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.
$2,350Sale Price|43% Off
Lyda Levi x McGuire Company Gate Leg Console Table
By McGuire
Located in Astoria, NY
Lyda Levi for McGuire Company Gate Leg Console Table, the rectangular oak wood flip-top above bamboo and rattan base. Closed: 29.5" H x 72" W x...
Bamboo, Rattan, Oak
Long Blonde Bamboo Console Table by John McGuire with Stone Top, Two Available
By John and Elinor McGuire, McGuire
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Long Blonde Bamboo Console Table by John McGuire with Stone Top, Two Available. Genuine McGuire organic modern rectangular console table, designed by breakthrough innovator John McGu...
Stone
Yellow Lacquered Console with Flip-Top Surface from McGuire San Francisco, 1970s
By McGuire
Located in Roma, RM
Yellow Lacquered Mcguire Console With Flip-Top Surface – San Francisco, 1970 Product details Made of bamboo with leather bindings and wooden top. Open top dimensions: 183 W x 73,5 H ...
Leather, Bamboo, Wood
Chic Very Long McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo & Glass Console Table
By McGuire
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Stunning narrow and quite long natural dark stained bamboo console having .75 thick bevelled top. Handsome and elegant.
Bamboo, Glass
Flip-Flop Console Table – Mcguire, San Francisco – 1970s
By McGuire
Located in Roma, RM
Console table produced by McGuire, San Francisco in the 1970s. Oak rod structure with characteristic rawhide bindings and a wooden flip-flop top that opens to double the depth of the...
Leather, Bamboo, Wood
McGuire Console Table Richard Hannum Huxley Collection Faux Bamboo Cherry Wood
By McGuire
Located in Miami, FL
Mid-Century Modern Bohemian Chic McGuire Console Table, Hallway Table or Sofa Table. Features a floating restored Cherry Wood Top combined with faux bamboo legs and rawhide decor, mo...
Iron
American modern dining table or console by Lyda Levi for McGuire Company, 1970s
By McGuire
Located in MIlano, IT
American modern dining table or console by Lyda Levi for McGuire Company, 1970s Dining table or console table with a rectangular wooden top. The top, with metal hinges, can be opened...
Leather, Rattan, Wood
"Bamboo" console table by Lyda Levi for McGuire Production, 1970s, USA
By McGuire
Located in Milano, IT
Console Table by Lyda Levi for McGuire, 1970s A refined and rare piece of furniture designed by Lyda Levi and produced by McGuire in the 1970s, featuring a wooden frame embellished ...
Bamboo
McGuire Sculptural Rattan & Bamboo "Sheaf of Wheat" Oval Console Table
By John and Elinor McGuire, McGuire
Located in Chicago, IL
McGuire Sculptural Rattan & Bamboo “Sheaf of Wheat” Oval Console Table Base An exceptional example of Organic Modern design, this authentic vintage McGuire sculptural table base—mode...
Bamboo, Glass
$2,224Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.5 in W 10 in D 48 in
Travertine Glass Console Table - Glass Console Table With Travertine Legs
By Angelo Mangiarotti
Located in İnegöl, TR
TRAVERTINE & Glass CONSOLE TABLE Type of Marble: Travertine Dimensions: 48" x 10" x 29,5" Leg Model: Travertine Customizable: Available! Production Time: 3-4 Weeks Shipping Cost: Fr...
Travertine, Marble
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Iron Frame Round Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Genuine McGuire organic modern round dining table featuring a hexagonal shaped base. The iron base is painted golden gate orange for authenticity and then covered with bamboo poles l...
Iron
McGuire Organic Modern Oval Bamboo Rattan Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Genuine McGuire bamboo rattan dining table made in the California coastal organic modern style. The table features a large elongated...
Iron
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 29 in W 36 in D 36 in
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Rattan Square Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Genuine McGuire bamboo rattan dining table made in the California organic modern style. The table features a rare, bespoke glazed fi...
