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Dunbar Large Walnut Executive Desk with Return

Name: Dunbar Large Walnut Executive Desk with Return
Brand: Dunbar Furniture
Rating: 4.7 (84 reviews)

$12,500List Price

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Dunbar Furniture

Revered for its handcrafted and highly collectible mid-century modern sofas, coffee tables and other furnishings, Dunbar Furniture was founded in 1910 in Berne, Indiana, but it didn’t gain widespread recognition until the ’30s, following the introduction of its president to a designer who would leave an indelible mark on the company’s legacy: Edward Wormley.

After a stint at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Oswego, Illinois-born Wormley worked as an interior designer for Marshall Field’s before joining Dunbar in 1931. Initially focused on developing the company’s cheapest furniture line, which could be bought with soap coupons, he was soon leading Dunbar Furniture into a new era of residential furniture for modern American homes. He would serve as the company’s design director for over three decades, designing about 150 pieces each year.

During that time, he oversaw the production of designs in a wide range of materials, with influences ranging from Scandinavian modernism to Art Deco. There were modern upholstery pieces, like swiveling lounge chairs and low-slung sofas, and experiments with textural wood on bar carts and cabinets as well as minimal, sculptural tables and functional office furniture. A passionate collector of Tiffany Studios lamps, Wormley used their glass tiles in Dunbar tables in 1956. He also worked on the reproduction of pieces by designers such as Jean-Michel Frank and Richard Riemerschmid.

One standout Dunbar Furniture collection was Janus, introduced in the 1960s, with Austrian-born ceramicists Otto and Gertrud Natzler. These pieces see the Natzlers’ uniquely artful ceramic tiles set into several styles of wooden tables. They remain some of the most sought-after mid-century modern Dunbar pieces on the vintage market today. During the peak of his design career and, indeed, the height of Dunbar Furniture’s history, Wormley amassed a whopping 30 Good Design awards between 1950 and 1955 through the “Good Design” exhibition, hosted by the Chicago Merchandise Mart and the Museum of Modern Art. Dunbar today produces a limited selection of archival Wormley designs, but many sales of original Dunbar pieces are through the resale market.

Find a collection of authentic vintage Dunbar Furniture today on 1stDibs.

1950s Walnut and cane executive desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture

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H 29 in W 72 in D 38 in

1950s Walnut and cane executive desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture

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Walnut, cane, brass, and rosewood executive desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture, circa 1950s. Massive desk with executive proportions. Large 72"x38" desktop surface with imp...

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Wonderful mid-century executive walnut desk designed by Edward J. Wormley for Dunbar in the United States, circa 1950s. This desk is made with a timeless design that has been profess...

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Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

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Mid-Century Modern Walnut Executive Desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, 1950s

$4,638

H 29.14 in W 77.17 in D 34.26 in

Mid-Century Modern Walnut Executive Desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, 1950s

Located in Amsterdam, NL

Magnificent and ultra rare Mid-Century Modern executive desk. Design by Edward Wormley for Dunbar Furniture United States. Striking American design from the 1950s. Solid walnut base ...

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Vintage 1950s Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Walnut

Mid-Century Modern Walnut Executive Desk by Dunbar

$2,975Sale Price|50% Off

H 29 in W 84 in D 42 in

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Grand style and grand scale combine in this wonderful executive desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. Desk features walnut construction, brass and mahogany pulls, and the renowned Dunba...

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Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Desks

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Mid-Century Walnut and Rosewood Executive Desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar

$4,800

H 29 in W 60 in D 32.35 in

Mid-Century Walnut and Rosewood Executive Desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar

By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Edward J. Wormely for Dunbar executive desk in walnut with deeply sculpted inset rosewood drawer pulls, brass shoes, and removable woven cane privacy screen (ca. 1950s, Indiana, USA)...

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Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

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Mahogany Writing Desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar

$21,000

H 29 in W 54 in D 28 in

Mahogany Writing Desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar

By Edward Wormley, Dunbar Furniture

Located in Sagaponack, NY

An octagonal mahogany writing desk designed by Edward Wormley with a single drawer. Made by Dunbar in the USA, circa 1957.

Category

Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

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Mahogany, Walnut

Walnut Desk with Leather Inset by Dunbar, Modern Design, USA, c1950s

$5,500

H 30.5 in W 43.5 in D 24 in

Walnut Desk with Leather Inset by Dunbar, Modern Design, USA, c1950s

By Dunbar Furniture

Located in San Francisco, CA

A walnut desk with new inset leather top 8 drawers with brass pulls. Stamped Dunbar on underside of top center drawer. Very good condition.

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Vintage 1950s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables

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Brass

Mid-Century Modern Lane Delineator Paul McCobb Walnut & Rosewood Console Table

$2,995

H 32 in W 54.25 in D 18 in

Mid-Century Modern Lane Delineator Paul McCobb Walnut & Rosewood Console Table

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Designed by Paul McCobb for Lane’s highly sought-after Delineator collection, this Mid-Century Modern console table showcases the clean lines and sophisticated materials that define ...

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Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Console Tables

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Mid-Century Walnut and Burl Wood Executive Desk by Stow Davis

$4,995

H 29 in W 72 in D 36 in

Mid-Century Walnut and Burl Wood Executive Desk by Stow Davis

By Stow Davis

Located in North Hollywood, CA

A stunning mid-century modern executive desk, expertly crafted by Stow Davis in the 1960s in the United States. This piece showcases a beautiful burl wood top, elegantly wrapped in r...

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Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Desks and Writing Tables

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Brass

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American walnut Ed Wormley for Dunbar double pedestal desk w/ folding return. Uniquer folding return desk feature, nice architectural design back, beautiful amber honey tone finish.

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