Warren McArthur Furniture
American, 1885-1961
Few 20th-century designers had influential furniture that regularly flew at 30,000 feet, but Warren McArthur did. His work on seating for military aircraft came near the end of his career, following decades of Machine Age furniture shaped from tubular forms and made of steel, chrome and aluminum.
Warren McArthur Jr. graduated with an engineering degree from Cornell University in 1908. After moving to Los Angeles in 1929, he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation a year later. His initial output of sleek, metal designs were popular in offices and hotels.
At the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, Americans witnessed a new “Streamlined America” campaign, which included everyday furniture made from metal, opening the door for McArthur and other Machine Age designers to a residential audience. With this increase in demand for metal furniture, the Warren McArthur Corporation relocated to Rome, New York, and sold their aluminum furnishings out of a showroom on Park Avenue in New York City.
Actors Marlene Dietrich, Fredric March and Clark Gable were among his A-list clientele. McArthur also produced furniture for the dining cars on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chrysler Headquarters. His designs were featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1934 exhibition “Contemporary American Industrial Art.”
During World War II, McArthur pivoted production after a ban on the private use of aluminum. McArthur made an estimated three-quarters of all American military aircraft seating, including adjustable seats for the Beechcraft C-45 and revolving seats for navigators aboard the Grumman HU-16 Albatross.
Warren McArthur closed his business in 1948. He died in 1961.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Warren McArthur armchairs, tables and other seating.
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Item Ships From: California
Creator: Warren McArthur
Warren McArthur Sofa
By Warren McArthur
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Warren McArthur, Sofa
Category
Mid-20th Century Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Metal
Art Deco Aluminum and Leather Lounge Chair by Warren McArthur
By Warren McArthur
Located in San Diego, CA
Art Deco aluminum and black leather lounge chair with hockey puck feet by Warren McArthur, circa 1930s. The chair frame and feet are in great original condition while the upholstery has been recently replaced with gorgeous black leather. What a looker! The chair measures 25.75"W x 32"D x 31.5"H with a seat height of 16". This is a very rare and hard to find chair and would be the focal point of any art deco or machine age room! Check out our period side tables that would look fabulous with this chair! #3094
Warren McArthur (1885–1961) was an American industrial and furniture designer who specialized in aluminum tubular furniture during the 1930s.
Warren McArthur, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois to Warren McArthur, Sr., a successful businessman, and Minnie Jewel McArthur. Frank Lloyd Wright was a friend of the McArthur family. In 1892, Wright designed the house for the McArthur family, located in Chicago.
McArthur attended Cornell University where he studied engineering. In the late 1920s, McArthur began his career as an industrial designer by creating furniture for the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, which was designed by his brother Albert Chase McArthur.
After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Arizona Biltmore failed, and McArthur moved to Los Angeles, California to create a furniture fabrication company. In the early 1930s, aluminum became a popular industrial design material, and McArthur developed a specialization in designing and making aluminum tubular furniture, including chairs, tables, sofas, lamps, and ashtrays.
McArthur soon began to receive commissions from prominent architects. Paul R. Williams commissioned McArthur to design 30 pieces of aluminum furniture for the Cord family who owned the Cord automobile company. He was also commissioned to make aluminum furniture for Rudolph Schindler's design for Sardi's restaurant location in Los Angeles.
So too, McArthur's aluminum furniture was popular with Hollywood stars and producers of the 1930s. His clients included Jack L. Warner, Marlene Dietrich, Fredric March...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Four Warren McArthur Chairs
By Warren McArthur
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Four Warren McArthur dining chairs. The aluminium shows wear and one of the chairs is missing its cross bar (picture attached). They have been newly reupholstered. They measure 17.5"...
Category
1940s American Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Art Deco Aluminum Armchair, 1930s
By Warren McArthur
Located in San Francisco, CA
A rare mid-1930s Art Deco aluminum armchair by important American designer Warren McArthur.
Displays McArthur’s signature Streamline Moderne-meets-...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Steel, Aluminum
Warren McArthur Coat Rack
By Warren McArthur
Located in San Mateo, CA
Aluminum coat rack by Warren McArthur. This rack has a slight lean to one side, see the last photo. There is some spots of wear to the aluminum.
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
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Warren McArthur Modified Revolving Stool Aircraft Seat 1947/2024
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aluminum frame , upholstery Great Plains woven wool, rubber feet
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Warren McArthur Lounge Chair in Original Leather
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Art Deco Aluminum Upholstered armchair by GoodForm General Fireproofing
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A brushed aluminum framed armchair with curved arm rests and upholstered seat and back. The fabric is a textured dark greenish leatherette and came from the barber shop at Cincinnati's inconic Union Terminal Art Deco train...
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ART DECO Coat Rack Wall Coat Rack Gold Brass 1930s
Located in Saarburg, RP
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Warren McArthur Streamline Modern Aluminum Chair, Art Deco, 1930s, USA
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
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Warren McArthur chair, Warren McArthur Corporation, aluminum, leather, copper, rubber, USA, 1930s. Measures: 33½ H × 17 W × 21 D in
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Warren McArthur Jr. was an innovator in Machine Age/ Art Deco furniture design.
McArthur moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1929 to pursue metal furniture manufacturing; . he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation there in 1930. His furniture designs while unique were true to the Machine Age aesthetic. Machine Age design emphasized sleek forms inspired by automobiles, locomotives and airplanes. These objects were symbols of progress and modernity to the American consumer and industrial designers began constructing furniture in streamlined designs from steel, chrome and aluminum.
Prior to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, known as the “Century of Progress Exhibition.” The fair’s tagline, “See America Streamlined,” and the abundance of metal furniture and home goods exhibited finally presented the concept of utilizing metal designs in the typical American household. The Museum of Modern Art followed suit in subsequent years with exhibitions like "Machine Art," (1934), and "Bauhaus 1919-1928" (1938), further exposing the American public to this design style.
The Warren McArthur Corporation moved manufacturing to Rome, New York in 1933, just as metal furniture was gaining popularity; the company’s products were sold out of a showroom in New York City on Park Avenue. As a manufacturer, McArthur filed numerous patent designs which he utilized in advertisements to exhibit the innovations he developed. The company also proudly printed patent numbers on furniture...
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1930s American Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Elegant Art Deco Lounge Chair and Ottoman in Leather
Located in Bernville, PA
Elegant 1930s Art Deco lounge chair and ottoman. Professionally re-lacquered and beautifully reupholstered in a soft cream leather. This ex...
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Classic Pair of Art Deco Machine Age Aluminium Lounge Chairs by Warren McArthur
By Warren McArthur
Located in Buffalo, NY
Matched pair of Art Deco. Machine Age aluminium lounge chairs by Warren McArthur, original unmolested condition, retains original cut mohair fabric upholstery as well as McArthur lab...
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1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
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H 32.5 in W 24 in D 29 in
Previously Available Items
Nice Set of Four Deco Folding Chairs by Warren McArthur
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Located in Los Angeles, CA
Made of brushed aluminum construction with new upholstery.
The frames have the original ware.
They have not been polished.
They have a few scuffs, but no damage.
They are still s...
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Materials
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Warren McArthur Chair
By Warren McArthur
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Warren McArthur leather side chair with original hockey puck feet. The back is held in place by velcro on the top and bottom portion. Chair has been reupholstered over the years.
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Warren Mcarthur furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Warren McArthur furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Warren McArthur furniture, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Warren McArthur were created in the Art Deco style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Warren McArthur Corporation, Kem Weber, and Sally Sirkin Lewis. Prices for Warren McArthur furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $725 and can go as high as $24,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,500.
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