This section gathers my posts on American furniture design, restoration, manufacturers, catalogs, and the changing material culture of the twentieth century. Much of the focus is on the 1930s through the 1960s, when companies such as Heywood-Wakefield, Drexel, Broyhill, Lloyd, Ficks Reed, and others were shaping the look of modern American homes through wood, rattan, tubular steel, upholstery, and new approaches to mass-market design. These posts include catalog research, restoration projects, manufacturer histories, and close looks at individual pieces, with an emphasis on how furniture was made, marketed, used, repaired, and ultimately remembered.
Restoring a Pair of Heywood-Wakefield C3980C Streamline Arm Chairs
These two Heywood-Wakefield C3980C arm chairs are from the company’s Streamline line, produced circa 1941–44. Like so much of Heywood-Wakefield’s...
A Streamline Survivor: Reupholstering a Rare Heywood-Wakefield Chair
Some pieces arrive as furniture. Others arrive as puzzles. This Heywood-Wakefield armchair was definitely the second kind. It belongs to...
Restoring a Rare Set of 1936 Heywood-Wakefield C2918 Streamline Chairs
Some pieces announce themselves immediately. Others take a little looking. These 1936 Heywood-Wakefield C2918 chairs fall into the second category:...
Lloyd Regal Capri: Color, Confidence, and Late-1950s Modern
Lloyd Furniture Company was based in Menominee, Michigan, and was part of the network of Midwestern manufacturers supplying furniture to...
Douglas and the Rise of the American Dinette
Douglas Furniture Corporation was one of the key American manufacturers behind the mid-century “dinette set” as we think of it...
Arvin Dinette Sets, 1949: Chrome, Color, and the Modern Kitchen
There’s something very specific happening in this 1949 Arvin dinette catalog. It’s not just furniture. It’s a vision of what...
Drexel Furniture Catalogs
Drexel was founded in 1903 in Drexel, a small town in western North Carolina that was part of a growing...
Cypress Furniture for Leisure Living
This catalog from the Cypress Furniture Factory in Miami captures a moment when outdoor living was becoming a defined part...
Royal Haeger Lamp Catalog 1941C
The company traces back to the late 19th century in Dundee, Illinois, originally operating as a brick and tile manufacturer....
Empire Furniture Manufacturing, 1949 Dinette Catalog
Empire Furniture Manufacturing Company was one of many regional American furniture makers that found a niche in the dinette and...
Sellers Kitchen Furniture 1939 Catalog
The 1939 catalog from Sellers Kitchen Furniture captures a moment just before the American kitchen fully transitioned into the streamlined,...
Laun Furniture Catalog: Better Living in 1952
The 1952 catalog from A.A. Laun Furniture Company presents a focused and confident view of mid-century American furniture design. Rather...
Bassett Furniture, 1964 Catalog: Something for Everyone
By 1964, Bassett Furniture was one of the largest furniture producers in the United States, with roots going back to...
Broyhill Saga, 1963 Catalog: Nordic Influenced Design
In the 1960s, Broyhill expanded its range of styles to reflect changing tastes in American homes. The Saga line, introduced...
Broyhill Sculptra, 1964 Catalog: Quiet Modernism
In the early 1960s, Broyhill introduced the Sculptra line as part of its move into more design-forward furniture. While much...
Broyhill Penn Colony, 1964: Modern Colonial
Broyhill was founded in the early 20th century in North Carolina and grew steadily after World War II as demand...
Kuehne Furniture, 1958: Everyday Modern for the American Kitchen
Kuehne Manufacturing Company was one of many small-to-mid-sized furniture makers operating in the Midwest during the mid-20th century. Based in...
Metalcraft Corporation: Tubular Steel Furniture of 1938
Metalcraft started in the early 1920s and was fundamentally a metalworking company. Their primary focus was toys (metal cars, airplanes,...
Heywood Designer: Leo Jarenik
When Heywood-Wakefield set out to reinvent itself in the early 1930s, it did so at a moment when American taste...
Heywood Designer: Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky
Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky was a Russian-born aristocrat, artist, and industrial designer who became one of the most influential figures...
Heywood-Wakefield Company Closure: The End of an Era
The decline and closure of Heywood-Wakefield Company was not the result of a single bad decision or a sudden collapse....
Heywood-Wakefield Early Company Manufacturing History
In its earliest decades, Heywood-Wakefield was defined less by style than by process. Long before the company became known for...
George & John Heywood Interview
This interview reflects a pivotal moment in mid-century American manufacturing, when long-established companies like Heywood-Wakefield were navigating profound structural change....
Heywood-Wakefield Strike of 1956
This interview from John Heywood in 1989 captures the voices and experiences surrounding the 1956 Heywood-Wakefield strike, a prolonged labor...
1950s Heywood Wakefield Pattern Design #1
This fabric design, inspired by folkloric and pastoral themes, captures the essence of rural life with illustrations of people carrying...
Harry Bird’s Tropical Fish
This scene features a setting of Harry Bird's Tropical Fish dinnerware for Vernon Kilns on the Montecito shape. The table...