Edward Wormley 'Janus' Sofa for Dunbar
View Similar Items
Edward Wormley 'Janus' Sofa for Dunbar
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer),Dunbar Furniture (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.11 in (79 cm)Width: 102.37 in (260 cm)Depth: 35.44 in (90 cm)Seat Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960-1969
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Waalwijk, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU933112116211
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 vintage seating, storage cabinets, bar carts and other 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.
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.
Established in 2006, Morentz has a team of approximately 55 restorers, upholsterers, interior advisers and art historians, making it a gallery, workshop and upholstery studio, all in one. Every day, a carefully selected array of 20th-century furniture arrives from all over the world at the firm’s warehouse, where the team thoroughly examines each piece to determine what, if any, work needs to be done. Whether that means new upholstery or a complete restoration, Morentz's aim is always to honor the designer’s intention while fulfilling the wishes of the client. The team is up to any challenge, from restoring a single piece to its original glory to furnishing a large-scale hotel project.
- Edward Wormley 'New York' Sofa in Orange UpholsteryBy Dux of Sweden, Edward WormleyLocated in Waalwijk, NLEdward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture / DUX of Sweden, sofa model 5316, fabric, beech, metal, United States, design 1952 This three-seat sofa was designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar 'Oasis' Sofa in White BoucleBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Waalwijk, NLEdward Wormley for Dunbar, 'Oasis' sofa, model '5200', reupholstered in white boucle, wood, United States, 1952 The 'Oasis' sofa (1952) is designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Th...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Four-Seat Sofa in Off-White UpholsteryBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Waalwijk, NLEdward J. Wormley for Dunbar, sofa, fabric and wood, United States, circa 1970 The white upholstery is a striking combination with the darkened frame that is especially visible at t...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Sofa in Beige Upholstery with Floral MotifsBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Waalwijk, NLEdward Wormley for Dunbar, sofa, model 5125, fabric, stained wood, United States, 1950s This cubic shaped sofa is designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. The sofa features a cubic-sh...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Sofa in Light Blue UpholsteryBy Edward WormleyLocated in Waalwijk, NLEdward Wormley for Dunbar, sofa, model 5150, fabric, metal, United States, 1950s. The sofa exudes a simple and elegant style, reminiscent of the classic design elements typically a...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Edward Wormley 'New York' SofaBy Edward Wormley, Dux of SwedenLocated in Waalwijk, NLEdward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture / DUX of Sweden, sofa model 5316, faux leather, metal, wood, United States, design 1952 This three-seat sofa was designed by Edward Wormley for D...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
$12,000
- Janus Corner Sofa Designed by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Stamford, CTA Janus Collection corner sofa produced by Dunbar and designed by Edward Wormley. Model 629A. Upholstered in Rogers and Goffigon fabric.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsWalnut
- Edward Wormley Slipper Sofa for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Denton, TXEdward Wormley slipper sofa for Dunbar with off white upholstery and ebonized bentwood legs. Older restoration.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Bentwood
- Edward Wormley Open Frame Sofa, Dunbar, USA, 1950sBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in London, GBA very rare two-seat Edward Wormley open frame sofa, made by Dunbar, in the USA, 1950s. Newly reupholstered in high quality fabric. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Edward Wormley Sofa Model 4906, Dunbar, USA, 1950sBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in London, GBAn original Edward Wormley Model 4906 sofa, made by Dunbar in the USA, 1950s. Fast shipping worldwide.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar model 5316 SofaBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA rare model 5316 sofa designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar in 1953. Floating back with exposed mahogany frame. Fully restored and upholstered in Holly Hunt / Vladimir / Silver Fog ...Category
Vintage 1950s Sofas
MaterialsMahogany
- Janus Sofa #6329 by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Pasadena, TXJanus sofa #6329 by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Stunning sofa recently restored in champagne velvet with tufting. Mahogany base.Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMahogany
$11,200 Sale Price20% Off
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
Kaleidoscopic Upholstery Makes This Edward Wormley Chair a Showstopper
What at first glance seems an unusual choice jibes perfectly with the designer's aesthetic.
You Don’t Need a Fictional Fairy to Get This Real Pinocchio Lamp
Warm chalet style meets cool Bauhaus functionality in Pietro Cascella’s cleverly carved creation.