Mid Century Edward Wormley Long John Bench with Drawer by Dunbar
View Similar Items
Mid Century Edward Wormley Long John Bench with Drawer by Dunbar
About the Item
- Creator:Edward Wormley (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 11.75 in (29.85 cm)Width: 84 in (213.36 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. A few slight marks to the top from light use and age .
- Seller Location:Cincinnati, OH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU925112238663
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.
- Expandable Refectory Coffee Table by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Cincinnati, OHA very well crafted mahogany expanding refectory coffee table with each end that pulls out making the total length 68" . This functional piece is the perfect size and proportions for...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMahogany
- Edward Wormley Nightstand or Side Cabinet by DunbarBy Edward WormleyLocated in Cincinnati, OHA dark ebony stained mahogany nightstand or side cabinet with brass capped legs and a top that is made of laminate but looks so close to wood that it's almost impossible to tell. Two...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
MaterialsBrass
- Danish Styled Mid Century Walnut Coffee Table by OtmarBy OtmarLocated in Cincinnati, OHA medium dark walnut framed square coffee table with smoked glass inset top . The table has a lower shelving area for storage which makes it very useful for your living space . Craft...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSmoked Glass, Walnut
- Rare 2 pc. Coffee Table by John Van Koert for DrexelBy John Van KoertLocated in Cincinnati, OHA well crafted two piece mahogany and walnut coffee table with tapered ends and middle legs , the other legs are a T styled design . The top has great graining with nice details a ve...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsMahogany, Walnut
- Early T Angle Walnut Coffee Table / Bench by Florence Knoll # 332 for Knoll (A)By Florence KnollLocated in Cincinnati, OHA very early and rare segmented topped walnut coffee table or bench with satin black T angled metal base . This architectural styled piece would fit into almost any interior room or ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Early T Angle Walnut Coffee Table / Bench by Florence Knoll # 332 for Knoll (B)By Florence KnollLocated in Cincinnati, OHA very early and rare segmented topped walnut coffee table or bench with satin black T angled metal base . This architectural styled piece would fit into almost any interior room or ...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsSteel
- Mid-Century Modern "Long John" Coffee Table By Edward Wormley For DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Brooklyn, NYLong, low, mid-century modern, "Long John" coffee table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar features a beautifully grained, walnut paneled top with upturned edges and bentwood hairpin legs....Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- "Long John" Coffee Table by Edward Wormley for DunbarBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Westport, CTIntroducing the epitome of mid-century elegance: the "Long John" Coffee Table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, meticulously restored to its original glory by Stamford Modern. Crafted wi...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Edward Wormley for Dunbar Style "Long John" Bench, Coffee Table, 1950sBy Edward Wormley, Dunbar FurnitureLocated in Bainbridge, NYLong Edward Wormley for dunbar style walnut "long john" Bench. Coffee Table. Bed End. Featuring a longer rectangular slat-style Walnut surface, turned edge...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsWalnut
- Mid-Century Modern Edward Wormley For Dunbar “Long John” Walnut Coffee TableBy Edward WormleyLocated in Kennesaw, GAThis is a 1950s walnut coffee table designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar….often called the “Long John”. It is one of his more iconic pieces....Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWalnut
- Classic Edward Wormley for Dunbar BenchBy Edward WormleyLocated in St.Petersburg, FLAn Edward Wormley for Dunbar upholstered (half) and open mahogany (the other half) bench. Brass spacers, original fabric, circa 1970s.Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
MaterialsMahogany
$2,800 Sale Price22% Off - Expertly Restored - Edward J. Wormley "Long John" Walnut Coffee Table for DunbarBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in Los Angeles, CATransforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing history back to life, and we take this journey with passion and precision. With over 17 years of artisanal exper...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
MaterialsWood, Walnut, Bentwood