McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
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.
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Rattan, Leather, Bamboo
20th Century American Organic Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Cane, Rattan
1970s North American Organic Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Rattan, Glass
1940s Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Rattan
2010s Portuguese Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Cane, Oak
1990s Philippine Chinoiserie McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Grasscloth, Faux Bamboo, Wood, Leather
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Rattan
2010s Mexican Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Chestnut
Early 20th Century French McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Mirror
20th Century Mid-Century Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Cane, Teak
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Chrome
1980s American Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Wood, Bamboo
20th Century American Organic Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Brass
20th Century American Organic Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Beech
Late 20th Century Unknown Campaign McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Rattan
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Rattan
20th Century American Organic Modern McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Rattan, Oak
1970s American Gothic Revival Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Hide, Bamboo, Wood
20th Century American Hollywood Regency McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Cane, Rattan, Glass
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Leather, Rattan, Teak
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Bamboo, Rattan
20th Century American McGuire Furniture Company More Furniture and Collectibles
Bamboo