Baker Furniture launches oldest furniture collection by Edward Wormley

Published on : Saturday, September 29, 2018

Luxury upholstery and case goods furniture manufacturer Baker Furniture has launched a collection that showcases pieces furniture designer Edward Wormley created for Dunbar, one of the oldest U.S. manufacturers of upper-end furniture.

At Baker they are proud of their longstanding tradition of partnering with luminaries of the design world to produce one-of-a kind works of art for the home. These highly respected individuals bring a unique approach to design that, when combined with the quality of our craftsmanship, results in truly diverse and relevant product collections. The 20-piece collection is available in Baker showrooms in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and includes upholstery, case goods and accessories that feature elements of classical design combined with a clean-lined modern vernacular design aesthetic.

The 20-piece collection is available in Baker showrooms in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and includes upholstery, case goods and accessories that feature elements of classical design combined with a clean-lined modern vernacular design aesthetic. Born in Oswego, Ill., in 1907, Wormley showed an early interest in design and studied interior decoration through a correspondence course in high school. He continued his education in design at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1926 to 1928 and landed his first job in the design studio at Marshall Field & Company in Chicago.

Dunbar was founded around 1910 and for years produced its line in Berne, Ind. In 1931, the company hired Wormley and soon named him director of design. Around this time, Wormley also traveled throughout Europe to study and research design and new architecture, meeting figures such as French modernist Le Corbusier and Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, a furniture designer whose art deco-inspired pieces Wormley admired. Wormley, who died in 1995, worked as director of design for Dunbar for more than 30 years, according to the company website. During that period, the company released two lines a year with as many as 150 pieces a year.

“For each one Wormley insisted on using classical craftsmanship with contemporary materials and the latest techniques,” Baker said, adding, “His emphasis on comfort, quality and strong silhouettes has also guaranteed that his pieces continue to attract very high prices at auction today.”

Many of his popular pieces from the ’30s and ’40s continued to sell into the 1960s, and many examples of his furniture for Dunbar can be seen in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Montreal, Baker noted. Since 2003, Dunbar’s production has been located in High Point, Baker added.

“Edward Wormley and his timeless designs for Dunbar are synonymous with quality custom manufacturing and modern living,” Baker President Russell Towner said in a statement. “This remarkable designer is an icon waiting to be rediscovered and celebrated. Baker is honored to be presenting Edward Wormley’s original designs for Dunbar throughout our showrooms.” Russell added further.