Essential Design 
4 May 2023
Essential Design 
304

Edward Wormley

Game table and chairs, set of four

Dunbar
USA, c. 1967
lacquered mahogany, rosewood, mahogany, upholstery table: 29½ h × 31 w × 31 d in (75 × 79 × 79 cm) chair: 30½ h × 24½ w × 21½ d in (77 × 62 × 55 cm)
estimate: $1,500–2,000
result: $4,410
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Set is comprised of one table and four chairs, model 935. Applied brass 'D' manufacturer's label to underside of four examples ‘Dunbar Berne, Indiana’.
literature: Dunbar, manufacturer’s catalog, unpaginated illustrates chairs

This work will ship from Chicago, Illinois.

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Modernism means freedom–freedom to mix, to choose, to change, to embrace the new, but to hold fast to what is good.

Edward Wormley

Edward Wormley 1907–1995

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Born in rural Illinois in 1907, Edward Wormley’s interest in design originated early in life and led him to later study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Due to financial reasons, Wormley dropped out after 2 years and began his first job in an interior design studio before joining the Indiana-based Dunbar Furniture Company where he served as director of design for nearly 40 years.

Following World War II, Wormley became an independent consultant branching out to design textiles, globe stands, and showrooms. He designed award winning collections for Drexel Furniture Company and was included in the Good Design shows of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Characteristic of his design elements were functional engineering, decorative laminated plywood, and unconventional upholstery.

Wormley characteristically honored aesthetic qualities, following influences of Scandinavian modernism, while maintaining utilitarian qualities and “designing for the needs” of others. His work is timeless and of the highest quality. Wormley died in 1995, but his legacy is celebrated in collections including the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Montreal.

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