Dunbar Furniture
American
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.
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Creator: Dunbar
Dealer: Modest Designs
(2) Dunbar Early Modern Mahogany Bookcases, model 3312
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Introduced in 1933, these wonderful two-drawer open bookcases are from one of Edward Wormley’s first Modern collections for Dunbar Furniture. The streamlined design feels as fresh a...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Edward Wormley, Early Pair Side Tables model 4774A
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Perfect, architectural 3-tier mahogany side tables by Edward Wormley. This simple, streamlined design typifies Wormley’s restrained modern style of the 1940s. The pair retains thei...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Edward Wormley for Dunbar, Swiveling Stool
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This sweet early Wormley modern design makes a perfect vanity or desk chair. The fully upholstered seat swivels over dark stained mahogany legs joined by dowel stretches, with capped...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Brass
Tambour Door Cabinet by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, Model 959
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A chic and versatile cabinet with blond tamowood top and burnt almond walnut tambour doors on a dark mahogany case. Nice details like the razor-thin brass door pulls, and dappled var...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Walnut
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Side Table Model # 5425
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Occasional table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, model 5425. Rosewood and Walnut folding x-base with removable mahogany tray top. Labeled with Dunbar gold metal tag
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Rosewood, Mahogany
Set of Four Dunbar Side Chairs
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Edward Wormley for Dunbar dining chairs, models 6038 & 6037 in dark mahogany frames with original Jack Lenor Larsen fabric. Two arm and two side chairs, supported by brass spacers, w...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Early Dunbar Cocktail Table
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An early example of Edward Wormley's transition to modern furniture design. Mahogany frame with inset leather top. Dunbar brand to underside.
Category
1940s American Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Leather
Dunbar Chrome and Walnut Occasional Table
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Chic and rarely seen Edward Wormley design that can function as a lamp table, end table or small cocktail table. Dunbar label on bottom.
Category
1960s American Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Chrome
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Janus Collection Chest with Natzler Ceramic Pulls
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Model 5770 Janus Collection chest of drawers featuring brass pulls with inset purple-blue demi-lune Natzler ceramic tiles, and exaggerated dovetail knuckle joints on tops, sides, and...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Brass
Related Items
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Swivel Chair, C. 1950s
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Edward Wormley for Dunbar Captain's "Y" Chair, ca. 1955
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Early Set of Four Harry Bertoia Molded Shell Side Chairs for Knoll, Labeled
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Set of four molded shell side chairs designed by Harry Bertoia and manufactured by Knoll. Originally debuted in 1960, this very early set is from 1963 and...
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H 30.5 in W 20.5 in D 22 in
Early 20th Century Mahogany Stacking Barrister Bookcase
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Set of Four Mid-Century Modern Curvy Dining Chairs or Side Chairs After Panton
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A funky set of four curvy chairs after Verner Panton circa 1980's. These chairs have their original fabric which needs to recovered. The bases are brass co...
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Set of Four American Chippendale Style Mahogany Side Chairs, Circa 1870
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Edward Wormley Swivel Lounge Chair and Ottoman for Dunbar, 1960
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A comfortable and stylish Edward Wormley swivel lounge chair and ottoman for Dunbar, 1960. The chair and the ottoman have tripod swivel br...
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Edward Wormley Travertine Wedge Side Table for Dunbar
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Wedge shaped side table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, c.1950s, USA. This end table features a trapezoidal travertine top, which sits atop dark contrasting mahogany base with horizont...
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Materials
Travertine
Guillerme et Chambron, Chaise Véronique, Set of Four Side Chairs, France, C 1970
By Votre Maison, Guillerme et Chambron
Located in New York, NY
Robert Guillerme studied design and architecture at the École Boule, graduating in 1934. After the Second World War he moved to Lille, in the north of France, where he decorated homes and designed furniture for the well regarded Rogier workshops.
In 1948 Jacques Chambron left his work as a painter and decorator on the Rue Nollet in Paris, and relocated his family to join Guillerme. The two had met in 1940 while imprisoned by the Germans in East Prussia and bonded over, among other more obvious things, their shared passion for design. In 1949 the pair discovered Émile Dariosecq, a master cabinet maker who had a shop in the city, and who was willing to produce their designs. The three started Votre Maison.
The association was destined to be as influential as prolific. Not only did Votre Maison produce over two thousand models during the later half of the twentieth century, it also left an indelible stamp on design of the 50s, 60s and 70s. The company’s output served as a model for a vast field of livable contemporaneous design.
The soul of Guillerme et Chambron’s work was in the company’s name (“Your House"). Their focus was as keenly attuned to functionality—furniture’s use in daily life—as to the creation of innovative design. For the pair of designers the home was envisioned as a place where the family could live both comfortably and in aesthetic harmony.
