In the store: Chairs, chairs, chairs

We have new chairs in the store in styles to suit almost any taste. High-backed upholstered dining chairs? Check! Deep, comfortable club chairs? Check! Low-backed wraparound dining chairs? Check!

If you prefer a fully upholstered dining chair with a tall back, we have a set of four Adrian Pearsalls that fit the bill. They have been newly recovered and have beautiful bases and legs.

Adrian Pearsall dining chairs

If you're looking for glamorous club chairs you can sink into that just happen to be newly reupholstered in a luscious deep olive green velvet with contrasting piping and have a classy pedigree, then these Edward Wormley designs for Dunbar are just what you need.

Club chairs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar

However, if a more classic Scandinavian look is what you want, we have five Erik Kirkegaard Model 52 Compass chairs that should please. These chairs, produced in 1956 by Høng Stolefabrik, were inspired by Hans Wegner's JH502 chairs, but were sold at a much more affordable price.

Erik Kirkegaard Compass chairs (five available)

In the store: Dunbar desk

New to the store is a fully restored mahogany and rose wood desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. The design is simple and straightforward, with the elegance that is a hallmark of Wormley's work. And did I mention that it has beautiful drawer pulls?

Mahogany and rosewood desk by Edward Wormley for Dunbar

Alternate view of Wormley desk

Close-up of beautiful drawer pulls

In the store: American tables

Two tables have made their way into the store recently. One is a rosewood and chrome console table by Milo Baughman, which is low and sleek and designed for a low-slung sofa. The other is a round dining table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar which has four leaves and extends to seat twelve. The Dunbar table is made of Tawi wood with a dark mahogany base and has two additional legs that drop down to support the center of the table when extended. Both are exceptional examples of American design.

Milo Baughman rosewood and chrome console table

Alternate view

Tawi wood and mahogany table by Edward Wormley for Dunbar

Dunbar table with no leaves

Dunbar table with one leaf

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Just a quick note to let you know that my blog is now officially part of the store website. You'll be redirected temporarily, but this is my new address:

http://blog.mid2mod.com/

In the store: More Wormley chairs

As if the six Edward Wormley dining chairs we have in the store weren't enough, we now have four more gorgeous chairs designed by Wormley for Dunbar. These elegantly styled armchairs have woven backs and are in excellent original condition.

Edward Wormley chairs for Dunbar

Side views

In the store: Edward Wormley #5436 dining chairs

Talk about glam! We've got it.

Look at this lovely set of #5436 dining chairs by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. They're made of dark mahogany and still have their original fabric. Finding six in wonderful condition is almost unbelievable.

Edward Wormley #5436 dining chairs for Dunbar

Front view

Side view

Back view

X-traordinary...and already sold

A while back, my SIL found a pair...yes, a pair...of X-base side tables by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. These tables are rare enough that most people are happy to find just one, but to find a pair is really exciting. These campaign-style tables fold, so they are extraordinarily functional as well as beautiful.

They've made a couple of trips back and forth to the refinisher to tweak the color combination, since they originally had dark walnut finished tops on rosewood bases, and my SIL wanted them to be perfect.

Edward Wormley X-base folding tables for Dunbar

Chair crush

I found another chair to crush on, but was not meant to be mine. It's the open A-Frame arm chair #5480 by Edward Wormley for Dunbar. My SIL posted photos of it on our Facebook page on Wednesday when he put it on the floor. I love its elegant curves, its gorgeous cane back and brass sabots and its beautiful alligator upholstery. Apparently, someone else loved it as much as I do, because it sold yesterday, just as soon as people realized we had it.

Edward Wormley A-Frame chair for Dunbar

Back view

Front view

Upholstery close-up

Legs close-up

Back close-up

Arm close-up

Toshmahal

Hank Tosh's name is spoken in a tone approaching reverence by mid-century mavens in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  He has been called The Furniture Savior, and not without reason, because he works restoration and refinishing miracles.  Toshmahal, his business in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood, turns out some of the most breathtaking pieces in town.

Tosh will work on furniture from other periods, but he admits that MCM is his personal favorite and his specialty, since he began collecting long before he made his living working with wood.  He has an affinity for Danish Modern and Heywood Wakefield, and his mastery of the Heywood Wakefield wheat and champagne finishes has become nothing short of legendary.

Tosh started his career at Lakewood Furniture doing the "gruntwork" of sanding, stripping and a little staining. Eventually, he opened his own shop and now is the go-to guy of many of the major designers and mid-century dealers in the area.  He mixes his own toners and stains and claims that a great deal of trial and error went into perfecting them.

Calling some designers people who "like to do bad things to good furniture" in the name of making everything match and covering imperfections, he generally discourages "ebonizing" and encourages using many different types and colors of woods in the same house or even the same room.

When asked for one top secret trick of the trade, Tosh offers several, including steaming dents out of furniture with a wet paper towel and an iron and using heavy, uncut carnuba wax as a cleaning and waterproofing agent. He advises people not to try refinishing unless they know what they're doing, as it just makes his job more costly and more difficult, but his best tip for lovers of beautiful furniture is a simple one: Use a coaster!

From interviews on decordallas.com and dfwmcm.blogspot.com

Dunbar rosewood cabinets
toshmahal.com

Herman Miller thinedge cabinet
toshmahal.com

Robsjohn-Gibbings table
toshmahal.com

Heywood Wakefield hutch
toshmahal.com

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Edward Wormley

Edward Wormley (1907-1995) studied interior design through a correspondence course while still in high school. He enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1926, but financial difficulties forced him to drop out after a year and look for work. He soon found a job at Marshall Field's design studio.

However, it was with the Dunbar Furniture Company that Wormley's name is most often associated. He started working there in 1931 and would remain, on and off, for the next thirty years, eventually serving as the design director. Wormley was given the task of refining Dunbar's collection of wood and upholstered furniture. He brought a sleek, refined elegance to the company's products.

Wormley opened an office of his own in New York in 1945. He designed the "Precedent" collection for Drexel in 1947, complicating his relationship with Dunbar for a period of several years, but tensions had eased by the late 1950s.


From lostcityarts.com

Tete a Tete sofa
1stdibs.com

Sheaf of Wheat side table
1stdibs.com

Sideboard
1stdibs.com

Listen to Me chaise
1stdibs.com

Lounge chairs
1stdibs.com

Pronunciation Guide