Edward Wormley Channel Back Chairs, Model No. 4827
View Similar Items
Edward Wormley Channel Back Chairs, Model No. 4827
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Refinished. Reupholstered.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: A04781stDibs: LU90863037142
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.
- Channel Back Sofa by Edward WormleyBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in San Francisco, CAAn early channel back sofa with brass legs and covered in blue fabric by Edward Wormley. Model #4757 designed in 1947. The fabric is tired and should...Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of "Janus" Wing Chairs by Edward WormleyBy Edward WormleyLocated in San Francisco, CAPair of "Janus" wing chairs by Edward Wormley A pair of wing chairs by Edward Wormley restored in a luxurious Rogers & Goffigan Belgian linen fabric. The mahogany base has been blea...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Wingback Chairs
MaterialsLinen, Mahogany
$35,000 / set - Italian Design Scoop ChairLocated in San Francisco, CAItalian design scoop chair An Italian scoop chair with oval cutout in the back and ebonized tapered legs. Completely restored in a luxurious Sandra Jorda...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsAlpaca, Wood
- Pair of Jens Risom Scoop Chairs for Hans KnollBy Jens RisomLocated in San Francisco, CAPair of Jens Risom scoop chairs for Hans Knoll A pair of very early Knoll post war design scoop chairs by Jens Risom. Each has been completely restored in a luxurious Sandra Jordan ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsAlpaca
$8,900 / set - George Nelson Rare High Back ChairBy George Nelson, Herman MillerLocated in San Francisco, CAGeorge Nelson rare high back chair A high back lounge chair designed by George Nelson for Herman Miller. Model #5469, this lounge chair is one of t...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome, Steel
- Milo Baughman Barrel Back Lounge ChairBy Milo BaughmanLocated in San Francisco, CAA curved back lounge chair in the style of Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin. The curved back chair has a heavy chrome plated steel frame and restored in a luxurious wool velvet from H...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsChrome
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Slipper ChairsBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Chicago, ILEarly Edward Wormley for Dunbar slipper chairs. Lacquered mahogany legs with newly reupholstered button tufted seat and back. ...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMahogany
$9,009 / set - Edward Wormley Slipper Chairs for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXEdward Wormley slipper chairs for Dunbar with dark mahogany bases and original black velvet upholstery. The upholstery has faded to an interesting shade of aubergine. Includes downfi...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Mahogany
$4,800 / set - Edward Wormley Slipper Chairs for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis comfortable pair of Mid-Century slipper chairs feature the iconic design of Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Vintage fabric on simple modern frames make an impressive addition to home...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
$3,640 Sale Price / set30% Off - Slipper Chair by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Palm Springs, CASlipper chair designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Newly upholstered in a orange fabric closely matching the original with attention to detail! Solid mahogany frame. Retains the...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Pair of Edward Wormley for Dunbar Slipper ChairsBy Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA pair of Classic Edward Wormley for Dunbar slipper chairs. Frames redone in high gloss black lacquer finish. New upholstery. ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
$4,800 / set - Low Lounge Chair by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Sagaponack, NYA low slipper chair with the original faux alligator texture yellow upholstery.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery