Pair of Party Sofas by Edward Wormley for Dunbar in Original Leather
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 23 in (58.42 cm)Width: 99 in (251.46 cm)Depth: 36 in (91.44 cm)Seat Height: 15 in (38.1 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Wonderful vintage condition with nice, even patina. A few minor scuffs but nothing distracting. Ready to be used and enjoyed.
- Seller Location:Dallas, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU851833791352
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: Dallas, TX
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- Party Sofa by Edward Wormley for Dunbar in Original LeatherBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA party sofa designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar in original buttery soft light tan leather. Matching pair available. Priced individually.Category
Vintage 1950s Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Pair of Mahogany Sofas by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA rare pair of mahogany framed sofas designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.Category
Vintage 1950s Sofas
MaterialsMahogany
- Sofa by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA small sofa / settee designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Iconic form with tapered brass legs. Fully restored and upholstered in Designtex / Lambert / Smoke.Category
Vintage 1950s Sofas
MaterialsBouclé
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Sofa / DaybedBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA one arm sofa / daybed with brass legs. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Fully restored.Category
Vintage 1950s Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Dunbar Sofa Designed by Edward WormleyBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA sofa designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Fluted rosewood legs with brass caps.Category
Vintage 1950s Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar model 5316 SofaBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA rare model 5316 sofa designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar in 1953. Floating back with exposed mahogany frame. Fully restored and upholstered in Holly Hunt / Vladimir / Silver Fog ...Category
Vintage 1950s Sofas
MaterialsMahogany
- Sectional Sofa by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Los Angeles, CAEdward Wormley for Dunbar, c.1960s, USA, two-piece sectional sofa. The sofa features split arm rests and an exposed sculpted ebonized wood frame. This sofa has been fully reupholster...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsVelvet, Walnut
- Edward Wormley Dunbar SofaBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Chicago, ILEdward Wormley Dunbar sofa can be paired as a sectional with matching chaise longue 5525 we have offered in another listing.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Midcentury Sectional SofaBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Countryside, ILEdward Wormley for Dunbar midcentury sectional sofa This sofa measures: 165 wide x 29 deep x 28.5 inches high, with a seat height of 18 and arm h...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Even Arm Sofa or SetteesBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXTwo-piece Dunbar sofa model number 4908 designed by Edward Wormley. This low profile sofa has down-filled cushions and hand-tied springs and is one of the most comfortable modern pie...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Party Sofa in Original Jack Lenor Larson Fabric by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Philadelphia, PAA Classic Dunbar sofa by Edward Wormley that has been ensconced in plastic since leaving the showroom. Thereby preserving the spectacular and timeless fabric of Jack Lenor Larson...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Party Sofa Model 5407 in Dark Gray LeatherBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Dallas, TXEdward Wormley's iconic party sofa for Dunbar. Reupholstered in dark gray leather. A super comfortable sofa with loads of style. A design class...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather