Pair of 1960s Club Chairs by Edward Wormley
View Similar Items
Pair of 1960s Club Chairs by Edward Wormley
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)Seat Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Los Angeles, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: CHR-VINT-3261stDibs: LU225639728773
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.
- Pair of Emilio Pucci Leather Rive Droite Swivel Chairs by Cappellini, 2001By Cappellini, Emilio PucciLocated in Los Angeles, CARare pair of Rive Droit swivel chairs in Emilio Pucci leather by Cappellini, Italy, 2001. The pair are in good condition with age appropriate wear to the Emilio Pucci printed leathe...Category
Early 2000s Italian Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Pair of Tufted Leather Club Chairs, France, 1960sLocated in Los Angeles, CAPair of 1960s French club chairs, newly upholstered in black nubuck leather. Walnut legs have been refinished. Both are in excellent condition.Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsLeather
$12,000 / set - Pair of 1930s Maurice Rinck Style Art Deco French Club Chairs in Alpaca WoolLocated in Los Angeles, CAPair of oversized 1930s Maurice Rinck styled French Art Deco club chairs. The pair have been completely restored. They have been reupholstered in an alpaca wool. The legs have been r...Category
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Club Chairs
MaterialsAlpaca, Wood
- Walnut End Table with Tiffany Tiles by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, 1950sBy Edward WormleyLocated in Los Angeles, CAA solid walnut end table designed by Edward Wormley for the Janus Collection by Dunbar, 1957. Features Tiffany glass inlaid tiles. The table has been recently refinished and is in ex...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern End Tables
MaterialsWalnut
$3,080 Sale Price22% Off - Pair of 1960s Side Chairs in BoucléLocated in Los Angeles, CAPair of 1960s armless side chairs, newly upholstered in an Italian wool blend bouclé. The bases have been recently brass plated. In overall excelle...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Cowhide and Iron Sling Chairs, Netherlands, 1960sBy Pierre PaulinLocated in Los Angeles, CAPair of iron lounge chairs with new cowhide slings. The iron frames show patina. Unknown designer, attributed to Pierre Paulin. Most likely from Netherlands, 1960s.Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Pair of Dunbar Swivel Chairs by Edward WormleyBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA pair of restored Dunbar swivel chairs by Edward Wormley. Refinished walnut bases and reupholstered in Holly Hunt / Esposito / Natural State fabric.Category
Vintage 1950s Swivel Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
$12,000 / set - Pair of Swivel Chairs by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA pair of swiveling lounge chairs on mahogany bases. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.Category
Vintage 1950s Swivel Chairs
MaterialsFabric
- Pair of "Junior" Chairs by Yrjö Kukkapuro, Finland, 1960sBy Yrjö KukkapuroLocated in Austin, TXBeautiful and rare pair of Junior armchairs designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro, manufactured by Haimi in Finland during the mid–1960s. Swivel chairs, made from...Category
Mid-20th Century Finnish Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal, Enamel
$5,120 Sale Price / set20% Off - Edward Wormley Swivel ChairBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Chicago, ILEdward Wormley Swivel Chair, laminated flat spindles, seat and crest rail with, X base with solid mahogany tapered legs. Newly upholstered button tufted seat with Spinneybeck leather...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Mahogany
- Early Pair of Leather Swivel Chairs by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA very rare and early pair of swiveling club chairs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, circa 1940's. These clean-lined chairs elevate comfortable lounging to new heights of sophistication...Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Swivel Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Club ChairsBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLStunning pair of oak framed chairs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, referred to as “Edward’s Chair”. New fabric and great original finish. Chairs...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Oak
$3,250 / set