Edward Wormley Party Sofa
Vintage 1950s Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1950s Sofas
Leather
Antique 1650s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
People Also Browsed
Antique Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Taxidermy
Other
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Velvet, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Flush Mount
Brass, Steel
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Sheepskin, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Travertine
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
Textile, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and...
Aluminum, Metal, Brass
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Mohair
Vintage 1970s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
1990s American Modern Sectional Sofas
Fabric
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Sectional Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
Upholstery, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Glass
Recent Sales
21st Century and Contemporary American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Wood
Vintage 1950s American Sofas
Leather, Mahogany
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Velvet
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wood, Mohair
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
Vintage 1950s Sofas
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Vintage 1950s American Sofas
Wood, Upholstery
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool, Walnut
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1950s American Sofas
Foam, Rubber
Vintage 1950s Club Chairs
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Living Room Sets
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Wood, Upholstery
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
Vintage 1950s Sofas
Fabric
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet, Upholstery, Wood
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Fabric
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Mohair
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Leather, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Velvet
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Vintage 1960s American Hollywood Regency Sofas
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Wool, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Upholstery
Vintage 1960s Swiss Post-Modern Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1950s American Sofas
Wood, Velvet
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Mohair
20th Century Central American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Mohair
Vintage 1950s American Sofas
Leather
Vintage 1950s North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Vintage 1950s American Sofas
Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
Muslin
Vintage 1960s American Sectional Sofas
Chrome
Edward Wormley Party Sofa For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Edward Wormley Party Sofa?
Edward Wormley for sale on 1stDibs
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 vintage seating, storage cabinets, bar carts and other 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.
Finding the Right sofas for You
Black leather, silk velvet cushions, breathable bouclé fabric — when shopping for antique, new or vintage sofas, today’s couch connoisseurs have much to choose from in terms of style and shape. But it wasn’t always thus.
The sofa is typically defined as a long upholstered seat that features a back and arms and is intended for two or more people. While the term “couch” comes from the Old French couche, meaning to lie down, and sofa has Eastern origins, both are forms of divan, a Turkish word that means an elongated cushioned seat. No matter how you spell it, sofa just means comfort, at least it does today.
In the early days of sofa design, upholstery consisted of horsehair or dried moss. Sofas that originated in countries such as France during the 17th century were more integral to decor than they were to comfort. Like most Baroque furnishings from the region, they frequently comprised heavy, gilded mahogany frames and were upholstered in floral Beauvais tapestry. Today, options abound when it comes to style and material, with authentic leather offerings and classy steel settees. Plush, velvet chesterfields represent the platonic ideal of coziness.
Vladimir Kagan’s iconic sofa designs, such as the Crescent and the Serpentine — which, like the sectional sofas of the 1960s created by furniture makers such as Harvey Probber, are quite popular among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — showcase the spectrum of style available to modern consumers. Those looking to make a statement can turn to Studio 65’s lip-shaped Bocca sofa, which was inspired by the work of Salvador Dalí. Elsewhere, the furniture of the 1970s evokes an era when experimentation ruled, or at least provided a reason to break the rules. Just about every area of society felt a sudden urge to be wayward, to push boundaries — and buttons. Vintage leather sofas of that decade are characterized by a rare blending of the showy and organic.
With so many options, it’s important to explore and find the perfect furniture for your space. Paying attention to the lines of the cushions as well as the flow from the backrest into the arms is crucial to identifying a cohesive new piece for your home or office.
Fortunately, with styles from every era — and even round sofas — there’s a luxurious piece for every space. Deck out your living room with an Art Deco lounge or go retro with a nostalgic '80s design. No matter your sitting vision, the right piece is waiting for you in the expansive collection of unique sofas on 1stDibs.