Vintage Rway Furniture Company pieces are some of the best mid-century furniture you will be able to score on Marketplace.
Although Rway made several different lines of furniture, the most common (in order of popularity) that you will come across are –
- Boxy MCM style with lion-head hardware & a plinth base
- Neoclassical style with flared legs and carved gilt details
- Pagoda top style with matching pagoda hardware
- Greek key detail base with matching Greek key hardware
Seems like these lines were super popular because that’s almost all that you will find on Facebook and resale websites.
I have occasionally come across this Asian style and this very MCM style, but those are fewer and farther between.
Identification & Unique Details Of RWay Furniture
I very much love these particular lines of RWay dressers because it’s very well made. The usual dovetailed joints and solid wood construction are very common to the furniture made in the 1950s.
You can read a little bit of RWay’s history here and an in-depth history here. It’s fascinating. The slow demise of American manufacturing is a common theme in all furniture lines
RWay pieces will be stamped with a stamp that looks like the one below. You can find the stamp (usually) inside the top left drawer.
Another distinct feature of RWay pieces is this little plastic jewelry tray that you will see attached in the top drawer.
I have seen this feature on other vintage lines, but RWay seems to have made them a default feature.
Also, something noteworthy is the super tight gaping between drawers on almost all Rway pieces.
The gaps are almost non-existent. It’s a sign (among other things) of quality craftsmanship by RWay.
They are usually deep – like 20″ or deeper, so they have a substantial presence.
Rway With Lion Head Hardware
I have seen dressers, tallboys, chests, and nightstands from this line. This stuff is really wonderful.
The boxy shape is combined with rounded columns, and some carved gilt detail on them.
This carved detail is the same on both of these lines, the difference is the plinth base vs. off-the-floor legs.
The dressers are taller at about 33″ tall. They make excellent choices for nurseries or even main bedroom dressers.
I have painted several of these over the years and as much as I adore the original hardware, I recently switched it out with something completely different, and now I am in love with the look.
The matching tallboy to this dresser is almost petite-sized. It has a stacked construction.
I have come across oversized nightstands and tall/skinny nightstands in this line.
The oversized nightstands were most likely bachelor’s chests. The pair is hard to find.
The oddly tall and skinny nightstands are very popular for small, tight bedrooms with tall beds.
RWay Neoclassical Furniture Line
I have come across dressers, chests, and tallboys from this collection. The dressers came in a couple of sizes, but only one size tallboy and small nightstands in this line.
The dressers have 6-7″ tall flared legs that lift them off the ground. The carved detail is ornate and beautiful. The hardware, too, has carved details and a flared shape like the legs.
The smaller chests make for an excellent accent piece. The larger dresser is a fantastic size (and height) and also fairly rare to come across.
The Tallboy is a nice compliment to the dressers.
I love bold pops of color for the chest version. As much as I love the original hardware, I am always ready to swap it with something bold.
The chests make great nightstands for large main bedrooms with huge beds.
I have painted a few as pairs.
Other Rway Furniture Lines
Like I said earlier, the two styles above are very abundant in the vintage universe, but I have come across this Asian style with flared edges on the top.
RWay Pagoda Top Line With Pagoda Hardware
The pagoda detail on the top and the pagoda hardware is absolutely lovely, and I adore it.
There is a bonus Greek key detail on the leg as well.
Again, you can see the common theme of boxy shapes with tastefully done minimal details. This is no faux bamboo furniture.
The large, plain drawers are a great canvas for big chunky hardware. Here is a tallboy painted in a vibrant blue with oversized Greek key pulls
There is a version of the same pieces minus the Asian-style flare on the top that you will come across occasionally.
RWay Greek Key Line
This one I have come across maybe three times in my years of painting. It’s solid as a rock and overall a great design.
My guess is that RWay’s other lines were just not as popular as first the two.
They were in less demand, so much fewer were sold; hence, you don’t see them very often up for sale.
Final Thoughts
RWay furniture pieces represent the golden days of American manufacturing.
Yes, there are still many boutique furniture makers in North Carolina, but most of them, such as Henredon, Dixie, and Mastercraft, have gone away.
If you get a chance to own a piece of vintage American-made furniture, definitely take it. You won’t regret it.
The quality is exceptional. The fact that these pieces are still standing tall 70+ years later is a testament to that.