Pair of Gentleman's Chests by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Model No. 4450
View Similar Items
Pair of Gentleman's Chests by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Model No. 4450
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 38 in (96.52 cm)Width: 41.5 in (105.41 cm)Depth: 18 in (45.72 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU106043058202
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.
- Deco Style Gentleman's Chest of Drawers, 1970sLocated in New York, NYArt Deco style Mid-Century gentleman's dresser newly refinished in dark walnut. Five drawers for ample storage space and wishbone shaped nickel-plated hardware.Category
20th Century American Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMetal
- Pair of Edward Wormley for "Dunbar" ArmchairsBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYSculptural pair of Edward Wormley chairs for Dunbar. Walnut frames have been newly refinished in deep chocolate and vintage grey leather is in excellent condition. Great shape and co...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Walnut
$4,600 Sale Price / set20% Off - Edward Wormley Coffee Table for "Dunbar", 1950sBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYLarge scale, round coffee table by Edward Wormley for "Dunbar", produced in 1950s in Burne, Indiana. Newly refinished mahogany base with original cork top. Label underneath. Great ...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMahogany, Cork
- Edward Wormley Set of Three Walnut Nesting or Side TablesBy Edward WormleyLocated in New York, NYNewly refinished set of two-tone nesting tables by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Light walnut tops, banded in contrasting borders, ebonized legs and brass stretchers. Beautiful grain o...Category
Vintage 1960s American Nesting Tables and Stacking Tables
MaterialsBrass
- Pair of Geoffrey Harcourt Chairs for Artifort, 1960sLocated in New York, NYGreat pair of Geoffrey Harcourt lounge chairs for Artifort, model 042. Original olive green upholstery is in excellent condition, as are the steel frames. Both labeled underneath. ...Category
Vintage 1960s Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Pair of Paavo Tynell, Double Pendants for Taito Oy, FinlandBy Paavo TynellLocated in New York, NYPair of brass double pendants with perforated shades, designed by Paavo Tynel for Taito Oy, Finland, 1960s. Brass has been polished and fixtures have been rewired. Available to v...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Gentleman's ChestLocated in St. Louis, MOMid-Century Modern Edward Wormley for Dunbar bachelors chest with flip-top mirror, drawers in center, flanked by two cabinet doors, in bleached mahogany, currently being refinished (...Category
Vintage 1950s American Cabinets
MaterialsMahogany
$4,800 Sale Price26% Off - Chest by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Dallas, TXA walnut dresser with rosewood handle and brass feet. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.Category
Vintage 1950s Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut
- Chest of Drawers by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Los Angeles, CABeautiful chest of drawers designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. The cabinet 5 drawers, the top drawer comes with separations for different garments. The piece is in good vintage condition and it retains the original Dunbar tag. Measurements: 36 inches wide x 18 inches deep...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
- 1960's Pair of Vintage Chests by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in London, GBA magnificent pair of vintage chests, these were made in the USA by Dunbar furniture, they were designed by Edward Wormley. Edward Wormley was one of the leading pioneers of mid-cen...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWood
- Pair of Edward Wormley for Dunbar Chest of Drawers, NightstandsBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Dallas, TXBeautifully crafted chest of drawers by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. These are mahogany and feature 5 drawers, 2 smaller than the other three. Make great n...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsMahogany
- Pair of Leather and Walnut Chests Designed by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Stamford, CTA pair of chests in walnut with leather wrapped baseboards and blond handles. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, circa 1955.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Commodes and Chests of Drawers
MaterialsWalnut