Here’s someone who doesn’t know what a gem they have! This Heywood-Wakefield set popped up on Craigslist last night with an asking price of $575! I’ve seen the headboard and footboard go for more than that alone.

It looks like three pieces from the Hey-Wake Niagara collection:

5 Drawer Chest

Dresser

Headboard/Footboard

And one piece from the Hey-Wake Riviera collection:

Nightstand

Here’s what the seller had to say:

Check out this great 50s bedroom set. Looks to be made of maple. Very solid and in very good condition. This was used solely as a set in our guest bedroom. Comes with lightly used Kingsdown Queen set. Mirror dresser measures 42 wide by 65 tall with mirror. (top dresser is missing, has apron attached as shown) Tall dresser is 33×48. Side table is 13×26. Mattress set alone cost over $500.

Serious Inquiries only

This is a great find! Heywood-Wakefield is HIGHLY collectible and generally goes for a pretty penny. So snatch this set up! It won’t last long at this price.

If I had the money, this would be a post about my new Heywood-Wakefield Ashcraft sofa and chair (man, they would look so good in my tiki room!), but sadly I do not. So I’m hoping someone will give this lovely set a good home.

If you’re interested, you can find it here on Craigslist. Here’s what the owner had to say about it:

I have a 6-piece set of 6-band rattan that’s in excellent condition. My family is the original owner, and it’s amazing how this set has held up! If you know anything about rattan, they don’t make 6-band anymore because it’s too expensive.

This set is made up of individual pieces, so can be arranged however you want. 5 of the 6 pieces are pictured below. The 6th piece is another “middle” for the couch and is currently being stored at my parent’s place in Fairfax, so I will go get it for you.

This set will make awesome furniture for a covered porch or florida room!

I’ll admit, it’s pretty hard to part with this seeing as how long my family has had it, but I’m moving in with my boyfriend, and in the spirit of compromise, we’ve decided to keep his couch set.

Email me if interested!

This set is in beautiful shape and would look fabulous re-covered like this.

For more information about the Heywood-Wakefield Ashcraft line, please read my previous post.

While some people spend their weekends gardening or lounging by the pool, I spend mine scouring thrift stores for long-forgotten mid-century gems! Sometimes I’m lucky, and sometimes I’m not. Yesterday was a lucky day!

A few weeks ago, I scored a two-tiered Heywood-Wakefield side table from their Ashcraft collection at a local thrift store for $38. Those who know the value of Hey Wake know $38 is a STEAL! Aside from a few minor scratches, which is to be expected on a 60-year-old piece of furniture, the table is in fantastic shape.

Yesterday, I headed back to my lucky thrift store and lo and behold, they had this fabulous Heywood-Wakefield chair from the same collection! And it was only $37! It’s a little roughed up, but with some love and attention it will soon be a stellar piece.

I plan to reupholster it in a vintage-inspired Hawaiian print like this one.

For those unfamiliar with the Heywood-Wakefield name, the company was established by the five Heywood brothers in Massachusetts in 1826. They had a humble beginning — producing chairs in the family barn — but soon business took off. In the late 1800s, the Heywoods acquired the Wakefield Rattan Company and thus the Heywood-Wakefield Co. was born.

In the mid-1930s, the company began producing more modern designs and continued to do so until 1966. Today, the company’s Danish modern-inspired lines such as Sculptura, Kohinoor and Encore are highly sought after by mid-century collectors.

The Ashcraft line is different from the company’s better-known modern lines. It was created during World War II in a time when furniture making was put on hold so the wood could be used for producing rifles for the servicemen. In an effort to keep business going, Heywood-Wakefield began constructing furniture out of rattan.

Unfortunately, during the war Japan bombed the port city where the company acquired its rattan supply, so it became time to get creative. The company began utilizing New England Ash wood (hence the Ashcraft name), which looks and bends much like rattan. They used pieces of varnished wrapped paper to bind the joints.

Despite the substitution, the Ashcraft collection is just as sturdy and beautiful as every other Heywood-Wakefield line. It just has a better story!

To view more of the Ashcraft collection, check out Springdale’s Web site.