The Accessible and Cool Furniture of Edward Wormley!

Last week we focused nearly all of our posts on the colorful design inspirations of Verner Panton. While we thought his design ideas were amazing, we also know that not everyone is as interested in such bold, bright colors as he was. That’s why today we bring you a design influence who’s work carefully and skillfully straddles the line between 70s psychedelic color and Mid-Century Modern cool.

Edward Wormley’s work is stylish, no doubt about it, but it’s also very accessible, as it can be used in a number of different interior styles and enjoyed by homeowner’s of varied tastes. Because his work is so varied, it’s hard to pin down specific characteristics that all his pieces have in common, but you can expect to see a mixture of clean, straight lines with the occasional interesting angle. Some of his pieces feature bright colored upholstery; others more demure neutral fabrics---but all his pieces seem to both blend with their surroundings and stand out from the crowd. Not even sticking to only one type of furniture piece, you can see in the portfolio of his career a number of side and lounge chairs, sofas, credenzas, shelves, tables, desks and other wooden case goods. While no one piece really gained the sort of popularity as other Mid-Century designers of his era, as a whole his body of work is quite impressive.

Born in Illinois in 1907, Wormley was actually afflicted with childhood polio and unable to walk until he was five years old. Overcoming this temporary disability he graduated from high school and became a student at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1926 for two years. Unfortunately, he was unable to finish due to a lack of finances. He worked a few years at Marshall Field and Co and later for Berkey and Gay and eventually took a trip to Paris in 1930, where he met the influential Emile Jacques Ruhlmann. Inspired and excited Wormley returned to the US and began work at the Dunbar Furniture Corporation in Illinois, which would eventually become one of the most important steps of his career!

At first only hired to work on Dunbar’s furniture line that was the lowest priced, Wormley’s talent quickly shined through, and he began designing furniture that respected the past but looked forward to the future. His work became so popular that Dunbar itself became one of the top modern furniture companies in the country. Credited for creating almost 150 new furniture pieces for Dunbar each year, Wormley also lent his talents to rugs, lighting, and fabric and textile designs.

Eventually going on to win awards and get featured in museum exhibitions of modern furniture, Wormley’s biggest contribution is his dedication to both style and design. His work was gorgeous, but it was also comfortable to use, easy to incorporate into décor and reasonably priced compared to other designers.