Dunbar Furniture
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 swivelling 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.
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Carrara Marble, Brass
1960s Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Wood, Mahogany, Cork
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Glass, Walnut
1940s American Organic Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Bentwood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Rosewood, Walnut
1950s Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Suede, Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1950s Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Leather, Mahogany, Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Oak, Rosewood
1950s American Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Leather, Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Maple, Burl
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Leather, Wood, Walnut
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Walnut
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Bronze, Wrought Iron
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Upholstery
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Oak
1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Teak, Fabric
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Aluminium
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Mahogany, Rosewood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Bentwood
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Wood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Glass, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Glass, Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Upholstery, Velvet, Wood
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Mohair, Wood
1970s American Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Bouclé, Upholstery
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Walnut
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Chenille, Wood
20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Brass
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Oak
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Walnut
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Upholstery
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dunbar Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Velvet, Mahogany
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Dunbar Furniture
Brass