Iron
$7,950
H 29 in W 59 in D 59 in
Vintage Coastal McGuire Bundled Bamboo Center Hall Table With Specimen Stone Top
By McGuire
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A breathtaking fusion of organic elegance and natural artistry, this vintage McGuire center hall table features their iconic bundled bamboo base paired with a truly stunning specimen...
Marble
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Rectangular Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Stunning bamboo rectangular dining table made in the California organic modern style by McGuire. This is a genuine McGuire model # MCBA22 with an iron frame painted golden gate orange for authenticity. The table features a geometric design base measuring 46 inches wide and 21 inches deep covered with tobacco colored bamboo poles...
Iron
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Rattan Round Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Genuine McGuire round dining table featuring a square base. The base is created from an iron frame painted golden gate orange for authencity...
Iron
Travertine Console Table, Italy 1970s
By Stone International
Located in Antwerp, BE
Italian Travertine 1970s console table designed by Stone International, Italy. Warm cream and gray stone table top edged in teak. Dimensions:139W x 74H x 57D.Perfect Original Cond...
Travertine
$3,039
H 32.29 in W 43.51 in D 12.01 in
Chromed console with thick black lacquered top. French work. Circa 1970
Located in Marcq-en-Barœul, Hauts-de-France
This nice and elegant console table is made of Chromed with a thick black lacquered top. This is a French work. Circa 1970
Chrome
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Rattan Rectangular Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Handsome bamboo rattan rectangular dining table made in the California organic modern style by McGuire. Genuine McGuire model #MCBA22 with an iron frame painted golden gate orange...
Iron
McGuire Organic Modern Octagonal Blonde Bamboo Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
A monumental bespoke organic modern octagonal dining table crafted in the California coastal style by McGuire artisans in San Francisco, California. The table features a large and sculptural iron base painted Golden Gate orange for authenticity. The base is constructed with eight leg columns of bundled bamboo, each comprised of multiple poles lashed together ending with a height adjustable foot. The table is crafted in a octagonal configuration linked by diagonal stretchers radiating inwards, creating a mandala-like wheel geometry when viewed from above. The joinery is hand-tied with an attractive cream toned leather rawhide lacing at every joint. The table is very heavy and sturdy having excellent joinery and craftsmanship. The bamboo itself is has a rich variegated tortoiseshell finish in rich tones of light brown, blonde, and amber with a desirable aged patina. The table is topped by a rare large, and thick piece of McGuire octagonal...
Iron
$8,290
H 29 in W 96 in D 58.25 in
Vintage McGuire Bamboo Oval Dining Table with Beveled Glass, San Francisco
By McGuire
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A refined and highly desirable vintage dining table by McGuire Furniture, designed and manufactured in San Francisco, California, exemplifying the brand’s iconic use of natural mater...
Bamboo, Glass
Organic Modern Pencil Reed Rattan Waterfall Console Table
By Bielecky Brothers, McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
A striking 1970s midcentury pencil reed rattan console table, constructed in the Organic Modern and Tropical styles after McGuire and Bielecky Bros. The sofa table features a sculptu...
Rattan, Reed
Vintage Sheaf of Wheat Table by John and Elinor McGuire
By McGuire, John and Elinor McGuire
Located in Philadelphia, PA
The "Sheaf of Wheat" dining table by McGuire Furniture is an iconic piece featuring a round glass top and a pedestal base made of bundled rattan poles. The base is cinched at the cen...
Bamboo, Glass
Italian Faux Bamboo Gilt Console Table with Glass Top, 1970s
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Frame in gilt faux-bamboo metal with inset glass top. Evokes chinoiserie elegance popular in Italian mid-century interiors.
Faux Bamboo
Sold
H 28.75 in W 72.05 in D 35.44 in
Green Lacquered Mcguire Console With Flip-Top Surface – San Francisco, 1970
By McGuire
Located in Roma, RM
Green Lacquered Mcguire Console With Flip-Top Surface – San Francisco, 1970 Product details Made of bamboo with leather bindings and wooden top. Open top dimensions: 183 W x 73,5 H x...
