Don Shoemaker
About the Item
- Creator:Don S. Shoemaker (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.75 in (40 cm)Width: 11.82 in (30 cm)Depth: 11.82 in (30 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1980-1989
- Date of Manufacture:1980
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Mexico City, MX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU4626231027582
Don S. Shoemaker
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 the cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and he decided to delve into furniture design. In the late 1950s, he started a small factory, producing hand-carved 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 from 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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Mexico City, Mexico
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Don Shoemaker Magazine RackBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Mexico City, MXGreat design with noble materials as it is solid wood and leather. Very simple yet very elegant. Made in 1960s in Michoacan Mexico. Very good shape, all original.Category
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- Don Shoemaker Large Serving Tray /Cutting Board Made with Different WoodsBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Mexico City, MXThis is a Mexican wood tray, cutting board or serving platter made in 1960s in Michoacan, Mexico by Don Shoemaker. It is in excelllent condition and...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Butcher Blocks
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- Set of 6 CoastersBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Mexico City, MXMade 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
Vintage 1980s Mexican Organic Modern Barware
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- "Zig Zag Chairs"By Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Mexico City, MXMade in Michoacan, Mexico at Shoemaker Workshop in 1980s. Perfect condition. Great patina. Beautiful pieces.Category
1990s Mexican Organic Modern Chairs
MaterialsFruitwood
- Magdiel Garcia "Danza XXX"By Magdiel GarciaLocated in Mexico City, MXMagdiel Garcia is a contemporary Cuban artist whose work evolves around the human figure, volumes and color. He is passionate about wood, which he selects very carefully to obtain an...Category
2010s Cuban Other Abstract Sculptures
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- Modernist Designer Palle Seiersen Frost "Organic Screen"Located in Mexico City, MXMade in Mexico by Danish modernist master architect and designer Palle Seiersen Frost. This screen is made of cloth with ink and wooden frame. Very nice warm tones and shadows.Category
2010s Mexican Anglo-Japanese Screens and Room Dividers
MaterialsPaper
- Don Shoemaker Mexican Modern Rare Bowl Hand-CarvedBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in San Diego, CABeautiful and very rare attributed to Mexican Modernist Don Shoemaker. No labels but according to the owner this piece was purchased with a lot of items by Don Shoemaker hand carved ...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsWood, Walnut
- Handmade Biomorphic Wood Bowl Catch it All Modern Don Shoemaker Mexico 1970sBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Chula Vista, CAHandmade Biomorphic bowl crafted in wood manner of Don Shoemaker made in Mexico 1970s Unmarked. Organic Kidney shape design ideal as small serving dish or catch it all piece. Meas...Category
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Decorative Bowls
MaterialsWood
- Don Shoemaker Cylindrical VesselBy Senal, Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Los Angeles, CAA Rosewood cylindrical vessel with geometric pattern by Don Shoemaker for his company Señal in the 1960s. Shoemaker is known for the marquetry in his w...Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Decorative Boxes
MaterialsRosewood
- Abstract Box by Don ShoemakerBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Mexico City, CDMXDesigned by Don Shoemaker and handcrafted by SEÑAL, S.A. Mexico, circa 1960s. Using exotic local wood in Mexico such as Granadillo, excellent vintage condition.Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Jewelry Boxes
MaterialsCocobolo
- Set of 2 Candlesticks by Don ShoemakerBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo LeonBorn in Nebraska, Don S. Shoemaker studied painting at The Fine Arts Institution of Chicago. In the late 1940s, he moved to Mexico with his family and settled in Santa Maria de Guido...Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Scandinavian Modern Candlesticks
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- Don Shoemaker for Señal Marquetry Paper TrayBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in Los Angeles, CACocobolo paper tray with geometric pattern by Don Shoemaker for his company Señal, c.1960s, Mexico. Shoemaker is known for the marquetry in his work, which is clearly visible in the ...Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern More Desk Accessories
MaterialsHardwood, Cocobolo, Rosewood
