1950s Occasional Armchair Model No 5517 Chair by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
About the Item
- Creator:Dunbar Furniture (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.75 in (83.19 cm)Width: 23.25 in (59.06 cm)Depth: 24 in (60.96 cm)Seat Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Sagaponack, NY
- Reference Number:
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 swiveling 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Center Moriches, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
- 'A-Frame' Chair by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYA Mid-Century Modern Classic 'A-Frame' armchair with a woven caned backrest, upholstered black leather seat and brass capped feet. Designed by Edward Wormley, produced by Dunbar in t...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- 1950s Tufted Lounge Chair by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn armless button tufted lounge chair of generous proportion having exposed walnut base. Model: 5000.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- 1950s Sculpted "Janus" Dining Height Armchairs by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYA rare dining height Janus armchair designed by Mid-Century Modern master Edward Wormley. Each chair features sculpted dark mahogany frames and the original putty suede upholstery wi...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Mahogany
- Walnut Dining Chair by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Sagaponack, NYA sculptural and finely detailed armchair in walnut having a floating seat and back cushions, retaining the original black leather upholstery.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsTeak
- Lacquered Mahogany Lounge Chair by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn uncommon pivot-back lounge chair in lacquered mahogany with vintage velvet geometric upholstery. Designed in 1948 by Edward Wormley.Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsVelvet, Mahogany
- 1950s Armless Slipper Chair by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn armless slipper chair from the Janus collection with button tufted upholstery and beautifully carved integral walnut base. Model 5775.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Walnut
- Mahogany Armchair by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Dorchester, MAEdward Wormley designed this handsome mahogany armchair for Dunbar, juxtaposing modern linearity with curvaceous classic form. It has been expertly reupholstered in Knoll's Rivington...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMahogany
- Midcentury "Quinn" Chair by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, Model 1170, Walnut + WoolBy Gunlocke, Jens Risom, Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Decatur, GA"Quinn" chair, Model no. 1170 by Edward Wormley for Dunbar circa 1965. Sculpted walnut arms transition seamlessly to the upholstered back creating a wonderful silhouette. Frame is so...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWool, Upholstery, Walnut
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Captain's "Y" Chair, ca. 1955By Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Costa Mesa, CAEdward Wormley for Dunbar Captain's "Y" chair, ca. 1955. Professionally restored walnut frame with new back caning and new upholstered seat with super soft and luxurious ivory wool f...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Mahogany and Steel Armchair, 1950sBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in South Bend, INA rare and exceptional Mid-Century Modern club or lounge chair By Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture USA, circa 1950s Solid African mahogany frames, with brushed steel stre...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsSteel
- Edward Wormley Chair for Dunbar Model 2424BBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in New York, NYSleekly sculptural chair with a radically slender, curved seat back designed by Edward Wormley and produced by Dunbar Furniture, c. 1940. An early modernist design by Wormley, in an organic design idiom, that transforms a traditional wingback chair...Category
Vintage 1940s American Organic Modern Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Mahogany
- Dining Chairs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, Set of Six, 1950sBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Houston, TXEdward Wormley, two armchairs, and four side chairs. Dunbar, USA. Mahogany and leather. Signed with applied gold rectangular metal manufacturer's label to the seat bottom [Dunb...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
