Rare Edward Wormley Lamp Table by Dunbar
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 63 in (160.02 cm)Diameter: 25 in (63.5 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Excellent original condition.
- Seller Location:Highland, IN
- Reference Number:1stDibs: U1204219091289
Edward Wormley
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 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Highland, IN
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Edward Wormley End Table by DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Highland, INA beautifully detailed table with great proportions, this Ed Wormley end table by Dunbar features a walnut case and shelf supported by mahogany leg...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley Walnut Cabinet by DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Highland, INSimple, clean-lined and versatile, this Ed Wormley cabinet by Dunbar features two bi-fold doors concealing one compartment with two shelves. Subtle ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley Elliptical Rosewood Coffee Table by DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Highland, INThis stunning cocktail table by Edward Wormley exemplifies his refined sensibility and fine detailing as well as the quality of Dunbar's construction. The table was custom ordered wi...Category
Vintage 1950s American Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMetal
- Edward Wormley Model 4907 Sofa by DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Highland, INn our opinion, this Ed Wormely design for Dunbar is one of the most spectacular sofas ever made. Modern, classic, and timeless... this form transcends styles, genres and eras. Nine f...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley "Listen to Me" Chaise by DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Highland, INA sublime design by the brilliant Ed Wormley expertly crafted by Dunbar Furniture, the model 4873 sofa/ chaise was nicknamed the "Listen to Me". A frame of maple with walnut inset in...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Chaise Longues
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley Pair of Sofas / SetteesBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Highland, INThese lovely, lightly scaled sofas or loveseats designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, are not only an uncommon form, having a matched pair available is also very rare. They are stru...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Dunbar Snack Table Floor Lamp, Model 4856, Designed by Edward WormleyBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Hanover, MARare Dunbar floor lamp/snack table combo, Model 4856, designed by Edward Wormley circa 1948. Original Dunbar tag on underside. Slender tapered walnut leg and lamp stem. Round top, 25...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley Lamp Table for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis stylish Mid-Century Modern Dunbar lamp table features rich mahogany finish, dovetailed drawers, and uniquely sculpted single drawer design. Unique drawer pull and raised edge st...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsWood
- Dunbar Magazine Table by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXTriangular magazine table model 5313 by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Table consists of two mahogany magazine bins, sap grain walnut top with mahogany base, ...Category
Early 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsMahogany
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Large Tulip Lamp TableBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in St.Petersburg, FLAn elegant and unusual lamp table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Ash pedestal, chrome petals, and rosewood feet. Very good vintage condition with exceptionally minimal wear. Inconsi...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsChrome
- Edward Wormley Dunbar Parsons tableBy Edward WormleyLocated in Westport, CTEdward Wormley Dunbar Parsons End Table Dark walnutCategory
Vintage 1950s American End Tables
- Magazine Table by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXAn Edward Wormley for Dunbar magazine table with bentwood holders.Category
Vintage 1950s Side Tables
MaterialsWalnut