Senal Blanket Chests
If it weren’t for his honeymoon, American furniture designer Don S. Shoemaker and his company, Señal S.A., 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, Shoemaker 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 modest factory became Señal S.A., 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 Señal S.A. tables, lounge chairs and other furniture.
1960s Mexican Spanish Colonial Vintage Senal Blanket Chests
Wood
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Senal Blanket Chests
Walnut, Wood, Cedar
Early 20th Century Spanish Spanish Colonial Senal Blanket Chests
Iron
15th Century and Earlier Dutch Gothic Antique Senal Blanket Chests
Wrought Iron
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Senal Blanket Chests
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Senal Blanket Chests
Cedar
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Senal Blanket Chests
Wood
17th Century Spanish Colonial Antique Senal Blanket Chests
Iron
1990s English Senal Blanket Chests
Pine, Paint
18th Century American Chippendale Antique Senal Blanket Chests
Pine
Mid-20th Century American Queen Anne Senal Blanket Chests
Wood, Hardwood, Mahogany, Cedar
1980s Mexican Modern Vintage Senal Blanket Chests
Cocobolo
1830s Antique Senal Blanket Chests
Wood
