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.
$6,000Sale Price|20% Off
Rare Cocobolo Don Shoemaker Fountain, Organic Mexican Mid-Century Modern, 1960s
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in San Diego, CA
Exceptional one of a kind organic midcentury Mexican modernist fountain designed by Don Shoemaker. Don Shoemaker fountain is made of Cocobolo woo...
Cocobolo
$14,800
H 54.5 in W 28 in D 31 in
American Cast Bronze Garden Fountain with Figural Boy Holding Koi Fish. C. 1870
Located in Charleston, SC
American cast bronze garden fountain with standing figural boy holding Koi fish on a two-tiered shell form scrolled base with turtle at his feet, Late 19th century.
Bronze, Copper
$14,850
H 60.63 in W 30.5 in D 28.5 in
Whimsical English 19th-20th Century White Marble Figural Outdoor Dog Fountain
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A Whimsical English 19th-20th century white marble figural fountain with dogs fountain. The Baroque Revival six-sided tripod marble base surmounted with three upright seated Yorkshire Terriers resting on a leaf and acanthus center stem, topped with a semi-circular scalloped carved basin...
Marble
Wonderful Modernist Kenetic Motion Copper Fountain / Water Feature, Hand Made
Located in Buffalo, NY
Ingenious copper fountain / water feature, solid copper construction, Modernist design Artisan made, hand executed. Sculpture in motion, great for garden, or indoor space.
Copper
$3,787
H 90.56 in Dm 64.97 in
Mid-Century Modern Italian Fountain with Gilt Brass Swans and Weeping Willow
Located in Prato, IT
Mid-Century Modern Italian fountain with gilt brass swans and weeping willow, 1970s This beautiful object can be used either to embellish a garden, or to enrich a spacious living ro...
Metal, Brass
$24,675
H 12.21 in W 10.63 in D 5.91 in
Meissen style porcelain and gilt bronze table fountain by Samson
Located in London, GB
This colourful porcelain table fountain, fashioned in the German Meissen style, was crafted in the 19th Century by the French porcelain company Samson et Cie. The table fountain co...
Ormolu
$21,313
H 58.27 in Dm 19.69 in
Contemporary Art Fountain Le Colonne White, Light Blue by Alessandro Mendini
By Mirabili, Alessandro Mendini
Located in Pistoia, IT
Limited edition of 99 numbered and signed copies of the Column composed by 3 elements, base in polychrome ceramic, 24 white grés tiles with decorations and a bronze fish sculpture. This fountain is called “Le Colonne...
Bronze
$2,750
H 12.75 in W 15.5 in D 22.5 in
American Giant Stone Frog with Patina, Originally Used as a Fountain
Located in Atlanta, GA
An American giant stone frog from the 20th century, with great patina. Made in the USA in 1987, this giant stone stone frog used to be a fountain (notice the remnants of a pipe below...
Stone
$6,800
H 29 in W 8.5 in D 8.5 in
English Figural Lead Fountain with a Young Man Blowing on a Conch Shell, C. 1850
Located in Charleston, SC
English figural lead fountain with a young man blowing a conch shell while standing on a rocky plinth. Fountain is in working condition, Mid-19th century.
Copper, Lead
Ukiyo Saucer, Concrete Fountain/Fishpond by OPIARY (D50")
By Robert Remer
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Opiary is a Brooklyn-based biophilic design and production studio. We integrate nature in each of our designs, incorporating live greenery and organic shapes into bespoke furniture, planters, and sculpture. Through the ethos of biophilia, our work reflects the shifting, yet timeless relationship between humans and nature. This modern, minimalist fountain is a tasteful way to incorporate aquatic life into any indoor or outdoor space. The Ukiyo Saucer...
Cement
Ukiyo Saucer, Concrete Fountain/Fishpond by OPIARY (D62")
By Robert Remer
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Opiary is a Brooklyn-based biophilic design and production studio. We integrate nature in each of our designs, incorporating live greenery and organic shapes into bespoke furniture, planters, and sculpture. Through the ethos of biophilia, our work reflects the shifting, yet timeless relationship between humans and nature. This modern, minimalist fountain is a tasteful way to incorporate aquatic life into any indoor or outdoor space. The Ukiyo watersaucer can house multiple floating islands...
Cement
Nude Male Bronze Sculpture Fountain
Located in Malibu, CA
Bronze male sculpture signed. Fonderia Giorgio Sommer Calabritto Napoli Thomas, sculptor, lived and worked in the Naples area, and especially on Capri, from 1889 to 1906. Given this ...
Carrara Marble, Bronze
$2,700
H 17.5 in W 13.25 in D 10 in
Antique French Stone Fountain Piece with Triple Dolphin Spouts, Circa 1900
Located in Dallas, TX
This charming French fountain piece with triple dolphin spouts was made circa 1900. The dolphins are made from reconstituted stone, which is natural lim...
Stone