Don S. Shoemaker Barware
American, 1919-1990
If it weren’t for his honeymoon, American furniture designer Don S. Shoemaker might not have played any role in Mexican modernism of the mid-20th century.
Born in Nebraska in 1919, Shoemaker studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago during the 1930s. In the 1940s he got married, and he and his wife, Barbara, ventured to Mexico for their honeymoon. Enamored with the country, Shoemaker decided that Mexico should become the newlyweds' permanent home. They settled in a town called Santa Maria de Guido in Michoacán, where Shoemaker spent his days painting and growing rare plants.
Through horticulture, Shoemaker became inspired by Mexico’s tropical woods, such as cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and he decided to delve into furniture design. In the late 1950s, he started a small factory, producing hand-carved desks, armchairs, dining room tables, decorative boxes and bowls, and serveware. The popularity of Shoemaker’s furnishings grew throughout Mexico, and his small factory became the Señal S.A. company, employing more than 100 skilled artisans and carpenters.
Shoemaker’s handcrafted designs were essentially a mid-century modern interpretation of traditional Mexican household furnishings, and like Clara Porset — an unsung Cuban-born activist, writer and designer who drew on Mexican craft traditions in her concepts for furniture — he found inspiration in his adopted country. These influences can be seen in iconic Shoemaker originals like the Sling collection of seating, the Suspension stool and several of his table designs.
Shoemaker's furniture was exhibited in showrooms in several major Mexican cities and across the U.S., including Houston, Chicago, and Los Angeles. (And mid-century modernist ideas that traveled between Mexico and California didn’t make one-way trips — they bounced back and forth.)
After Shoemaker died in 1990, his son George took over Señal S.A. The company closed after George’s death in the early 2000s.
Shoemaker’s Mexican modern furnishings continue to be coveted by avid furniture collectors around the world. From 2016 to 2017, the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City dedicated a retrospective exhibition to honoring his work.
On 1stDibs, discover a range of vintage Don S. Shoemaker desks, seating, decorative objects and serveware.
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Creator: Don S. Shoemaker
Mexican Modern Don Shoemaker Inlaid Wall Mount Bar Tray
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in San Diego, CA
Tray by Mexican Modernist Don Shoemaker, from his workshop in Señal Mexico. Beautiful geometric inlaid marquetry of mixed exotic woods. Can be mounted on the wall.
Designer Don Sho...
Category
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Don S. Shoemaker Barware
Materials
Wood
1970s Mexico Bar Service Tray Exotic Wood Stripe by Don Shoemaker for Señal
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in Chula Vista, CA
By Don Shoemaker produced by Señal in Mexico 1970s
Elegant midcentury Service Tray rich medley of exotic Woods
Cut out Handle design for easy carry
Measures: 12 D x 20.5 L x 1.5 H...
Category
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Don S. Shoemaker Barware
Materials
Wood, Cocobolo
Set of 6 Coasters
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in Mexico City, MX
Made with amazing tropical woods in Michoacán Mexico by Iconic woodmaster and designer Don Shoemaker.
Very practical and refined.
Coming from an affluent family, Don was originally from Nebraska. During the 1930s he studied at the Fine Arts Institute of Chicago thinking to become a painter. Visiting Mexico for his honeymoon he fell in love with the country and he finally decided to move to Mexico in the late 1940s. He lived for a while and painted in San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato, but finally he settled down in a little uphill town called Santa María de Guido, overseeing the city of Morelia, in the state of Michoacán, Mexico.
Don began the manufacture of his furniture in tropical precious woods and other wood products. What started as a little factory in the late 1950s called SEÑAL, S.A., grew to the point where Don employed more than a hundred skilled craftsmen. Soon Shoemaker became an important milestone of the economic and cultural life of his adopted home. SEÑAL, S.A. brought great wealth and economical boost to the village and Don was well known for his good heart and charity projects.
Don S. Shoemaker delivered furniture pieces in to his showrooms in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and large cities in Mexico. His designs were very much appreciated by wealthy Mexican families...
