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.
McGuire Three Tier Ebonized Rattan Rolling Bar Cart
By John and Elinor McGuire, McGuire
Located in Germantown, MD
McGuire three tier ebonized rattan rolling bar cart in excellent vintage condition. Measures: 25.5" in diameter and stands 30" tall.
Rattan, Paint
McGuire Three Tier Natural Rattan Bamboo and Leather Rolling Bar Cart
By McGuire, John and Elinor McGuire
Located in Germantown, MD
McGuire three tier ebonized rattan rolling bar cart in excellent vintage condition. Measures: 25.5" in diameter and stands 30" tall. Lower tier has a 13" clearance and the middle t...
Rattan, Paint
1970s McGuire Cart Server Buffet in rattan with extendable wooden top and wheels
By McGuire
Located in Roma, RM
1970s McGuire Cart Server Buffet made in rattan with extendable wooden top and wheels. Dimensions: 110 W x 77 H x 57 D
Leather, Rattan
Mid Century Gilt Faux Bamboo Three Tier Bar Cart
By Maison Baguès
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Fabulous three tiered gilt faux bamboo bar cart from France. Glides effortlessly on its caster wheels. Shelves are 11 inches apart from each other. In excellent vintage condition wit...
Iron
Mid-Century Three-Tier Bar Serving Cart w/ Storage Cabinet
By Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Blond three-tier Mid-century bar cart with an underneath storage cabinet. The cart features brass accents with four coaster wheels for easy travel from room to room. Reminiscent of t...
Wood
$3,800
H 31 in W 58 in D 18 in
Mahogany Banded Inlay Drop Leaf Silver Drawer 5 Drawers Server Cart on Wheels
By Heritage Furniture
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mahogany Banded Inlay drop leaf silver drawer 5 drawers Expandable server cart cabinet on wheels MINT!.
Brass
20th Century Antique Belgian Wooden Bakery Cart on Wheels
Located in High Point, NC
This 20th century carts and bar cart from Belgium is worked in brown wood, its proportions those of a piece built to last. It was built with the kind of solid, straightforward constr...
Wood
$1,760
H 31 in W 45.5 in D 17.5 in
Vintage Ficks Reed Style Three-Tier Rattan Bar Cart Serving Trolley
By Ficks Reed
Located in W Allenhurst, NJ
A beautifully crafted vintage three-tier rattan bar cart in the style of Ficks Reed, showcasing finely wrapped reed construction with woven lattice shelves and integrated carrying ha...
Wicker
Faux Bamboo Brass Gallery Two Tier Rectangular Rolling Bar Tea Cart
By Mastercraft
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Mid-Century Modern faux bamboo brass rolling bar cart. Beautiful craftsmanship and design detail piece. In style of Maison Bagues
Brass
Midcentury Bamboo and Rattan Serving Bar Cart, Italy 1960s
Located in Rome, IT
Midcentury amazing serving bar cart in rattan and bamboo with three bottle holder. Made in Italy in the 1960s. A highly decorative bamboo and rattan serving cart with the taste ...
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Rattan and Wrought Iron Rolling Bar Cart
By Arthur Umanoff
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Mid-Century Modern wicker and wrought iron rolling bar cart attributed to Arthur Umanoff. The indoor/outdoor two-tiered serving t...
Wrought Iron
John Widdicomb Bar Cart / Server with Expanding Top
By John Widdicomb
Located in Highland, IN
This striking John Widdicomb bar cart or serving cart has several great features: a terrific graphic quality with a dynamic composition of clear and...
Walnut
$1,365
H 28.75 in W 26.38 in D 18.12 in
Italian Midcentury Chrome and Glass Two Tier Rolling Bar Cart, 1970s
Located in Morazzone, Varese
Italian Midcentury Chrome and Glass Two Tier Rolling Bar Cart, 1970s Elegant Italian mid-century modern two-tier rolling bar cart crafted from chromed steel. The cart features grey ...
Chrome
Brass Bar Cart with Big Wheels Glass Mirror Tray, circa 1970
Located in Vienna, AT
Brass bar cart with big wheels glass mirror tray, circa 1970 Elegant midcentury liquor or bar cart table from France in the tradition of Maison Bagues. I...
Brass
Vintage 1960 2 Tiers French Bamboo and Rattan Bar Cart
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage 1960 2 tiers French bamboo and rattan bar cart. Space in between 11 inches.
Bamboo, Rattan
$1,546
H 25.99 in W 26.78 in D 18.9 in
Italian Mid-Century Modern Bamboo Cane and Rattan Bar Cart, 1970s
By Vivai del Sud
Located in Roma, IT
This elegant Italian bar cart, dating to the Mid-Century Modern period, is a superb example of the refined craftsmanship that characterized Italian furniture made from natural materials during the 1960s and 1970s. Its design is reminiscent of the celebrated work associated with renowned Italian makers such as Vivai del Sud, Arpex, and Valentino Più...
Bamboo, Cane, Rattan
$2,595
H 30.75 in W 40.25 in D 19.5 in
Raymond Sobota Hollywood Regency Flip-Top Buffet Server Circa 1970s
By Raymond K. Sobota, Century Furniture
Located in South Bend, IN
A sleek and stylish mid-century modern Hollywood Regency Chinoiserie flip-top bar cart or buffet server cabinet By Raymond Sobota for Century Furniture, "Chin Hua" Collection USA, ...
Brass
Vintage Collapsible Rattan and Bamboo Bar Cart
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This versatile Mid-Century Modern bar cart features a masterfully engineered collapsible design, allowing the hand-bent rattan frame to fold flat while the two oval tiers function as...
Rattan, Glass
McGuires Bamboo & Rattan Oval Three-Tier Bar Cart
By McGuire
Located in Astoria, NY
McGuires Bamboo and Rattan Oval Three-Tier Bar Cart, with galleried top and sides on casters. 33" H x 35.5" W x 17.5" D. Provenance: From a Tarrytown, New York Estate.
Bamboo, Rattan
Sold
H 30 in W 44 in D 22.5 in
McGuire Serving Cart - Vintage Organic Modern Bar - Rattan + Mahogany + Raw Hide
By McGuire, John McGuire, John and Elinor McGuire
Located in Decatur, GA
Vintage organic modern serving cart by McGuire, California circa 1970s. Frame is rattan with raw hide leather bindings. Surfaces are ribbon mahogany and white formica. Solid brass ha...
Leather, Rattan, Formica, Mahogany
McGuire Cerused Rattan Oak Bar Cart Server Buffet
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Extraordinary rattan and oak bar cart, server, sideboard, or buffet featuring an expandable top. Genuine McGuire made in the California organic modern sty...
Brass