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Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

American, 1907-1995

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.

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Color:  Gray
Creator: Edward Wormley
Restored Pair of Chests by Edward Wormley, circa 1947
By Edward Wormley, Drexel
Located in Atlanta, GA
A beautiful pair of Modern chests by Edward Wormley for Drexel, circa 1947. Expertly constructed in silver elm and finished in cream lacquer. The functional size and scale allow for ...
Category

1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Chest of Drawers by Edward Wormley
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Sagaponack, NY
An elegant and well proportioned eight (8) drawer cabinet in ebonized mahogany, having distinctive laminated end pulls, on tapered dowel legs.
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Mahogany

Faux Ivory Low Chest by Dunbar
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Kilmarnock, VA
Wonderful custom Dunbar chest designed by Edward Wormley redone in a faux ivoy finish. Great scale which could easily be used behind a sofa or under a window.
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Related Items
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Singles of Edward Wormley for Drexel chests from the Precedent Collection with brass tone hardware, circa 1947. Size shown in photos is 32" W , also have 38"w and 48" W available ...
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Chest by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
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Materials

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Chest by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
Chest by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
H 30.375 in W 40 in D 18.75 in
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Pair of Bombe Bedside Chests
Located in Whaley Bridge, GB
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Pair of Bombe Bedside Chests
Pair of Bombe Bedside Chests
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Edward Wormley Precedent Dresser for Drexel, stunning custom hardware / finish
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Stunning chest of drawers from Drexel’s notable Precedent line, one of the few collections Edward Wormley produced outside of his work with Dunbar. The stately collection comprised o...
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Edward Wormley for Dunbar Pink Lacquered Chest of Drawers, Newly Refinished
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional Mid-Century Modern six-drawer dresser or chest of drawers By Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture USA, 1950s Pink lacquered mahogany, with lucite and brass drawer pu...
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

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Edward J. Wormley for Dunbar Cabinet with Asian Hardware
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Mid-Century Modern Edward J. Wormley for Dunbar cabinet with brass Asian hardware. All original dark had rubbed finish on ribbon mahogany, top will be polished and touched up prior t...
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Custom Refinished Vintage Faux Bamboo Two-Drawer Low Chest
By Thomasville
Located in Harlingen, TX
This vintage Thomasville Palm Beach regency faux bamboo chest of drawers has been custom refinished in satin light grayish green w...
Category

1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

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Restored Edward Wormley Dunbar White Enamel Walnut Leather Cabinet Dresser 1950s
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Materials

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Mid Century Dresser by Edward Wormley for Drexel, Precedent Series, 1950's
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Materials

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Classic Edward Wormley for Dunbar Chest of Drawers/ Dresser
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Category

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Previously Available Items
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Desk with Brass Base
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Located in Dallas, TX
An oak and ash desk with brass base and hardware. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.
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1960s Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

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Pair of Vintage Chests by Edward Wormley for Drexel Precedent Line
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Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of vintage chests by Edward Wormley for Drexel Precedent Line.
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1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Very Fine Pair of Nightstands by Edward Wormley, 1949
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Located in South Charleston, WV
A beautiful pair of nightstands designed by Edward Wormley and executed by Drexel. This is one of the few designs performed outside of Dunbar and the linen white lacquer imparts a ho...
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1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Modern Edward Wormley Drexel Five Drawer Chest in Grey with Blush Undertones
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Located in Houston, TX
Modern Edward Wormley Drexel five-drawer dresser in grey with blush undertones. This chest has been wonderfully restored in a grey was with shiny chrome handles. Superb craftmanship.
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1940s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

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Modern Lavender Lacquered Dresser by Edward Wormley with Brass Hardware
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Edward Wormley Writing Desk or Vanity
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Edward Wormley design writing desk or vanity for his Drexel "Precedent" line. Made from solid ashwood with fitted interiors and newly finished in a semi gloss white lacquer with poli...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Edward Wormley Writing Desk or Vanity
Edward Wormley Writing Desk or Vanity
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For your consideration a desk designed by Edward Wormley. Label from the maker on top drawer. Mahogany wood finished in cerused grey color. Drawers constructed with double do...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Case Pieces and Storage Cabinets

Materials

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Edward Wormley case pieces and storage cabinets for sale on 1stDibs.

Edward Wormley case pieces and storage cabinets are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Edward Wormley case pieces and storage cabinets, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original case pieces and storage cabinets by Edward Wormley were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider case pieces and storage cabinets by Dunbar, George Nelson, and Widdicomb Furniture Co.. Prices for Edward Wormley case pieces and storage cabinets can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $1,499 and can go as high as $30,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $8,000.

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