An occasional series of questions from the public about vintage Heywood-Wakefield furniture

Question

Hi! I just picked up this bed off Craigslist that was advertised as HW. Is it? I couldnt find any images on the internet of a similar bed. If its not, I am still happy with the beautiful lines and color of the wood 🙂

Carolyn M.

Heywood-Wakefield’s Answer

Dear Carolyn,

Your bed is definitely Heywood-Wakefield. The 4-number model number preceded by the letter C places it sometime in the mid-1930s. I have a 1936 catalog with a very similar bed marked C 3309, which also shows the same “waterfall”-style headboard as your bed. The “4-6 wheat” is also typical Heywood-Wakefield; “4-6” referred to the size of the bed, and was another way to identify what is now called a “full-size” bed. The 1936 catalog calls this “Streamline Maple – Modern Furniture”, and says that it is “Colonial Charm with Modern Utility”. Starting in 1937 it’s referred to as simply “Streamline Furniture”. Before 1937 some Heywood-Wakefield furniture was made from maple rather than the later birch wood, and may have wood color designations stamped onto the backs and underside of pieces such as “bleached”, “rubbed”, or “maple”.

Incidentally, those L-shaped mounting brackets with the three hole and flat-head Philips screws are the final giveaway. That’s how Heywood-Wakefield beds held up the box-spring foundations typical of the period.

Nice find!

Leonard Riforgiato
Co-Owner, Heywood-Wakefield Co.