Classic Edward Wormley for Dunbar Bench
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 11 in (27.94 cm)Width: 66.5 in (168.91 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)Seat Height: 14 in (35.56 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. very good original condition, original fabric, purchased directly from Dunbar in the 1970's.
- Seller Location:St.Petersburg, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU802922165912
Edward Wormley
As the longtime director of design for the Dunbar furniture company, Edward Wormley was, along with such peers as George Nelson at Herman Miller Inc., and Florence Knoll of Knoll Inc., one of the leading forces in bringing modern design into American homes in the mid-20th century. Not an axiomatic modernist, Wormley deeply appreciated traditional design, and consequently his work has an understated warmth and a timeless quality that sets it apart from other furnishings of the era.
Wormley was born in rural Illinois and as a teenager took correspondence courses from the New York School of Interior Design. He later attended the Art Institute of Chicago but ran out of money for tuition before he could graduate. Marshall Field hired Wormley in 1930 to design a line of reproduction 18th-century English furniture; the following year he was hired by the Indiana-based Dunbar, where he quickly distinguished himself. It was a good match.
Dunbar was an unusual firm: it did not use automated production systems; its pieces were mostly hand-constructed. For his part, Wormley did not use metal as a major component of furniture; he liked craft elements such as caned seatbacks, tambour drawers, or the woven-wood cabinet fronts seen on his Model 5666 sideboard of 1956. He designed two lines for Dunbar each year — one traditional, one modern — until 1944, by which time the contemporary pieces had become the clear best sellers.
Many of Wormley’s signature pieces — chairs, sofas, tables and more — are modern interpretations of traditional forms. His 1946 Riemerschmid Chair — an example is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art — recapitulates a late 19th-century German design. The long, slender finials of his Model 5580 dining chairs are based on those of Louis XVI chairs; his Listen-to-Me Chaise (1948) has a gentle Rococo curve; the “Precedent” line that Wormley designed for Drexel Furniture in 1947 is a simplified, pared-down take on muscular Georgian furniture. But he could invent new forms, as his Magazine table of 1953, with its bent wood pockets, and his tiered Magazine Tree (1947), both show. And Wormley kept his eye on design currents, creating a series of tables with tops that incorporate tiles and roundels by the great modern ceramicists Otto and Gertrud Natzler.
As the vintage items on 1stDibs demonstrate, Edward Wormley conceived of a subdued sort of modernism, designing furniture that fits into any decorating scheme and does not shout for attention.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: St.Petersburg, FL
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Long Bermuda Bench By Edward WormleyBy Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLClassic and elegant "Bermuda" bench by Edward Wormley for Dunbar ca' 1950's. This is the hard to find long version. Reupholstered in patinated leather with brass nail heads.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
- Edward Wormley Dunbar Party Server BarBy Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLEdward Wormley for Dunbar "party server" or bar cabinet on wheels. Rare and iconic early Wormley design. When extended the top becomes 53.5"L.Category
Vintage 1950s American Carts and Bar Carts
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Tiered Coffee Table, Walnut with Rosewood Drawer PullBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLElegant coffee table designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Table features a rectangular shape with unique leg detail. Below are two open shelves on either side of a drawer accented ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsRosewood, Walnut
- Classic Edward Wormley for Dunbar Chest of Drawers/ DresserBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLStunning walnut Dunbar chest designed by Edward Wormley. Four large scale drawers. Legs feature Japanese style- studio/ craftsman details. Leather wrapped handles (dark brown) show s...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Classic Minimalist Rosewood and Steel BenchBy Pace Furniture CompanyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA Minimalist vintage bench or coffee table. Solid steel and rosewood, heavy and well made, circa 1960s. Rosewood top has a nice patina and bookmatched graining.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsRosewood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Club ChairsBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLStunning pair of oak framed chairs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, referred to as “Edward’s Chair”. New fabric and great original finish. Chairs...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Table or Bench with Magazine DisplayBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXAn exceptional Dunbar coffee table or bench (Model 5933a) with built-in brass rods for suspending magazines. Another option would be to recess a glass top over the rods to use as a s...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Style "Long John" Bench, Coffee Table, 1950sBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Bainbridge, NYLong Edward Wormley for dunbar style walnut "long john" Bench. Coffee Table. Bed End. Featuring a longer rectangular slat-style Walnut surface, turned edge...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsWalnut
- Edward Wormley Bench for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in St. Louis, MOEdward Wormley bench, legs with Asian influence, cushion straps onto the frame, green label, price includes refinishing and upholstery c.o.m.Category
Vintage 1940s Mid-Century Modern Benches
- Walnut and Teak Coffee Table or Bench by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Kansas City, MOWalnut and teak coffee table or bench designed by Edward Wormley, produced by Dunbar. Expertly refinished. The walnut top is inlayed with a teak veneer design (see photos). We also h...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsTeak, Walnut
- Edward Wormley Mahogany Bench for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Stamford, CTAn Edward Wormley for Dunbar upholstered six leg mahogany bench with brass detail.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Bench, 1960By Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Chicago, ILEdward Wormley for Dunbar Bench, 1960. Restored and reupholstered in gray mohair.Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsMohair, Walnut