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 Mid-Century Three-Seat Sofa in Brown Tufted Fabric
By Edward Wormley
Located in Queens, NY
American mid-century 3-seat sofa with brown button tufted fabric upholstery, and two removable seat cushions resting on a floating wooden base. (EDWARD WORMLEY FOR DUNBAR FURNITURE C...
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
Victorian Loveseat, Faux Leopard Velvet, Hand-Crafted, Circa 1890
Located in Queens, NY
English Victorian style modern loveseat with camel back and upholstered in faux leopard velvet.
Velvet
Harvey Probber Mid-Century Sofa with Ebonized Base and Sunburst Fabric
By Harvey Probber
Located in Queens, NY
American Mid-Century sofa with orange, yellow, and gold sunburst patterned upholstery, resting on an ebonized wooden sled base. (HARVEY PROBBER) Scuffing...
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery, Ebony
Mid-Century American 4-Piece Walnut and Floral Fabric Upholstered Sectional Sofa
Located in Queens, NY
American Mid-Century walnut sectional sofa comprised of four pieces, two straight sections, one with a left arm, one with a right arm, and two curved sections, upholstered in a brown...
Walnut
Edward Wormley Three-Seat Sofa, Striped Upholstery, Mid-Century Design
By Edward Wormley
Located in Queens, NY
American Mid-Century 3-seat sofa with beige, light green, and brown striped upholstery with three back and three seat cushions. (EDWARD WORMLEY FOR DUNBAR FURNITURE COMPANY).
Fabric, Upholstery
French Regence Walnut Bench with Faux Tiger Upholstery, 20th Century
Located in Queens, NY
French Regence style (19/20th Century) walnut long 8 leg bench with a stretcher and a faux tiger upholstered seat
Faux Fur, Walnut
Lacquered Empire Style Sofa, Leopard Upholstery, Wood, USA, 1950s
Located in San Francisco, CA
Great statement piece with white lacquer wood finish and leopard printed upholstery. Loads of drama for either a simple or layered decor.
Fabric, Wood
Midcentury Leopard Armchair, GFM 142, Edmund Homa, Europe, 1960s
By Edmund Homa
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Beautiful leopard armchair GFM-142, designed by Edmund Homa, a polish architect, designer of Industrial Design and interior architecture, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gda...
Fabric, Velvet, Beech
Vintage Monumental Leopard Velvet Sofa
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Make a bold, high-octane statement with this monumental vintage leopard print velvet sofa. A quintessential example of 1970s Hollywood Regency glamour, this three-seat couch is upholstered in a plush, high-contrast velvet that brings a sense of wild sophistication to any curated interior. The silhouette features a slightly arched back and elegant flared arms, all masterfully tailored to highlight the rhythmic pattern of the animalia motif. This sofa represents a masterclass in maximalist design, offering a striking blend of soft materiality and commanding architectural weight that anchors a room with effortless confidence. Measuring an impressive 98.75 inches long, 42 inches in back height, and featuring a deep 28-inch seat, this substantial piece is designed for both grand entertaining and supreme comfort. It remains in great vintage condition, exhibiting minor surface scuffs and a light, age-appropriate patina to the velvet that serves as a testament to its authentic history and adds unique character. Whether grounding an eclectic living room or serving as a focal point in a high-design salon, this leopard sofa...
Fabric, Velvet, Wood
Sculptural Contemporary Leopard Velvet and Black Lacquered Sofa Revolución
By Moanne
Located in Almería, ES
Sofá upholstered in Leopard Velvet with Black Lacquer Wood Structure. In a world that aches for reinvention, the Revolución Sofa emerges as a bold act of design—an emblem of defia...
Velvet, Wood, Lacquer
Mid Century Leopard Armchair, GFM 142, Edmund Homa, Europe, 1960s
By Edmund Homa
Located in 05-080 Hornowek, PL
Beautiful leopard armchair GFM-142, designed by Edmund Homa, a polish architect, designer of Industrial Design and interior architecture, professor at...
Fabric, Velvet, Beech
Oxted Sofa in Original Zebra-Patterned Fabric by William Plunkett, 1970s
By William Plunkett
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Oxted Sofa in Original Zebra-Patterned Fabric by William Plunkett, 1970s Additional Information: Material: Steel and fabric Style: Mid century, British Sofa Produced by William Plun...
Steel
