McGuire Furniture Company
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.
1990s American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Leather, Cotton, Hardwood
1970s American Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Fabric, Rattan
Late 20th Century American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Brass
1970s American Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Brass
1990s American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Steel
2010s Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Upholstery, Bamboo
2010s Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Upholstery, Bamboo
21st Century and Contemporary Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Faux Bamboo
Late 20th Century Philippine Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Leather, Chenille, Rattan
Late 20th Century American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Rattan, Paint
Late 20th Century American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Rattan, Paint
Early 2000s American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Bamboo, Fabric, Wicker, Rattan
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Rattan, Fabric, Bamboo, Wicker
19th Century English Victorian Antique McGuire Furniture Company
Mahogany, Leather
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Rattan, Birch, Upholstery
1980s American Organic Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Rattan, Hardwood, Cane
20th Century American Organic Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Leather, Bamboo, Rattan, Glass
20th Century American Organic Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Leather, Fabric, Grasscloth, Cane, Raffia, Rattan
Early 20th Century British McGuire Furniture Company
Wood
20th Century American Hollywood Regency McGuire Furniture Company
Upholstery, Cane, Rattan
20th Century American McGuire Furniture Company
Cane, Rattan
20th Century American Organic Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Leather, Bamboo, Rattan
20th Century American Organic Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Leather, Rattan, Oak
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Teak
Late 20th Century American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Upholstery, Bamboo, Cane
1980s American Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Wood, Bamboo
1980s American Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Upholstery, Rattan
1980s American Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Brass
1980s American Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Hide, Fabric, Bamboo
1970s North American Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company
Rattan
20th Century Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Bamboo
20th Century North American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Metal, Brass
Late 20th Century American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Fabric, Wood
Late 20th Century American Modern McGuire Furniture Company
Upholstery, Rattan