Edward Wormley for Dunbar Credenza
View Similar Items
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Credenza
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 38.25 in (97.16 cm)Width: 61.5 in (156.21 cm)Depth: 18.75 in (47.63 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Denton, TX
- Reference Number:Seller: KGN20171stDibs: LU253838949693
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.
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar CredenzaBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Denton, TXClassic Edward Wormley for Dunbar mahogany credenza with solid brass hardware. Nine drawers with center cabinet.Category
20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsBrass
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar CabinetBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Denton, TXTwo Edward Wormley cabinets with corrugated wood sliding doors and center drawer section in a grey brown finish Each cabinet is 20" deep by 49" wide by 31.25 high.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMahogany
- Harold Schwartz for Romweber CredenzaBy Harold Schwartz, Romweber Furniture Co.Located in Denton, TXMid-Century Modern Harold Schwartz for Romweber Buffet. Many storage openings for flatware & china. A unique butterfly joinery- bow-tie design on the t...Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Buffets
MaterialsWood
- 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 for Dunbar Custom SetteeBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Denton, TXThis assemblage of three chairs into a settee with bentwood arms was custom ordered by Stephens Financial for their office in Michigan. New upholstery may be desired.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Settees
MaterialsUpholstery, Ash, Rosewood
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Elliptical Conference / Dining TableBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Denton, TXEdward Wormley for dunbar walnut elliptical conference / dining table. Extra long oval table that can be used in a large dining room or conference room.Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Cabinet / Credenza in Mahogany and WalnutBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Culver City, CAThis buffet is absolutely stunning! This ebonized mahogany and walnut sideboard / buffet designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar features heavy brass accents and pulls in a gorgeous chinoiserie feel. A piece like this is so elegant and clean it can really seamlessly inject a modern, refined look into any environment. We currently have this piece in our gallery paired with a brass Mastercraft dining table, accented with brass Paul Evans cityscape dining chairs...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsMahogany, Walnut
$8,400 Sale Price25% Off - Edward Wormley Dunbar Custom Credenza Rosewood Curved FrontBy Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLA rare credenza designed by Edward Wormley and custom made by Dunbar for Mellin Furniture Galleries, Warren, Michigan, circa 1969. Curved front rosewood doors, walnut case with plast...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsWalnut
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar CredenzaBy Edward WormleyLocated in Pasadena, TXElegantly crafted credenza made of walnut. Credenza features distinctive half moon drawer and door pulls.Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsWalnut
$4,560 Sale Price22% Off - Edward Wormley for Dunbar Cain Front Mahogany Sideboard on a Plinth BaseBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Chicago, ILEdward Wormley for Dunbar Cain front mahogany sideboard on a Plinth Base, Features: Two drawers and one double drawer with removable dividers, Four sliding doors with 3 storage compa...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Buffets
MaterialsMahogany
- Edward Wormley Credenza Model 5668A for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in San Francisco, CAEdward Wormley design credenza model 5668A for Dunbar. Ebonized walnut case with newly caned front sliding doors and four drawers across the top. Comprising a fitted interior for mas...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsCane, Walnut
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Model 5665 CredenzaBy Edward WormleyLocated in Brooklyn, NYFor your consideration is this handsome Edward Wormley Model 5665 Credenza featuring it original 1950's finish; walnut case; three upper drawers with recessed pulls and divided interiors; three sliding doors of interwoven, laminated walnut veneer; three pull-out tray drawers behind the end doors; adjustable shelves behind the center door; passage in the back panel for cables; and Dunbar metal...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsWalnut