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.
Square Raffia Mirror by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
By Edward Wormley
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A square mahogany wall mirror with a woven raffia boarder.
Mahogany, Glass, Raffia
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Mid Century Mahogany Wall Mirror
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Mid Century Mahogany Wall Mirror This mirror measures: 23.5 wide x 3.5 deep x 29.5 inches high We take our photos in a controlled lighting studio to show ...
Mirror, Mahogany
Set of Matching Mirrors by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, 1950s
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Westport, CT
Rare set of matching mirrors designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, circa 1950s. Mahogany framing and caning fully restored. Original mirrors i...
Cane, Mahogany
Thin-Edged Brass Mirror by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, 1950s
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A rare and beautifully rendered thin-edged square mirror in warmly patinated brass.
Brass
Fine Edward Wormley Mirror for Dunbar
By Edward Wormley
Located in Chicago, IL
A fine Edward Wormley mirror for Dunbar. Thin wood profile. Signed on reverse.
Wood
Brass framed mirror, 1950s
Located in Bastia Umbra, IT
Mirror with brass frame, Made in Italy, 1950s. At the two ends (upper and lower) it has two wooden decorations. The price of shipping is for the Italian territory, for the islands ...
Brass
Mid-century 1970s wall mirror
Located in Praha, CZ
Mid-century 1970s wall mirror, Signs of use, has patina and rust, original condition
Metal
Vintage Back light Mirror by Emil Stejnar for Rupert Nikoll 1950s
Located in Delft, NL
Dimensions: 54,5 cm Diameter , 9 cm Height Condition: Good Period: 1970s Material: Metal , glass , plastic Color: Multicolored
Metal
1950s Italian Brass Shield Mirror
Located in London, London
1950s brass shield shape mirror Italy 1950s This elegant mid-century Italian wall mirror features a sleek brass frame with gently curved edges, exemplifying the minimalist design o...
Brass
1950s Murano glass mirror
By Murano Glass Sommerso
Located in Palermo, PA
1960s Murano glass mirror with delicate flowers. The mirror glass it self has a beautiful patina on the glass. The mirror is designed to be standing or hung on the wall.
Mirror, Murano Glass, Wood
1950s Italian Brass Shield Shaped Mirror
Located in London, London
Mirror Brass framed Shield shape Italy, 1950s Couple of small flake chips at bottom.
Brass
Italian Brass Wall Mirror, 1950s
Located in NUEMBRECHT, NRW
This beautiful Hollywood Regency style wall mirror was designed and manufactured in Italy in the late 1940s to early 1950s. It features a solid brass shield shaped frame and mirror g...
Brass
Brass Mirror by Joseph Frank for Svenskt Tenn 1950s
By Frank Josef
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
This elegant brass mirror was designed in the 1950s by Austrian designer Josef Frank for the renowned Swedish design company Svenskt Tenn The mirror features a refined brass scallope...
Brass
Mid-century Brass Wall Mirror, 1950s
Located in Palermo, IT
Brass wall mirror, 1950s Intact and in good condition. Small signs of aging on the brass, which was intentionally left unpolished to ensure its authenticity. Width 61 cm, height 82 ...
Brass
1950s Italian Brass Mirror
Located in London, London
Mirror Brass Italy 1950s
Brass
Mid-19th Century Rectangular Mahogany Wall Mirror, England
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Late 19th Century English Empire Regency style mahogany veneer wall mirror. This classic rectangular wall mirror features a tiered graduated frame. The frame hangs vertically. Wonder...
Mahogany, Wood
$10,633
H 24.81 in W 24.81 in D 1.58 in
Midcentury Squared Wall Mirror by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte, Italy 1960s
By Max Ingrand, Fontana Arte
Located in Rome, IT
Midcentury amazing squared wall mirror model 2377 mirrored coloured cut glass frame black wood fitting by Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte. Made in Italy 29 - January - 1965. The original stamp is still visible on the back, as shown in the picture. Reference: Quaderni Fontana Arte n°7. Max Ingrand (1908 – 1969) ; Creating forward-thinking and innovative pieces of furniture years before his time, French stained glass designer and decorator Max Ingrand created design classics such as the Fontana table lamp, a bulbous white-painted metal frame with a satin white blown glass shade and globe. The Italian contemporary...
Metal
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Rosewood Mirror
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Edward Wormley for Dunbar rosewood mirror. Edward Wormley did a Series of mirrors in the late 1940s-early 1950s based on a Classic early 19th century frame. The rosewood on this mirr...
Rosewood
Exceptional Pair of Mirrors by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Southampton, NJ
Mid-Century Modern pair of mirrors designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, 1950s. Mahogany construction with raffia detail.
Raffia, Mahogany
Rosewood Mirror Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Atlanta, GA
Rosewood mirror designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, American, circa 1950s. Crisp, deeply angled design. updated
Mirror, Rosewood
Early Dunbar Mirror by Edward Wormley
By Edward Wormley
Located in Dallas, TX
An early walnut framed mirror with exposed screws. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.
Mirror by Edward Wormley
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An elegant and uncommon mirror in lacquered walnut that can be hung vertically or horizontally. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.
Walnut
Edward Wormley Mirror for Dunbar
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Edward Wormley Mirror for Dunbar Excellent vintage condition. Wood is in excellent vintage condition with normal wear and slight imperfections. Pl...
Walnut