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.
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Desk Secretary
By Edward Wormley
Located in Pawtucket, RI
Very rare desk secretary designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Functional five drawers and letter slots on turned brass knobs and feet. With original Dunb...
Brass
Edward Wormley for Dunbar #5473 Stationary Chest - Desk Top Secretary Organizer
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in St. Louis, MO
Fairy scarce 1950s Edward Wormley for Dunbar office desk top stationary chest or organizer / secretary. Model #5473, designed in 1954, cabinet is made of mahogany, on custom brass fe...
Brass
Table Top Jewelry Chest, Walnut, Brass Pulls Edward Wormley for Dunbar, Signed
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Kansas City, MO
Rare table top jewelry case / cabinet designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Signed with the brass Dunbar metal tag. Walnut case and brass pulls. Two drawers...
Brass
$561 / item
H 2.3 in W 25.5 in D 19.6 in
"Simone" Leather Desk Blotter Designed by Claude Bouchard for Oscar Maschera
By Claude Bouchard, Oscar Maschera
Located in Brooklyn, NY
"Simone" is a leather desk blotter, designed by Claude Bouchard and manufactured by Oscar Maschera. Genuine Italian leather vegetable tanned. Co...
Leather
Edward J. Wormley for Dunbar Cabinet with Asian Hardware
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in St. Louis, MO
Mid-Century Modern Edward J. Wormley for Dunbar cabinet with brass Asian hardware. All original dark had rubbed finish on ribbon mahogany, top will be polished and touched up prior t...
Brass
Marble Desk Pen Holder Organizer
Located in New York, NY
A substantial marble desk pen/pencil/marker holder organizer, in the modern style, Midcentury Modern design period, circa mid-20th century. Organizer can hold small pieces of paper, ...
Marble
$330 / item
H 1 in W 11 in D 4 in
Crystal Pen Tray with Brass Accents – Luxury Clear Pen Holder for Desk
By DAINTE INC
Located in Monroe, NY
Elevate your workspace with the Crystal Pen Tray, a modern and sophisticated pen holder for desk organization that combines the brilliance of clear crystal with polished brass accents. Minimalist yet distinctive, this tray is designed to reflect your refined taste while keeping your essentials stylishly organized. Measuring 11’’ wide, 4.25’’ deep, and 1.25’’ high, and weighing 4 lbs, this crystal pen holder for desk is compact yet substantial, offering durability and timeless elegance. The universal grooves are carefully designed to fit pens and pencils of all sizes, while the extendable brass tray slides out to provide extra space for storing paper clips, pins, or other desk accessories. This luxury pen tray holder is not just functional—it is also a decorative piece of crystal desk décor, making it an ideal choice for executive offices, home workstations, or as a stylish gift. Pair it with the matching crystal and brass business card holder...
Crystal, Brass
$8,100Sale Price|55% Off
H 36 in W 41.5 in D 18 in
Edward Wormley Woven Front Chest by Dunbar, Mahogany & Nickel, 1956
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in New York, NY
Edward Wormely for Dunbar woven front chest, mahogany and brushed nickel, signed. Medium scale commode, No. 4465, with two woven front sliding doors,...
Nickel
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Cabinet with Brass Hardware, 1950s
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful sideboard cabinet designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, made of sandalwood with solid brass hardware. Cabinet has drawers on each side, center Lucite pull out shelf and on...
Brass
$10,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 80 in W 65.5 in D 19 in
Edward Wormley Walnut and Olive Ash Burl Tall Cabinet for Dunbar
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Chicago, IL
Described in Dunbar catalogs as "#6027 High Piece" this incredible curved front cabinet is constructed of walnut with olive ash burled lower cabin...
Brass
Tall Tambour Cabinet with Drawers by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A simple and refined ebonized mahogany wardrobe having tambour doors with integrated handles a top two (2) drawers with cut out handles.
Mahogany
Dunbar Rosewood High Chest with Brass Ring Drop Pulls
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mid-Century Modern five drawer Dunbar chest by Ed Wormley. Rosewood mahogany two-tone combination. Brass ring drop pulls.
Brass
Drop Tambour Front Cabinet by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An innovative and uncommon drop tambour front cabinet of bleached walnut having recessed finger pulls, the cabinet with drawers, shelves and vert...
Walnut
Danish Oak Desk Office Organizer with Shelves
By Pedersen & Hansen
Located in New York, NY
A Danish modern, Scandinavian Modern, Mid-Century Modern style, blonde oak wood desk, office, library, etc., organizer with book space and paper/mail/letter tray holder shelf areas, by Pedersen & Hansen, circa late-20th century, Denmark. Three (3) horizontal and three (3) vertical storage...
Oak
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Bi-fold Cabinet #815 in Walnut
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Fraser, MI
Please feel free to reach out for efficient shipping quote to your zip. Edward Wormley for Dunbar Bi-fold Cabinet #815 in Walnut.
Walnut
Dunbar Burl Column Pedestal by Edward Wormley, 1960's
By Edward Wormley
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Edward Wormley for Dunbar burl and glass pedestal or sculpture stand circa mid 1960's, All original finish with exquisite graining. The pedestal can be plu...
Glass, Burl
Sculptural Dunbar Travertine Coffee Table
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Atlanta, GA
Sculptural Dunbar Travertine coffee table, designed by Edward Wormley, circa 1950s. Original travertine top is thick and chunky with beautiful figuri...
Travertine, Metal