Dunbar Tables
Revered for its handcrafted and highly collectible mid-century modern sofas, coffee tables and other furnishings, Dunbar Furniture was founded in 1910 in Berne, Indiana, but it didn’t gain widespread recognition until the ’30s, following the introduction of its president to a designer who would leave an indelible mark on the company’s legacy: Edward Wormley.
After a stint at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Oswego, Illinois-born Wormley worked as an interior designer for Marshall Field’s before joining Dunbar in 1931. Initially focused on developing the company’s cheapest furniture line, which could be bought with soap coupons, he was soon leading Dunbar Furniture into a new era of residential furniture for modern American homes. He would serve as the company’s design director for over three decades, designing about 150 pieces each year.
During that time, he oversaw the production of designs in a wide range of materials, with influences ranging from Scandinavian modernism to Art Deco. There were modern upholstery pieces, like swiveling lounge chairs and low-slung sofas, and experiments with textural wood on bar carts and cabinets as well as minimal, sculptural tables and functional office furniture. A passionate collector of Tiffany Studios lamps, Wormley used their glass tiles in Dunbar tables in 1956. He also worked on the reproduction of pieces by designers such as Jean-Michel Frank and Richard Riemerschmid.
One standout Dunbar Furniture collection was Janus, introduced in the 1960s, with Austrian-born ceramicists Otto and Gertrud Natzler. These pieces see the Natzlers’ uniquely artful ceramic tiles set into several styles of wooden tables. They remain some of the most sought-after mid-century modern Dunbar pieces on the vintage market today. During the peak of his design career and, indeed, the height of Dunbar Furniture’s history, Wormley amassed a whopping 30 Good Design awards between 1950 and 1955 through the “Good Design” exhibition, hosted by the Chicago Merchandise Mart and the Museum of Modern Art. Dunbar today produces a limited selection of archival Wormley designs, but many sales of original Dunbar pieces are through the resale market.
Find a collection of authentic vintage Dunbar Furniture today on 1stDibs.
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Wood, Walnut, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Leather, Mahogany, Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Brass
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Wood, Mahogany, Cork
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Oak, Rosewood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Mahogany, Rosewood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Glass, Walnut
1970s Vintage Dunbar Tables
Slate
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Wood, Burl
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Ceramic, Walnut
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Glass, Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Velvet, Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Plexiglass, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Hardwood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Walnut, Burl
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Brass
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Birch, Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Burl
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Wood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Leather, Mahogany
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Oak, Rosewood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Wood, Cork
1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Brass
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Travertine
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Rosewood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Travertine
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Burl
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Chenille, Mahogany
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Slate, Brass
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Walnut, Glass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century North American Modern Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Mahogany
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Travertine
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Tables
Rosewood, Zebra Wood
1970s American Organic Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Steel
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Mahogany, Rosewood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Tables
Walnut
Dunbar tables for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to Dunbar
- Where is Dunbar Furniture made?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Dunbar furniture is made in High Point, North Carolina. The original location of the company was Berne, Indiana. Its relocation occurred after Currey & Co. bought Dunbar from founder James Wormley in 1970. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of Dunbar furniture.