Rare Pair Of Uniflex K Range Bedside Chests By Peter Hayward

Rare pair of Uniflex K Range bedside chests by Peter Hayward

This lovely rare range by Uniflex is often wrongly described as by Gunther Hoffstead as he designed most of their 1960’s pieces but this is definitely by Peter Hayward who designed their late 1950’s pieces. Our time spent going through original copies of The Cabinet Maker was rewarded when we came across an article written when the K Range was launched in 1964 where it’s described as by Hayward. Unlike most Mid-Century furniture the wood is walnut rather than rosewood or teak.

The range can’t have been a commercial success as pieces rarely turn up for sale and when they do it’s the dressing tables and low double chests that you usually see. A couple of years ago we had a set which had 2 wardrobes, dressing table and low chest. These came separately, one with a tall chest and dressing table ( both sold ) and the second one a couple of months later with a low double chest ( will be listing soon ). We could only find 1 single one on a recent online search so never expected to be able to find a second one so quickly. In the 1960’s most people bought “continental headboards” with attached drawers or shelves, so freestanding pairs of bedside chests are always hard to find.

We’ve had them both stripped and re-polished even though they were both in good vintage condition, so that we could get as good a colour match as possible. Walnut has a nice grain and rich colour.

Condition
Cleaned and oiled with no obvious marks or scratches. As with all vintage pieces you must expect to see some minor signs of wear if you look very closely.