Set of 4 Edward Wormley for Dunbar Caned Back Light Wooden Side Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Width: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)Seat Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Mid-20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Discoloration and wear to finish, minor caning damage on one chair.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:
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: Long Island City, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Wooden Caned Back and Upholstered Seat Side ChairBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYAmerican Mid-Century side chair with a dark stained wooden frame, beige textured fabric upholstered seat, and caned back, resting on four tapered square legs...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery, Wood
- Set of 4 Edward Wormley for Dunbar Patterned Mauve Upholstered Dining Side ChairBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYSet of 4 American mid-century dining / side chairs with square backs featuring a brass central handle, geometrically patterned mauve seat and back cushions, resting on four square ta...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Brass
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Pink Purple Plaid Upholstered Slipper / Side ChairBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYAmerican Mid-Century slipper / side chair with purple, pink, and blue plaid fabric upholstery with button tufting and a matching rectangular throw pillow, resting on four square ebon...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery, Wood, Ebony
- Set of 4 Edward Wormley for Dunbar Mid-Century Caned Back Wooden Dining ArmchairBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYSET of 4 American Mid-Century dining armchairs with dark stained wooden frames, solid wooden seats, and caned backs. (EDWARD WORMLEY FOR DUNBAR FURNITURE COMPANY)(PRICED AS SET)Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood
- Set of 6 Edward J Wormley Gray Fabric Upholstered Dining Side ChairsBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYSET of 6 American Mid-Century dining side chairs with gray textured fabric upholstered backs and seats, resting on four walnut square tapered legs. (EDWARD J WORMLEY)(PRICED AS SET).Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsWood, Fabric, Upholstery, Walnut
- Pair of Edward Wormley for Dunbar Caned Back Linen Seat Wooden Dining ArmchairsBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYPAIR of American Mid-Century dining armchairs with wooden frames, woven striped beige, gray, and orange linen upholstered seats, and caned backs. (EDWARD WORMLEY FOR DUNBAR FURNITURE...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsWood, Linen, Upholstery
- Edward Wormley Curved Back Side Chair for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Los Angeles, CAA mahogany ebonized side chair by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, USA, c.1960s. The backrest has been newly caned with a newly upholstered seat cushion. Retains Dunbar brass label. Edwar...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Cane, Mahogany
- Pair of Edward Wormley for Dunbar Leather Slipper Side ChairsBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Brooklyn, NYPair of slipper, side chairs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar feature mahogany frames with high backs, upholstered in butterscotch leather.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Pair of Club ChairsBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in San Diego, CAPair of side upholstered side chairs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Medium brown lightly textured fabric and dark brown lacquered wood base. Chairs have been completely redone. Wonder...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsWood
- Set of 2 Patinaed Armchairs After Edward Wormley for Dunbar Chairs, USA, c. 1960By Edward WormleyLocated in Deland, FLStately and sophisticated with striking angular lines reminiscent of and often attributed to Edward Wormley for Dunbar. This set of armchairs is constructed from solid walnut and is ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Pair Edward Wormley for Dunbar Model 5480 ChairsBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Brooklyn, NYAn iconic Edward Wormley design, the ‘A-Frame' chair is a wonderful example of Wormley’s expertise in mixing materials into sophisticated, architectural forms. Employing dark stain...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Bentwood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Caned Back Dining Chairs Set of TenBy Edward WormleyLocated in Chicago, ILEdward Wormley for Dunbar caned back dining chairs set of ten, Model 6328 with newly upholstered seats in cotton velvet by Great Plains, Mahogany fram...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsCane, Velvet, Walnut
