Pair Original Mid Century Mexican Don Shoemaker Sling Sloucher Chairs
View Similar Items
Pair Original Mid Century Mexican Don Shoemaker Sling Sloucher Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Don S. Shoemaker (Maker)
- Dimensions:Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)Depth: 29 in (73.66 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950'w
- Condition:
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8476957502
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.
- Don Shoemaker "Sling Sloucher" ChairBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Oakland, CA1960s Don Shoemaker "Sling Sloucher" chair. Shoemaker was an American expat living in Mexico who was inspired to create modern versions of traditional Mexican furniture designs. A...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Cocobolo
- Don Shoemaker Sling ChairBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Carmel, NYThe iconic beautiful Don Shoemaker sling chair. Made for Señal S.A. Made from solid Cocobolo Wood with original brown leather. Made in the 19...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Cocobolo
- Don Shoemaker Sling Sloucher Chairs Señal, Sculptural and Organic, MexicoBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in Santa Gertrudis, BalearesDon S. Shoemaker (1919-1990) was a US (NE) born Mexican designer and painter, probably the most representative designer of Mexico Modernist furniture...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Modern Don Shoemaker Sling Chair for SenalBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Tulsa, OKModern Don Shoemaker Sling Chair for Senal Above average vintage condition and structurally sound. Has some expected slight finish wear and scratching. Has a couple small dings and...Category
20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Rosewood
- Rare Mexican Modern Chair by Don ShoemakerBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Round Rock, TXIncredibly uncommon chair designed by Don Shoemaker. This beauty was designed in 1960 and referred as silla “Tubo”. Made from cocobolo, leather and tubu...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Don Shoemaker Rosewood and Leather ‘Sloucher’ Chairs, Mexico 1950sBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in Rotterdam, NLPair of lounge chairs model 'Sloucher' by Don Shoemaker for Señal, Mexico 1960s. Outstanding organically shaped bone structure with a nice leather sling seat. Interesting shapes and ...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Cocobolo