Edward Wormley for Dunbar Five-Drawer Commode, Mahogany and Brass Mid Century
View Similar Items
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Five-Drawer Commode, Mahogany and Brass Mid Century
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 29 in (73.66 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 30 in (76.2 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Philadelphia, PA
- Reference Number:Seller: AJM1stDibs: LU127326971213
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.
- Pair of Mid-Century Modern "A" Chairs Attributed to Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Philadelphia, PAAn exquisite matching pair of "A" chairs designed by Edward Wormley and produced by Dunbar circa 1950s. These chairs were newly lacquered in jet black and the seats are freshly reuph...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBrass
- Restored Edward Wormley Dunbar Walnut & Leather 8-Drawer Dresser or CabinetBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Philadelphia, PAThis dresser was designed by decorated design icon Edward Wormly for equally revered manufacturer Dunbar Furniture. Known for hundreds of successful designs and exceptional quality, ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Dressers
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Pair of Elegant Slipper Lounge ChairsBy Edward WormleyLocated in Philadelphia, PAA sleek and comfortable pair of classic Wormley for Dunbar slipper chairs. Older restoration of mahogany legs and recovering of upholstery shows minor scuffs and scratches to bases a...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Slipper Chairs
MaterialsUpholstery, Mahogany
- Edward Wormley Pair of Outstanding Armchairs for Dunbar in Velvet MidcenturyBy Edward WormleyLocated in Philadelphia, PAStunning pair of Edward Wormley for Dunbar armchairs. Dark African mahogany frames with intersecting brushed steel cross stretchers. Newly upholstered in a white textured velvet.Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMahogany
- Party Sofa in Original Jack Lenor Larson Fabric by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Philadelphia, PAA Classic Dunbar sofa by Edward Wormley that has been ensconced in plastic since leaving the showroom. Thereby preserving the spectacular and timeless fabric of Jack Lenor Larson...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery
- Pair of Matching Club Chairs in the Manner of Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Philadelphia, PAA great pair of club chairs from the late 1960s in the style of Edward Wormley. Upholstery has some light soiling and can be reupholstered at $600 per chair (buyer supplies fabric).Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Dark Walnut Louver Front 6-Drawer Commode / ChestBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYAmerican Mid-Century 6-drawer walnut louver front commode / chest with a dark stained lacquered finish. (Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture Company...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsWood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar American Mid-Century New World 5 Drawer Wooden ChestBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYAmerican mid-century wooden chest of drawers with 5 drawers with oval cutout drawer pulls, resting on a pedestal base. (EDWARD WORMLEY FOR DUNBAR FURNITURE COMPANY NEW WORLD COLLECTION)Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
- Mahogany Cabinet by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Sagaponack, NYAn ebonized mahogany cabinet with seven graduated, recessed-pull drawers, on a recessed plinth leather wrapped base.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany
- Edward Wormley Primavera Mahogany CommodeBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Chicago, ILEdward Wormley for Dunbar 5-drawer cabinet, mahogany wood with tapered brass legs. [metal tag Dunbar].Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Maple Three-Drawer Slant Front ChestBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYAmerican Mid-Century maple slant front chest with three drawers with semi-circular wooden drawer pulls, resting on four tapered square wooden legs....Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMaple, Wood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture Co Walnut and Natzler Tile Eight-DrawerBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYAmerican mid-century walnut eight-drawer chest comprised of a narrow set of drawers on the left and a wider set of drawers on the right , all with drawer pulls made of brass and Natz...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal, Brass
