Six 1950s Edward Wormley for Dunbar Dining Chairs
View Similar Items
Six 1950s Edward Wormley for Dunbar Dining Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Dunbar Furniture (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32 in (81.28 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 20 in (50.8 cm)Seat Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 6
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:Mahogany,Bleached
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The chairs are in their original finish and the upholstery. Upholstery is in very good condition but later.
- Seller Location:Hudson, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU92432307862
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.
- 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
- 1950s Dining Height Upholstered Janus Chair 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 marble velvet...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Mahogany
- Set of Six Edward Wormley for Dunbar Caned Dining ChairsBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Rio Vista, CALabeled set of six mid-century modern caned dining chairs featuring new modern boucle upholstery redux. Iconic chairs designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar having walnut frames in an angular design with an ebonized finish. The rectangular back has a cane inset...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsBouclé, Cane, Wood
- Set of Six Edward Wormley for Dunbar Curved-Back Dining ChairsBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Chicago, ILSet of Six Edward Wormley for Dunbar Curved-Back Dining Chairs, Model 4580 without arms and Model 4581 arm chairs, Features solid mahogany frames with cane backs and original leather...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Cane, Mahogany
- 1950s Set of Four Model 675 Dining Chairs by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYA set of dining chairs with exposed walnut frames supporting floating laminated seats and sculptural back rests, both covered in vintage upholstery. Designed in 1953 as a component o...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room 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
