Edward Wormley

For over thirty years, American designer Edward Wormley created modern furniture with his own signature twist. Edward Wormley’s designs incorporated not only European and Scandinavian innovations; they also paid homage to the past with elements from classical design. The result was not so much a transitional style, but rather one that made the modernist look more accessible to the public. He had an exceptional eye for style and proportion, working with a combination of high-quality materials and industrial techniques. Most of Edward Wormley’s career took place with Dunbar Furniture Company. Here, he worked on a number of collaborations to choose over 60 finishes and 120 fabrics including those with designs by Dorothy Liebes and Boris Kroll, to produce an unmatched level of quality that became associated with the Dunbar name. One of his most successful collections with Dunbar was the Janus line (1957), drawing inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement. These pieces highlighted wood features, either with carved or bent wood details or Japanese woodblock prints. This extensive series of furniture pushed Wormley’s name into the spotlight as a designer to watch. Edward Wormley also worked briefly with Drexel on a collection called Precedent, a fitting name for the designs that set new standards for contemporary and modern living. Precedent furniture was so well received that Wormley went on to design an incredible 100 pieces for the collection. Today, Edward Wormley furniture can be found in museums and the homes of avid antique collectors across the country.