Don S. Shoemaker Coffee and Cocktail Tables
American, 1919-1990
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 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.
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Creator: Don S. Shoemaker
Mexican Modern, Rectangular coffee table, 1960's Don S. Shoemaker
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in Uccle, BE
Label: Señal S.A.Hecho en Mexico.
Cocobolo wood and black leather mid-century modern coffee table from the sixties. The leather has a beautiful sensual feel and is in excellent cond...
Category
20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Don S. Shoemaker Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Leather, Cocobolo
Don Shoemaker Sculpted Rosewood & Leather Coffee Table for Señal Furniture
By Don S. Shoemaker, Senal
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Transforming a piece of Mid-Century Modern furniture is like bringing history back to life, and we take this journey with passion and precision. With over 17 years of artisanal exper...
Category
1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Don S. Shoemaker Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Leather, Rosewood, Cocobolo
Don Shoemaker Senal S.A. Cocobolo Rosewood Parquetry Table, Mid Century
By Don S. Shoemaker, Senal
Located in Vienna, AT
Rare parquetry rosewood table in wonderful condition, Don Shoemaker 1960
We also have a rare sofa available from Don Shoemaker.
A sculptural masterpiece by Don Shoemaker. We have this table in our collection at the moment together with a matching sofa...
Category
1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Don S. Shoemaker Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Rosewood
Don Shoemaker Mid-Century Modern Coffee Table with Leather Top
By Don S. Shoemaker
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
We offer this fantastic coffee table made in pieces of solid cocobolo wood with leather top designed by Don Shoemaker for Señal S.A., circa 1960
About Don Shoemaker:
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 Michoacan, 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
1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Don S. Shoemaker Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Cocobolo
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Wanna be a bond villain in real life? Well here's your chance. Certain pieces just command respect and deserve appreciation for their flawless design. "WTF?" is typically the first thing uttered when people see this on our showroom floor. A literal jaw-droppper, regardless of whether installing as a dining table, desk or conference table. Lovingly restored by our in-house cabinet shop, this cocobolo wood table by Don S. Shoemaker is a rare find. Geometry and brutalism intertwine to form an architectural masterpiece of function and form. Staved slats of offset cocobolo form a brilliant patchwork that covers every visible inch of both the top and bottom sections. The grain and color tones vary in each slat to create a stunning visual contrast throughout.
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Although we're uncertain on the production quantity, the total number is probably quite minuscule. Tagged with its original label and numbered #6 in several locations.
About the designer:
Furniture designer Don Shoemaker was born in Nebraska to an affluent family. During the 1930s, he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. In the late 1940s, he married and subsequently, on his honeymoon, fell in love with Mexico. He loved the country so much that later in the 1940s, he moved to Mexico with his wife. Shoemaker lived and painted in a town called Santa Maria de Guido, overseeing the City of Morelia in Michoacán.
Don and his wife Barbara lived in harmony with nature, growing many rare plants in their greenhouse. Don became inspired by the tropical woods of Mexico and began to manufacture furniture from these precious timbers. What began as a small factory in the late 1950s became known as Señal S.A and grew to where Don employed more than a hundred skilled artisans. Soon he became an important figure in the economic and cultural life of his adopted town. Señal S.A brought new wealth and an economic boost to the town, and Dom was known for his warm and charitable heart.
The furniture designed for Señal S.A by Don were modern interpretations of traditional Mexican furnishings. Many of his iconic designs were inspired by traditional Mexican woodwork. The pieces made from Cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and other precious woods were highly sought after. The furniture was exported to showrooms in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and large Mexican cities. His designs were liked very much by wealthy Mexican families...
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Don S. Shoemaker coffee and cocktail tables for sale on 1stDibs.
Don S. Shoemaker coffee and cocktail tables are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Don S. Shoemaker coffee and cocktail tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original coffee and cocktail tables by Don S. Shoemaker were created in the mid-century modern style in north america during the 1960s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider coffee and cocktail tables by Genaro Alvarez, and Arturo Pani. Prices for Don S. Shoemaker coffee and cocktail tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $2,895 and can go as high as $4,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,900.
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