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 Dunbar End Side Table with Gertrud and Otto Natzler Ceramic Tiles
By Edward Wormley, Gertrud and Otto Natzler, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Studio City, CA
This very rare and absolutely stunning Edward Wormley designed end/ occasional table for Dunbar Furniture for their "Janus" collection, circa 1956-1957 comes with inlaid, glazed tile...
Ceramic, Wood
Antoni Gaudi Decorative Ceramic Spanish Tile of Casa Vicens
By Antoni Gaudí
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Decorative ceramic tiles by Antoni Gaudi, inspired by the marigold and dianthus motifs on the decorative ceramic tiles he designed for the fac...
Ceramic
Modernist Large Mosaic Tile Top Cocktail Table by David Holleman
By David Holleman
Located in Buffalo, NY
Modernist large mosaic tile top cocktail table by David Holleman, stunning mosaics,,colors ,,composition.. Classic mid century modern design,, ...
Ceramic, Wood
$10Sale Price / item|33% Off
H 3.94 in W 3.94 in D 1.19 in
Talavera Mural Azulejo Tile Folk Contemporary Mexican Ceramic Blue White Mosaic
By Cesar
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
This contemporary azulejo tile forms a mosaic perfect for kitchen decorations or any exterior space. Made with the Talavera technique. Artist, Cesar Torres portraits the colonial art of Mexico, but this time with a contemporary touch. This wall decoration can be arranged to fit specific spaces or simply hanged as a painting on the wall. The Talavera is not just a simple painted ceramic: its exquisite decoration is the product of a delicate process of alchemy that translates into fine enamels. In Puebla, Mexico few people still produce using Talavera with the ancestral techniques. One of those few is Cesar Torres, Don Cesar learned his art in the workshop of the Uriarte family, an excellent workshop where his grandfather worked. In his creations he uses the black and white mud that is obtained from the nearby hills of Loreto and Guadalupe, and colors of mineral origin that he creates in his workshop with recipes from his grandfather. All the pieces are modeled in a traditional way and go through a production process that usually takes from one to two months, between drying, burning, and painting. Being surrounded by a living tradition, Cesar Torres Jr., learned from his father since childhood. Architect by profession, Cesar Jr. has come to revolutionize and modernize with new designs and ideas of the current world, nevertheless always respecting the tradition of the processes and materials that make Talavera a Creole art...
Ceramic, Clay, Majolica
$450 / set
H 6 in W 6 in D 0.25 in
Talavera Handcrafted Spanish Wall Tiles Set of Eight, Ceramic, 1950
By Talavera de la Reyna
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Spanish Talavera ceramic hand painted tiles, handcrafted and kiln fired set of eight tiles. Hand made Spanish Talavera wall tiles. Size each: 6" x6" Materials: Talavera, ceramic, clay hand-painted, clay, Spanish Mexican...
Ceramic, Clay
$1,220
H 24 in W 12 in D 1 in
Mid-Century Ceramic Tile Wall Plaque of Don Quixote by Danos, Greece, 1960s
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Striking mid-century modern ceramic tile plaque by Greek artist Danos, dating to the 1960s. Composed of nine hand-glazed tiles mounted on a wood backing, the abstract composition fea...
Ceramic
Modernist Studio Ceramic Tile Art by Irina Lorin
By Gills Lorin
Located in Buffalo, NY
Framed mid-20th century Irina Lorin Signed ceramic art tile of figure, consisting of three framed tiles, mid-20th century. 3 tiles measuring 8" x 11" retai...
Ceramic, Grasscloth, Wood
$12Sale Price / item|20% Off
H 3.94 in W 3.94 in D 1.19 in
Talavera Mural Azulejo Tile Folk Mexican Ceramic Burnt Orange Ivory Mosaic
By Cesar
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
This contemporary Talavera azulejo tile creates a striking geometric mosaic that can be used as a kitchen backsplash, architectural wall surface, or decorative wall installation. Whe...
Ceramic, Clay, Majolica
$318Sale Price / set|40% Off
H 5.12 in W 3.55 in D 0.79 in
Elegant Set of Tiles with Mysterious Winged Creature Relief
Located in Leuven , BE
Made of earthenware, this set of tiles (5) depicts a beautiful but mysterious winged creature. Chimera, like and placed on a pedestal, this creature sh...
Earthenware, Terracotta
$568
H 0.5 in W 8 in D 16 in
Songbird and Daisies Vallauris Glazed Ceramic Tiles Enamel Wall Decoration c1960
By Vallauris
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
Songbird and Daisies enamel and glazed ceramic tiles wall decoration, Vallauris, France c1960's Vibrantly coloured enamel and glaze. Signed Vallauris ...
Enamel
Large Mid 20th Century Gertrud and Otto Natzler Signed Gunmetal Bowl
By Gertrud and Otto Natzler
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Stunning large (11" x 5.5") gunmetal bowl by Gertrud and Otto Natzler circa 1960 This piece is wheel-thrown glazed earthenware. It is signed on the bottom.
Pottery
$650
H 10 in W 10 in D 0.25 in
Rare Mid Century Brutalist Jean Nison Ceramic Tile George Slaying the Dragon
By Jean Nison
Located in New York, NY
Exceptional mid century ceramic tile depicting George slaying the dragon, by important ceramicist Jean Nison. The tile is in excellent original condition, free of damage or repair.
Ceramic
Moroccan Hand-Painted Ceramic Tile with Moorish Style, 1950
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Moroccan handcrafted decorative tile with hand painted Arabic writing in brown on ivory crackle glazed ceramic. Arabic writing on ceramic tile hand pai...
Ceramic