Mid Century Modern Chest of Drawers/Secretary by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.25 in (79.38 cm)Width: 36 in (91.44 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The piece is in good vintage condition.
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU881733510742
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: Los Angeles, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- Chest of Drawers by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Los Angeles, CABeautiful chest of drawers designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. The cabinet 5 drawers, the top drawer comes with separations for different garments. The piece is in good vintage condition and it retains the original Dunbar tag. Measurements: 36 inches wide x 18 inches deep...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
- Mid-Century Modern Style Scoop ChairLocated in Los Angeles, CAMid-Century Modern style scoop chair with beautiful architectural lines, havinf a molded steel base and an upholstered seat. The chair is very confortable and well made, unmarked....Category
Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of Modern Chairs by Cain ModernBy Cain ModernLocated in Los Angeles, CAStunning pair of modern armchairs designed and manufactured by Cain Modern. The chairs have beautiful architectural lines, the legs are beautifully sculpted and the seat is upholste...Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsPVC, Wood
- Mid-Century Modern, Solid Teak Lounge Chairs, circa 1970sLocated in Los Angeles, CAIntroducing our Mid-Century Modern, Solid Teak Lounge Chairs from the 1970's. These vintage loungers were hand made in the USA in the early to mid...Category
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
MaterialsTeak
- Pair of Occasional Lucite Tables by Charles Hollis Jones for Cain ModernBy Charles Hollis JonesLocated in Los Angeles, CAStunning pair of side tables designed in 2014 by Charles Hollis Jones for Cain Modern. The tables are made entirely out of 1 1/2" thick Lucite, the legs have a beautiful graduated de...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Side Tables
MaterialsLucite
- Mid-Century Modern Female Torso Sculpture in Solid LuciteLocated in Los Angeles, CAIntroducing our stunning Mid-Century Modern Female Torso Sculpture, crafted meticulously in solid Lucite. This captivating art piece embodies the grace and beauty of the female form,...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Minimalist Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsLucite
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Small Louvered Chest of DrawersBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLSmall chest of drawers, consisting of louvered walnut fronts and mahogany case. Five drawers total with the top being velvet lined to store various pieces if jewelry. Second drawer c...Category
Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of D...
MaterialsWalnut
- Classic Edward Wormley for Dunbar Chest of Drawers/ DresserBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated 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
- Pair of Edward Wormley for Dunbar Chest of Drawers, NightstandsBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Dallas, TXBeautifully crafted chest of drawers by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. These are mahogany and feature 5 drawers, 2 smaller than the other three. Make great n...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany
- Chest of Drawers on Hairpin Legs by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Ferndale, MIChest of drawers on hairpin legs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Scarce Wormley Design. Measures: 45" wide also available.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBirch, Walnut
- 1950s Bleached Mahogany Chest of Drawers by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn elegant and well proportioned eight (8) drawer bleached mahogany cabinet having distinctive laminated end pulls, on tapered dowel legs.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany
- Chest by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA walnut dresser with rosewood handle and brass feet. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.Category
Vintage 1950s Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut