Heywood Wakefield Table Study Proposal

I intend to research a Heywood Wakefield drop leaf table that I inherited from my grandparents. The table currently resides in my parents’ living room in Ann Arbor, MI, but I hope it will be joining me soon in St. Louis.

My grandparents most likely purchased the table in the early 1950’s, probably around the time that they moved into the house in Oak Park, IL. Prior to 1977, I think that it lived in my grandparent’s bedroom on the second story of the house, against the wall with the windows between their desks. My uncles seem to remember it being covered with papers from my grandfather’s work as a psychotherapist and my grandmother’s administration of the Plum Grove Nursing Home. The way we determined the location was by a process of elimination from my uncle’s memories.

After 1977, the table was moved to my grandmother’s office further down the hall toward the back of the house. Several factors precipitated this move—the purchase of a new television preempting all the other furniture, and the exodus of my youngest uncle from the house, opening up more bedrooms for two studies, a meditation room, a fitness and family room, an accountant’s office and a guest bedroom.

It is unclear if the table remained here for the rest of it’s tenure at 417, but based on the damage it had sustained by the time I got it, I assume it must have spent some time in a wet or corrosive environment such as the attic or basement.

In 1997, when my grandparents moved to Ann Arbor, the table was one of the furniture items that were moved to Michigan. This is particularly curious because most of the furniture that was “salvaged” from their home was fine pieces of antiques, sentimental objects or extremely practical pieces. Although the table is extremely practical, it must have already been damaged at the time of the move, yet it was packed up and then promptly relegated to the dank basement storage room for use as the present wrapping table (a function it is perfectly suited for) until 2002 when the contents of the house were distributed and I claimed the table, assuming I could refinish it myself.

It sat in storage for three years, until 2005 when my parents too me to The Future Antiques on South Grand. I noticed a strikingly similar table in a corner with a $5oo price tag attached. I was surprised, and asked the owner. I learned a lot more about the Heywood Wakefield brand. Since Hey Wake items require special refinishing, I was especially glad I had not attempted to do this myself. As it turned out, one of the major refinishers was located in Michigan, so I had my table taken out and refinished at Springdale Modern furnishings. In its new, gleaming state, it now stands under the window in my parents living room, covered with lace doilies and art books, both leaves dropped.

My table is a Hey Wake wheat-toned maple table. Although I don’t know its production year or specific history, I have found most of the information about the Hey Wake line in a collector’s guide to the line. The particular table I own is one of the least fancy of all their dining room tables, and was meant to be paired with their dining sets including modern chairs and sideboards. My grandparents, using it in offices rather than dining rooms, had it in an alien, although completely functional situation. It would have hardly sufficed in the Kramer dining room, with 6 kids!

This table, like most Hey Wake pieces, is now collectible items, highly coveted by retro-modern furniture enthusiasts, like myself. Many stores, including TFA and Springdale, specialize in these types of pieces, selling to a crowd of adoring fans.

The table is very beautifully designed with the smooth wood shapes and delicate finish. Each leg glides out smoothly to support the leaf, stopping and resting on the wood nubbins that mark the spot for perfect support. I’m interested in observing the function and form of the Hey Wake pieces in generally, and in particular how the design of this table is functional in the purposes it serves. I am also hoping to explore my family’s relationship to objects, and the culture of fanatic collectors surrounding Hey Wake furniture.

I have already consulted with my family, our family photos and our other documentary evidence, primarily to no avail. I have also consulted a collectors gu9de to Hey Wake furniture, and plan on looking at other texts on retro-modern furniture. I also plan on visiting the TFA store and show room, and speaking with the owners about their experiences with Hey Wake, and this table. I am also considering calling Springdale, since they are a Hey Wake specialty store.

The end results I would like to get out of this are a narrative about the table from two perspectives—that of the collector, and that of my family. I’d also like to produce some drawings, especially of other similar Hey Wake items and comparable retro-modern pieces, and using these studies to compare directly to my table.