6] Both firms produced wicker and rattan furniture and, as these products became increasingly popular towards the end of the century, they became serious rivals.^[7] In 1897, the companies merged as Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company (this name was changed to Heywood-Wakefield Company in 1921). The new company subsequently purchased Washburn-Heywood Chair Company in 1916, Oregon Chair Company in 1920, and Lloyd Manufacturing Company in 1921.^[6] Marshall Lloyd had developed a process for making woven furniture, such as wicker baby buggies.

As was the case for so many American manufacturers, Heywood-Wakefield succumbed to rising costs and competition from manufacturers abroad and was forced to shutter its operations in 1979.^[8] In 1982, Heywood-Wakefield sold the former Lloyd Manufacturing Company facilities to Flanders Industries.^[9] This company, now known as Lloyd Flanders, still makes outdoor furniture in Menominee, Michigan.^[9] The Heywood-Wakefield Company Complex in Gardner, Massachusetts was added to the National Historic Register in 1983.

The South Beach Furniture Company acquired the rights to the Heywood-Wakefield name in 1992. Upon discovering the demand for vintage pieces, the company began manufacturing new pieces in the style of vintage Heywood-Wakefield furniture. In 2022, the company changed its name and officially became Heywood-Wakefield Co. The company is now run by third-generation furniture maker Tom Belletete^[10] and all furniture is made in Winchendon, Massachusetts.^[8]

Products

Both founding companies produced wicker and rattan furniture in the late 19th century. Wakefield initiated its mechanized production.^[7] The wicker styles drew on the Aesthetic Movement and Japanese influences; simpler designs arose in the wake of the Arts and Crafts Movement.^[7] The merged entity stayed abreast of wicker furniture trends by hiring designers such as Paul Frankl and Donald Deskey during the 1920s.^[7] The 1920s saw the company move into installing seating in movie palaces.^[11] Its furniture was exhibited at the 1933 Century of Progress exhibition and at the 1964 New York World's Fair.^[12]

During the 1930s and 1940s, Heywood-Wakefield began producing furniture using sleek designs based on French Art Deco.^[13] In fact, many well-known and influential designers contributed to Heywood-Wakefield during this time period; these included Gilbert Rohde, Russel Wright, Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, and W. Joseph Carr.^[8]

Long-haul bus companies began focusing on passenger comfort in the 1920s. Heywood-Wakefield's bucket seats proved successful and rail companies began to follow suit. Together with the Association of American Railroads' Mechanical Division, Heywood-Wakefield became involved in the quest for more luxurious seat design. Through a grant from Heywood-Wakefield, the Association employed a Harvard professor of anthropology, E. A. Hooton, to research rail passenger seat preferences in 1945.^[14] Heywood-Wakefield's resulting Sleepy Hollow seat came into wide use.^[14]