Leather, Bamboo, Wood
Console table, Mc Guire Production, USA 1970s
By McGuire, Another Human
Located in Napoli, IT
console bamboo
Bamboo, Glass
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Glass Console Table 8 Ft.
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Monumental bespoke bamboo console table measuring 8 feet long. The genuine table is made by McGuire and is not an inferior reproduction piece. It features an iron base painted golden...
Brass, Iron
McGuire, Console Table, Bamboo, Leather, Maple, USA, 1970s
By McGuire
Located in High Point, NC
A bamboo, beige leather and maple console table produced by McGuire, USA, c. 1970s. Wear consistent with age and use, including marks and discoloration. Overall Dimensions (inches)...
Leather, Bamboo, Maple
Rectangular Console Table by Lyda Levi for Mcguire – 1970s
By McGuire
Located in Roma, RM
Rectangular Console Table by Lyda Levi for Mcguire – 1970s Product Details Made of bamboo with leather bindings and a wooden top. Dimensions with top open: 183 W x 73 H x 90 D cm Dim...
Leather, Bamboo, Wood
Elegant Mid-Century Modern Console Table by Lyda Levi, Italy, 1970s
By McGuire
Located in Argelato, BO
Elegant and rare Console by Lyda Levi for McGuire, 1970s
Wood
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Rattan Console Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Elongated McGuire console table or sofa table made in the California organic modern style. The rectangular table features an iron base finished in golden gate orange for authenticity...
Iron
Monumental McGuire Ming Altar Table with Ivory Crackle Finish
By McGuire, John and Elinor McGuire
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Monumental McGuire altar table with ivory crackle finish. This altar table is McGuire’s interpretation of classic Chinese design. The Ming-inspired table has a hardwood frame that wa...
Hardwood
Maugrion Rattan Flip-Top Console or Dining Table Mid-Century
By McGuire
Located in Oxford, GB
Versatile and handsome flip top-server or console table that can be extended for use as a dining table. Produced by Maugrion from lacquered rich deep rosewood colour oak with a bambo...
Rattan
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Glass Console Sofa Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Distinctive console or sofa table made in the California coastal organic modern style by McGuire. The table features an iron frame painted golden gate orange for authenticity and wra...
Iron
Sold
H 29.93 in W 71.66 in D 35.44 in
1970s Mc Guire console with flip-top top in black lacquered rattan
By McGuire
Located in Roma, RM
Mc Guire 1970s Flip-Top console with opening top in black lacquered rattan PRODUCT DETAILS Dimensions with open top: 182 l x 90 d x 76 h cm Production: McGuire Materials: Lacquered r...
Rattan
Sold
H 32.68 in W 50.79 in D 13.78 in
1970 McGuire Bamboo console 1970, with leather bindings and wooden top
By McGuire
Located in Roma, RM
Bamboo console #McGuire 1970, with leather bindings and wooden top. Product details Dimensions: 129 W x 83 H x 35 D Production: McGuire, 1970
Leather, Bamboo
1970s McGuire console with flip-top top.
By McGuire
Located in Roma, RM
Lyda-Levi-McGuire console with flip-top top 1970. Made of rattan, wood and leather bindings. Label applied under the table top. Product details Dimensions (closed): 183 W x 75 H x 4...
Leather, Rattan, Wood
1970s Bamboo Flip-Top Dining Table by McGuire
By McGuire
Located in La Mesa, CA
Mid-Century Modern flip top server or console table that could also be used as a dining table. Produced by McGuire from oak with a rattan base that is reinforced with leather rawhide...
Leather, Bamboo, Oak
Sold
H 29.38 in W 71.75 in D 18 in
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Rattan and Leather Glass Top Console Table, 1970s
By McGuire
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional midcentury Organic Modern console table By McGuire USA, circa 1970s Bamboo, rattan, and leather base, with thick beveled glass top. Measures: 71.75"W x 18"...
Leather, Bamboo, Rattan, Glass