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John and Elinor McGuire Desks and Writing Tables

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 wide range of vintage John and Elinor McGuire furniture on 1stDibs.

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Creator: John and Elinor McGuire
McGuire Whitewash Oak Writing Desk and Chair
By McGuire, John and Elinor McGuire
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Beautiful 1970’s McGuire writing desk and chair design by Elinor McGuire. The desk is solid whitewashed oak, leather top with brass bamboo pull...
Category

1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage John and Elinor McGuire Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

McGuire Whitewash Oak Writing Desk and Chair
McGuire Whitewash Oak Writing Desk and Chair

McGuire Whitewash Oak Writing Desk and Chair

Elinor McGuire Model 226c Writing Desk
By John and Elinor McGuire, McGuire
Located in Highland, IN
This exquisite design by Elinor McGuire for McGuire of San Fransisco is an exercise in subtle beauty and refined detailing. With a body covered in cane, slightly splayed legs, and so...
Category

1970s American Modern Vintage John and Elinor McGuire Desks and Writing Tables

Materials

Brass

Elinor McGuire Model 226c Writing Desk
Elinor McGuire Model 226c Writing Desk

Elinor McGuire Model 226c Writing Desk

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This exquisite design by Elinor McGuire for McGuire of San Fransisco is an exercise in subtle beauty and refined detailing. With a body covered in cane, an oak top, slightly splayed ...
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Elinor McGuire Model 226c Caned Desk

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John And Elinor Mcguire desks and writing tables for sale on 1stDibs.

John and Elinor McGuire desks and writing 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 John and Elinor McGuire desks and writing tables, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original desks and writing tables by John and Elinor McGuire were created in the modern style in united states during the 1980s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider desks and writing tables by and Karl Springer. Prices for John and Elinor McGuire desks and writing tables can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $6,400 and can go as high as $6,400, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $6,400.

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