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Forbes Mcguire

Forbes for McGuire Campaign Style Oak Officer's Chair
By McGuire, Eleanor Forbes
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Rare campaign style officer's chair or sling chair designed in the mid-century by Eleanor Forbes
Category

20th Century American Campaign Lounge Chairs

Materials

Brass

Recent Sales

McGuire Caned Mahogany Bench with Saber Legs
By McGuire, Eleanor Forbes
Located in Rio Vista, CA
splayed form and the frame has a rich finish. Designed by Eleanor Forbes for McGuire.
Category

20th Century American Modern Benches

Materials

Cane, Mahogany

Pair of Officer's Chairs by Eleanor Forbes for McGuire
Located in Danville, CA
Classic pair of Campaign Style Officer's Chairs designed in 1955 by Eleanor Forbes for McGuire
Category

Late 20th Century American Campaign Lounge Chairs

Materials

Oak, Leather

Classic Rift Oak and Rattan Desk by McGuire
By McGuire, Eleanor Forbes
Located in Danville, CA
Eleanor Forbes for McGuire. The desk is in excellent original condition.
Category

Vintage 1970s American Modern Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

McGuire Leather and Teak Officer's Chair and Ottoman
By McGuire, Eleanor Forbes
Located in San Francisco, CA
About An original McGuire armchair and ottoman designed by Eleanor Forbes. Teak frame with leather
Category

Late 20th Century American Modern Armchairs

Materials

Brass

McGuire Rattan Oak Knee Hole Writing Table Desk
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Mid-Century Modern rattan and oak knee hole writing table or desk designed by Eleanor Forbes for
Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desks

Materials

Faux Bamboo, Rattan, Oak

Eleanor Forbes Leather Lounge Chairs
By McGuire
Located in Fulton, CA
"Officer's Chair" leather and oak lounge or side chairs designed in 1955 by Eleanor Forbes for
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs

Materials

Leather, Oak

Eleanor Forbes Leather Lounge Chairs
Eleanor Forbes Leather Lounge Chairs
H 31 in W 23.5 in D 23 in
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McGuire for sale on 1stDibs

Like so many artists and designers, husband and wife John McGuire (1920–2013) and Elinor Stevenson (1914–2005) became masters in their trade by accident. For the founders of McGuire Furniture Company, well, furniture wasn’t actually in the plans.

The couple met just before the start of World War II (during which John was in the U.S. Navy and Elinor was a navigation instructor) and got married after it ended. They settled down in San Francisco where John held a couple of jobs — among them selling newspaper ads for the San Francisco Examiner while Elinor worked for Boeing Aircraft. Soon, an old Navy buddy of John’s asked him to help sell a bunch of rattan furniture and, needing the money, John agreed. His side business became so successful that John decided to quit his ad-sales job and work full-time in design.

In 1948, McGuire Furniture Company was born. Alongside the mid-century modern furniture designs then gaining popularity in the United States, John introduced an unconventional idea: traditional armchairs, stools and tables made of natural materials such as bamboo, which was strong yet could be rendered pliable when steamed, that were intended for the indoors rather than the front porch.

The brand’s first success was the now famous Director’s X-Chair by Leonard Linden. The military-campaign-style solid oak folding chair launched in 1956 and saw rattan binded with rawhide strips and a high-grade leather slug seat and back that eliminated the need for a plush cushion. Elinor, too, designed some of the brand’s popular pieces, such as 1968’s Cracked Ice chair. With its rattan oval back a dazzling celebration of geometric forms that give it its charming moniker, the Cracked Ice chair was an instant classic and is one of the brand’s most recognizable designs.

Today, McGuire and another American furniture manufacturer, Baker Furniture Company, comprise Baker Interiors Group. McGuire remains true to the founders’ ideals and commitment to crafting the kind of organic modern furnishings that are synonymous with the warm and relaxed feel of California design. The company has collaborated with interior designers Steven Volpe, Orlando Diaz-Azcuy and Nicole Hollis, and, as of 2019, its luxury furnishings share a 16,500-square-foot showroom with Baker’s in San Francisco. Some of the earliest McGuire Furniture Company designs are part of the permanent collection at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City.

Find a range of McGuire Furniture on 1stDibs.