Robert Guillerme, who designed most of the work, possessed a limitless creative ambition, producing designs for everything from grand dressers and sideboards to the smallest elements of a space, such as pedestals, shelving, benches, and lighting.
This steady output of beautiful furniture bucked convention not merely in the equal emphasis Guillerme placed on function and aesthetics, but in the almost paradoxical creation...
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H 31 in W 19 in D 18.75 in
Edward Wormley Lamp Table for Dunbar
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This stylish Mid-Century Modern Dunbar lamp table features rich mahogany finish, dovetailed drawers, and uniquely sculpted single drawer design. Unique drawer pull and raised edge st...
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
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Previously Available Items
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Janus Collection Chest with Natzler Ceramic Pulls
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Model 5770 Janus Collection chest of drawers featuring brass pulls with inset purple-blue demi-lune Natzler ceramic tiles, and exaggerated dovetail knuckle joints on tops, sides, and...
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Brass
H 30.38 in W 34.25 in D 19.25 in
Edward Wormley for Dunbar, Model 4423 Three-Tier Mahogany End Table
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An early, c. 1944, design by Edward Wormley, beloved for its forward thinking minimalist form, and comfortable practicality. The three tiers are supported by an architectural frame ...
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1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
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Mahogany
Pair Dunbar Three-Tier Mahogany End Tables, c. 1940s
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Chic and supremely practical side tables employing perfect proportions, further elevated with the typical Edward Wormley details and exquisite craftsmanship. The extra height and nar...
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1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
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Mahogany
Pair Edward Wormley for Dunbar Side Tables, Model 279
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rare and sophisticated lamp tables in dark stained mahogany. The simple, architectural configuration is surprisingly contemporary for a 70 year old design. Original finish, with rect...
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Mahogany
Edward Wormley for Dunbar, Pair Mahogany End Tables
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An early example of Edward Wormley's sophisticated modernism. Stepped two-tier end tables with subtle Chinoise elements to the carving of the base. These retain the original dark mah...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
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Pair Edward Wormley for Dunbar Model 5480 Chairs
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
An iconic Edward Wormley design, the ‘A-Frame' chair is a wonderful example of Wormley’s expertise in mixing materials into sophisticated, architectural forms.
Employing dark stain...
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
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Leather, Bentwood
Dunbar Two-Tier Walnut Occasional Table with Cane Shelf
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
C. 1950, this interesting and rarely seen design uses subtle details in carving and materials to elevate its functionalist form into something sculptural. A great example of designer...
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
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Cane, Mahogany
Early Dunbar Mahogany Coffee Table
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Simple early modern design by Edward Wormley for Dunbar distinguishes itself my it’s great proportions, chunky geometric shape, and wonderful dappled mahogany veneer. Original finish...
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1940s American Vintage Dunbar Furniture
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Edward Wormley for Dunbar Occasional Table with Tray
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
From the 1957 Janus line, this elegant side or snack table has a burl Carpathian elm top on dark stained mahogany tripod base. Dunbar gold metal tag to the underside.
Tray is 18" ...
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Materials
Elm
Nice Pair of Dunbar Side Tables by Edward Wormley
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Handsome architectural tiered end tables with adjustable center shelf. Figured mahogany top on dark stained mahogany frame. Each with gold "D" metal tag to underside.
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Pair of Dunbar Janus End Tables with Tiffany Tiles
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Rare pair of walnut side tables, model # 5831, with inlaid Tiffany favrile glass tiles, from Edward Wormley's celebrated Arts & Crafts influenced Janus collection of 1957.
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
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Pair of Edward Wormley Designed Commodes for Dunbar
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Handsome masculine chests of drawers in walnut with dark mahogany trim. Each chest retains its Dunbar gold metal tag.
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Dunbar furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Dunbar furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Dunbar furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Dunbar were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Edward Wormley, Paul McCobb, and Milo Baughman. Prices for Dunbar furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $225 and can go as high as $119,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $5,998.
Creators Similar to Dunbar
Questions About Dunbar Furniture
- 1stDibs ExpertSeptember 23, 2024To identify Dunbar furniture, search your piece for maker's markings. Some pieces feature a D-shaped metal tag, while others bear a metal plaque with the brand name etched on its surface, with or without the company's location: Berne, Indiana. Dunbar also branded its name onto the wood frames of certain furnishings. Upholstered pieces will most likely have the brand name on a label sewn onto a cushion. If you have difficulty locating a maker's mark, a certified appraiser or knowledgeable antique dealer will assist you. Shop a variety of Dunbar furniture on 1stDibs.
- 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.