Set of 6 Coasters

Name: Set of 6 Coasters
Brand: Don S. Shoemaker
Price: 1100 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Made with amazing tropical woods in Michoacán Mexico by Iconic woodmaster and designer Don Shoemaker. Very practical and refined. Coming from an affluent family, Don was originally from Nebraska. During the 1930s he studied at the Fine Arts Institute of Chicago thinking to become a painter. Visiting Mexico for his honeymoon he fell in love with the country and he finally decided to move to Mexico in the late 1940s. He lived for a while and painted in San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato, but finally he settled down in a little uphill town called Santa María de Guido, overseeing the city of Morelia, in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. Don began the manufacture of his furniture in tropical precious woods and other wood products. What started as a little factory in the late 1950s called SEÑAL, S.A., grew to the point where Don employed more than a hundred skilled craftsmen. Soon Shoemaker became an important milestone of the economic and cultural life of his adopted home. SEÑAL, S.A. brought great wealth and economical boost to the village and Don was well known for his good heart and charity projects. Don S. Shoemaker delivered furniture pieces in to his showrooms in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and large cities in Mexico. His designs were very much appreciated by wealthy Mexican families which had complete sets decorating their haciendas and luxury homes. Don had three children, but his son, George, was the only one involved in the business. When Don passed away in May of 1990, George took over and started reproducing Don´s designs under the label of “Arrendadora Shoemaker”. Unfortunately, George died in the early 2000s and the company disappeared and was dissolved for good.

Creator:

Don S. Shoemaker (Designer)

Dimensions:

Height: 0.4 in (1 cm)Width: 4.73 in (12 cm)Depth: 4.73 in (12 cm)

Sold As:

Set of 6

Style:

Organic Modern (In the Style Of)

Materials and Techniques:

Hardwood,Hand-Crafted

Place of Origin:

Mexico

Period:

1980-1989

Date of Manufacture:

1980

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

Mexico City, MX

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU4626231102532

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Shop All Don S. Shoemaker

Don S. Shoemaker

If it weren’t for his honeymoon, American furniture designer Don S. Shoemaker 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 the cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and he decided to delve into furniture design. In the late 1950s, he started a small factory, producing hand-carved armchairs, dining room tables, decorative boxes and bowls, and serveware. The popularity of Shoemaker’s furnishings grew throughout Mexico, and his small factory became the Señal S.A. company, 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 Don S. Shoemaker desks, seating, decorative objects and serveware.