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Edward Wormley Bookcases

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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Creator: Edward Wormley
Cabinet 6026 by Edward Wormley for Dunbar
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Dallas, TX
Beautiful and very elegant cabinet model # 6026 designed by Edward Wormely for Dunbar. This cabinet was purchased for the Neptune Gift Shop in New Jersey in 1963 and is constructed o...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Edward Wormley Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Dunbar Bookcase Wall Units by Edward Wormley
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of bookcases designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, circa 1960. Fully restored. Espresso stained mahogany, glass shelves, and brass details. Glass shelves can be arranged as nee...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Rare Mid-Century Modern Edward Wormley Dunbar Walnut Corner Bookcase Console 38"
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Dayton, OH
Mid-Century Modern Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture corner bookcase record console. Made of walnut featuring modular cubist "L" shape form with five tapered metal legs. Founded in 1910, Dunbar Furniture established a reputation for providing quality handcrafted products. The original Dunbar products were fine horse drawn buggies but with the invention of the automobile the company transformed into creating fine furnishings for the home. In 1931, Edward J. Wormley joined Dunbar as a young designer. Wormley's knowledge of furniture history and his global perspective became key in Dunbar's sucess over the next three decades. By the middle of the 20th century, Dunbar and Wormley had become true icons of American furniture design. The company participated in the 1950 Good Design exhibit with the Museum of Modern Art and dominated for the next three years. Dunbar and Wormley's legacy remain today as the company continues to produce for a growing international audicence. Vintage Dunbar Furniture...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Edward Wormley Bookcases

Materials

Metal

Edward Wormley for Dunbar Mid-Century Model 5264 Shelf Bookcase
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Countryside, IL
Edward Wormley for Dunbar mid-century model 5264 shelf bookcase. This bookcase measures: 48 wide x 14.25 deep x 74.25 inches high. All pieces of furniture can be had in what we...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Bookcases

Materials

Wood

Dunbar Room Divider by Edward Wormley
By Edward Wormley
Located in Dallas, TX
A two piece mahogany room divider with Japanese wood block printers plates. Designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar.
Category

1950s Vintage Edward Wormley Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

#6027 Edward Wormley for Dunbar Super Structure Display Cabinet
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Pasadena, TX
Edward Wormley for Dunbar Super Structure display cabinet Stunning cabinet constructed of dark walnut with a brass plated plinth base. Concave fron...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Edward Wormley Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

Edward Wormley Midcentury Magazine Rack for Dunbar in Brass and Wood Brown, 1950
By Dunbar Furniture, Edward Wormley
Located in Milano, IT
A timeless Classic. The Dunbar production relies on designer Edward Wormley to design this elegant magazine rack, which at the same time serves as a cabinet or coffee table. The pec...
Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Edward Wormley Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Edward Wormley Book Case Designed for Dunbar, circa 1953
By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture
Located in Camden, ME
Tapering three-shelved walnut bookcase / plate stand designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Green Dunbar Berne Indiana metal tag is on the reverse. The bookcase is in excellent con...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Edward Wormley Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

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Edward Wormley for Dunbar Bookcase
H 32.5 in W 36 in D 12 in
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Edward Wormley bookcases for sale on 1stDibs.

Edward Wormley bookcases 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 bookcases, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original bookcases by Edward Wormley were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider bookcases by Dunbar, Maitland Smith, and Paul Evans. Prices for Edward Wormley bookcases can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,900 and can go as high as $19,495, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $5,260.

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