Rare Edward Wormley for Dunbar Lazy Susan Walnut Dining Table MCM

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An exceptionally rare and architecturally refined fondue table designed by Edward Wormley (American, 1907–1995) for the Dunbar Furniture Company, Berne, … Read more An exceptionally rare and architecturally refined fondue table designed by Edward Wormley (American, 1907–1995) for the Dunbar Furniture Company, Berne, Indiana, dating to the late 1950s or early 1960s. This highly innovative design reflects Wormley’s sophisticated vision of American modernism, in which traditional craftsmanship, luxurious materials, and novel functionality are seamlessly integrated into a single form. Executed in figured walnut with a finely veneered circular top, the table features four precisely mitered quadrants radiating outward from a central recessed black lazy susan insert. The rotating insert conceals an original, built-in electric fondue heating unit beneath—a detail that epitomizes Wormley’s ingenuity and the period’s fascination with elevated domestic leisure.

The table rests on four elegantly tapered and subtly canted walnut legs joined to a circular frame with characteristic Dunbar precision. The underside is branded “DUNBAR” and bears the firm’s ink-stamped production code, consistent with Wormley’s documented custom commissions for Dunbar’s elite clientele. The integration of a heating element and revolving center elevates this table beyond conventional dining furniture into the realm of interactive, experiential design, promoting shared conversation and modern entertaining in line with postwar ideals of gracious living.

Edward Wormley served as Dunbar’s design director from 1931 to 1968, and his work is celebrated for its fusion of international modernist aesthetics with American craft traditions. While his case pieces and upholstered forms are widely documented, few examples of this fondue table are known to exist, and even fewer survive with their original mechanisms intact. This table stands as a testament to Wormley’s ability to reimagine classical typologies through the lens of midcentury innovation. A museum-worthy example of American design history, it is suitable for inclusion in a major 20th-century decorative arts collection or an advanced design-focused interior.

Measures: H. 28 3/4", W 56" See less