Category
1980s Mexican Organic Modern Vintage Don S. Shoemaker Barware
Materials
Hardwood
Pair of MCM Cocobolo Wood Minimalist Salt & Pepper Shakers by Don Shoemaker
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in San Diego, CA
A goegeous pair of MCM cocobolo wood minimalist interlocking salt & pepper hakers by Don Shoemaker, circa 1970s. The pair were made in Mexico and are in very good vintage condition m...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Don S. Shoemaker Barware
Materials
Cocobolo
Mid Century Rosewood “Elephant” Salt & Pepper Shakers
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in San Diego, CA
Wear consistent with age and use. As a vintage item, light cosmetic wear might be present but with no structural damage. Wear consistent with age and use.
Category
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Don S. Shoemaker Barware
Materials
Rosewood
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Italian designer and photographer Willy Rizzo (1928-2013) first came to prominence in the 1960s as both a chronicler of and participant in La Dolce Vita, the glamorous, jet set lifestyle enjoyed by many international celebrities and socialites in the postwar era. While photography was Rizzo's first love, in the 1970s he developed a passion for interiors and launched a second successful career as a luxury furniture designer.
Rizzo was born in Naples in 1928 but moved to France early. After expressing an interest in photography at the age of 12, Rizzo's mother gifted him an Agfa Box camera; soon he was shooting portraits of his classmates at Paris's Istituto Statale Italiano Leonardo Da Vinci.
In the 1940s, Rizzo began his career as a photojournalist, working for several French publications, including Ciné Mondial, Point de Vue, and Image du Monde. In the aftermath of the Second World War, Rizzo notably covered the Nuremberg Trials and travelled to Tunisia for Point de Vue to photograph the conflict in North Africa, later published in Life Magazine. As his reputation grew, he was hired by France Dimanche to take portraits of the rich and famous at flashy events like the Cannes Film Festival. Rizzo's charm won the trust of royalty, dignitaries, and movie stars, allowing him to capture these public figures in unusually candid moments.
Hoping to advance his career further, Rizzo travelled to New York with Black Star Agency in 1947 to photograph American starlets. When he returned to Paris two years later, he was invited to join Jean Prouvost’s newest publication in colour, Paris Match, as head photographer—a position that he held for 20 years and, along the way, sparked a new culture of celebrity photographers who were as intriguing and fashionable as their subjects.
In 1959, he became the artistic director of Marie Claire and collaborated with other fashion magazines, such as Vogue.
Throughout his career, Rizzo photographed dozens of stars, including Brigitte Bardot, Maria Callas, Salvador Dalí, Marlene Dietrich, Jane Fonda, Gene Kelly, and Gregory Peck, as well as striking up close friendships with famous personalities like Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, and Jack Nicholson. In 1962, Rizzo famously captured some of the last moments of Marilyn Monroe’s life on film before tragically committing suicide a few weeks later.
In 1968, Rizzo married Italian actress Elsa Martinelli, and the pair relocated to Rome. It was here that Rizzo began his work in furniture design, starting with his newly-leased, run-down Roman apartment. Just for personal use (at first), Rizzo created a series one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by modernist icons, such as Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. But as his glitterati friends—Rodolfo Parisi, Gigli Rizzi, Franco Rapetti, Salvador Dalí, Brigitte Bardot, and the like—became admirers of his work, Rizzo was flooded with design commissions.
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H 16.34 in W 15.56 in D 15.56 in
Previously Available Items
Mexican Modern Don Shoemaker Wood Cutting Board
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in San Diego, CA
Don Shoemaker cocobolo cutting board. It includes his label on the bottom.
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Mid Century Rosewood “Elephant” Salt & Pepper Shakers
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in San Diego, CA
Nice pair of classic salt & pepper shakers by Don Shoemaker in cocobolo wood.
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1960s Mexico Modern Set of 4 Drink Coasters Cocobolo Wood by Don Shoemaker
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Beverage Coaster Set
Set of four wood beverage coasters with a holding frame. Made in Mexico circa the 1960s by Don S Shoemaker.
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Trompe L’oeil Rosewood Tray by Don Shoemaker for Señal
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Located in Los Angeles, CA
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Don S. Shoemaker barware for sale on 1stDibs.
Don S. Shoemaker barware are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Don S. Shoemaker barware, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original barware by Don S. Shoemaker were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider barware by and Los Castillo. Prices for Don S. Shoemaker barware can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $275 and can go as high as $1,200, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $450.
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