Heal's celebrates its 200th anniversary

This rather well preserved shilling instalment of Charles Dickens' Bleak House dates from 1837 and contains a full page advertisement for "Heal & Son's Illustrated Catalogue of Bedsteads" (no doubt a riverting read), complete with a drawing of a rather fancy four-poster bed. Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk The Letchworth two drawer dressing table was designed by Ambrose Heal (1872-1959) and is part of the Owl bedroom suite. Ambrose pioneered the mass production of furniture based on simple design and construction with little ornamentation. This enabled ordinary people to afford stylish and well-made pieces. Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk Another Letchworth piece - this dresser is made from chestnut and has a display shelf above two doors. It was designed by Ambrose Heal c1904 Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk A limited edition sideboard made from mahogany and ebony dating from 1916 in the Arts and Crafts style. Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk This poster map of the store was designed by RP Gossop in 1928 and illustrates the breadth of Heal's range. One of the innovations that Heal's brought to the world of furniture was their use of illustrations. They would suggest to customers the layout of rooms, to the point of giving ideas for pictures to be displayed on walls and the arrangement of tableware. By 1896 they started to use photographs of their ‘show rooms’ - displaying an aspirational way of life for the middle classes Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk A couple of supremely comfortable-looking armchairs which were part of a three piece suite designed by Ambrose Heal c1935. This period was a time of economic hardship for many and Heal's designs were cheap to make (and buy) yet stylish. Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk A Heal's poster from the 1930s gives the graphic impression of a stylish living room - complete with tiger skin rug! Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk In 1932, Ambrose Heal designed this wonderful wardrobe for his mistress Dodie Smith. She was a key character at Heal’s during the 1920s and 30s, where she ran the toy department. Forced to compete for Ambrose’s affections with his long term mistress, Prudence Maufe, in 1939 she married a Heal’s co-worker, Alec Beesley and they soon moved to America. Dodie later went on to become an author and wrote The Hundred and One Dalmatians Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk Another beautifully designed poster from the 1930s Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk This 1952 sideboard, part of a dining suite in kevasinga (a luxury hardwood) and mahogany, was designed by Christopher Heal. He was the youngest son of Ambrose Heal and became Design Director of the company in 1952, a position which he held until 1975 Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk A 1960s advertisement from the "Can’t-wait-to-get-it-home" campaign. This appeared in publications such as the Evening Standard and Ideal Home Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk And another one from the 60s - we can't quite imagine being able to take that attractive vehicle out on Tottenham Court Road these days ... Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk 1948 leaning storage system designed and developed by Robin Day and Clive Latimer at Heal’s cabinet workshops. This design won first prize in the Low Cost Furniture competition held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A similar system created by Heal’s design manager John Jenkins is still sold by the company today Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk The Buzz range launched in 1978 and was intended to appeal to a younger clientele with less money to spend. The aim was to entice them away from lower priced high street newcomers, such as Habitat. It was closed in 1983 Photograph: Amy Exton Photograph: Amy Exton/guardian.co.uk The teak garden bench in this poster was an updated version of Ambrose Heal's original Arts and Crafts design. This poster advertised the new outdoor shop opened by Terence Conran in the 1980s when he became chairman with the Storehouse Group Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk The Domino sideboard was designed in the 1990s by Heal’s design manager John Jenkins and was based on an old merchant’s chest Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk Designed in 2006 by Heal’s Discovers designer, John Reeves, the Louis four poster bed was an extension of his exclusive and award winning Louis range. It remains a best-seller today. With a contemporary baroque influence, it is created from a single traditionally turned leg which is divided into four and inverted on each corner Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk This dressing table and stool was designed by Johnny Egg for Heal's Rediscovers, a limited edition collection to celebrate their Bicentenary. It was inspired by Ambrose Heal's 1898 Fine Feathers suite dressing table which was carved with the Rudyard Kipling quotation, 'If this be vanity, who'd be wise?' The same quotation is inlaid inside the drawer of this design Photograph: Heal's Photograph: guardian.co.uk And for modern fans of the furniture store, there's this 2010 edition of a timeless classic: the Chesterfield sofa Photograph: Sue Perrett Photograph: Sue Perrett/guardian.co.uk