Pair of Don Shoemaker 'Swing' Chairs, Mexico, 1970
View Similar Items
Pair of Don Shoemaker 'Swing' Chairs, Mexico, 1970
About the Item
- Creator:Don S. Shoemaker (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 30.32 in (77 cm)Depth: 27.56 in (70 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Wargrave, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU84008938993
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.
- Don S. Shoemaker 1970's Mexican "Swinger" Cueramo Wood and Leather ChairBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in Mexico City, MXA Mexican 1970's cueramo wood and black leather "Swinger" lounge chair by Don S. Shoemaker. Manufactured by Señal, S.A. workshop in Santa María de Guido, Michoacán. The piece keeps i...Category
Vintage 1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
- Pair of Mexican Wood and Leather Chairs Model “Sloucher” by Don Shoemaker 1950sBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Barcelona, ESDon Shoemaker (1958). Pair of chairs model “Sloucher” Manufactured by Señal, Mexico. Mexico, 1950s Rosewood, leather. Measurements 39 cm x 57 cm x 46h cm. 15.35 in x 22.44...Category
Vintage 1950s Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsRosewood, Leather
- Don Shoemaker Perno Safari ChairBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in New York, NYPerno safari chair of exotic Cocobolo wood with original black saddle leather slings, designed by American expat Don Shoemaker and produced at his Senal Studios in Mexico circa 1960's. A rare Shoemaker entry with an elegant Constructivist mien, this chair is crafted without use of glue, nails, or screws--the parts are fastened with wooden pegs...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Cocobolo
- Mid-Century Don Shoemaker Accent ChairBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Brooklyn, NYThis vintage sculpted frame armchair by designer Don Shoemaker makes an interesting addition to any interior. One of the most well-known designers of the Mexican-Modernism movement, ...Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
MaterialsWalnut
- Pair of 1960s Folding Armchairs by Don ShoemakerBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in London, GBIn Cocobolo wood, with original black leather seat and chair back, circa 1965.Category
Vintage 1960s Mexican Armchairs
MaterialsLeather
$6,440 / set - Pair of Lounge Chairs Don S Shoemaker, circa 1970By Don S. ShoemakerLocated in PARIS, FRA pair of ‘Sling Swinger’ lounge chairs in wood and leather Don S Shoemaker Brazil, circa 1970 made by Senal.Category
Vintage 1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsLeather, Wood
$7,947 / set