Essential Design 
9 January 2025
Essential Design 
170

Edward Wormley

Armchairs model 935, pair

Dunbar
USA, c. 1967
walnut, rosewood, upholstery 30½ h × 24½ w × 21 d in (77 × 62 × 53 cm)
estimate: $1,500–2,000
result: $5,016
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This work is part of the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts Collection, being sold in support of the Center's Restructuring Program. Proceeds from the sale will directly support the Coe Center's efforts to reunite Indigenous artworks with their origin communities.
Metal manufacturer's label to underside of each example ‘Dunbar Berne Indiana’.
provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts Collection, Santa Fe
literature: Dunbar, manufacturer's catalog, pg. 46ch

This work will ship from Los Angeles, California.

This item is subject to CITES regulations. Rago Wright LLC. cannot provide the required documentation needed for export out of the United States; therefore, this item is only eligible for domestic shipping.
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Furniture is needed for practical reasons, and because it must be there, it may as well be as pleasant as possible to look at, and in a less definable psychological way, comforting to the spirit.

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.

Auction Results Edward Wormley

Edward Wormley

Important slide archive from the estate of Edward Wormley

estimate: $20,000–30,000

result: $38,400

Edward Wormley

Rare bench, model 4871

estimate: $20,000–30,000

result: $35,000

Edward Wormley

Sectional sofas, model 5945A and model 5947L

estimate: $9,000–12,000

result: $32,500

Edward Wormley

Alexandria chairs model 6004, set of six

estimate: $15,000–20,000

result: $28,800

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