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Edward Wormley Center Tables

American, 1907-1995

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.

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Creator: Edward Wormley
Edward Wormley for Dunbar MCM Burl Wood Centre or Cocktail Round Table
By Edward Wormley
Located in Plainview, NY
Edward Wormley Mid Century Modern for Dunbar burl wood center or cocktail round Table. A timeless 1950s mid century modern faceted burl olive wood pedesta...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Center Tables

Materials

Glass, Wood, Burl

Wormley Game Table for Dunbar, Solid Walnut & Olive Burlwood
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Dallas, TX
Edward Wormley Game Table for Dunbar, Solid Walnut & Olive Burlwood Gorgeous Dunbar table with a four-panel bookmatched olive burl wood top and a solid...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Edward Wormley Center Tables

Materials

Walnut, Burl

Rotating Library Table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
By Edward Wormley
Located in Dallas, TX
A bleached mahogany library table with patinated leather top. The table rotates as the top and base remain stationary. Designd by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.
Category

1950s Vintage Edward Wormley Center Tables

Materials

Mahogany

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Previously Available Items
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Edward Wormley center tables for sale on 1stDibs.

Edward Wormley center tables 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 Edward Wormley center tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original center tables by Edward Wormley were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider center tables by John Widdicomb, Henredon, and Leon Rosen. Prices for Edward Wormley center tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,800 and can go as high as $5,400, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,800.
Questions About Edward Wormley Center Tables
  • 1stDibs ExpertAugust 8, 2024
    Edward Wormley used a variety of materials over the course of his career. Among them were laminated wood, brass, marble and silk. Not an axiomatic modernist, Wormley deeply appreciated traditional design, and consequently, his vintage seating, storage cabinets, bar carts and other work have an understated warmth and a timeless quality that sets them apart from other furnishings of the era. On 1stDibs, explore a diverse assortment of Edward Wormley furniture.

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