Awesome Pair of Don Shoemaker Rosewood Swinger Chairs
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Awesome Pair of Don Shoemaker Rosewood Swinger Chairs
About the Item
- Creator:Don S. Shoemaker (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Width: 30.75 in (78.11 cm)Depth: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Seat Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Houston, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1840312020813
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 cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and he decided to delve into furniture design. In the late 1950s, he 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 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 in 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.
- Vintage Don Shoemaker Rosewood Swinger Chair Signed Senal, MexicoBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Chicago, ILA great vintage example. Not a reproduction. Beautiful grain. Signed on cross stretcher. Are pictures available upon request.Category
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- Chair by Don ShoemakerBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Palm Springs, CACarved chair with original leather insert by Don Shoemaker. Chair measures 19.5" wide, 20.5" deep and 27" high. Seat height is 12". Chair has been professionally refinished.Category
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$2,200 - Don Shoemaker Sling ChairBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Carmel, NYThe iconic beautiful Don Shoemaker sling chair. Made for Señal S.A. Made from solid Cocobolo Wood with original brown leather. Made in the 19...Category
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- Don Shoemaker for Senal S.A. Cocobolo Rosewood 'Swinger' Rocking Chair, SignedBy Don S. Shoemaker, SenalLocated in Los Angeles, CANamed the 'Swinger Chair' for its pivoting mechanism that allows you to swing in your seat, this incredible cocobolo rosewood and black leather 'Swinger' rocking armchair by leading 1960s modernist designer Don Shoemaker for Senal S.A. (Mexico) is highly sought after by interior designers and avid collectors alike. The thick black leather hides used for the sling are complemented with leather buttons connecting the sling to the frame of the chair. Matching black leather removable seat cushion has beautiful patina as can be seen in the photos. Artistically sculpted exotic cocobolo rosewood put together in an eye catching and interesting biomorphic form with shoemaker's signature rosewood insert accents for the feet and upper back of the chair. Exceptional craftsmanship utilizing innovative links and joints. Metal brackets connecting the seat to the frame allow the chair to gently rock - consider this as a nursing chair for the design-centric home. Senal S.A. label on lower bar of chair. Mexican modern is a style that fits incredibly well with Mid-Century Modern, Scandanavian or Danish Modern, Brazilian Modern, and Hollywood Regency. It is also a great addition for interior designers to turn an otherwise simple contemporary space and add a splash of wild and interesting. Whether you are designing a Mid-Century Modern home, contemporary, post-modern or french neoclassical apartment, this Don Shoemaker Swinger...Category
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$3,100 Sale Price29% Off - Midcentury Lounge Chair in Rosewood & Leather by Don Shoemaker, 1960sBy Senal, Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Detroit, MIThis vintage Mid-Century Modern armchair was designed in the 1950s by Don Shoemaker and produced by Señal, S.A., Mexico circa 1960. A leading midcentury Mexican modernist, Shoemaker’...Category
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsCocobolo, Leather, Rosewood
- Don Shoemaker Sling "Swinger" Chair and Ottoman, Mexico 1960sBy Don S. ShoemakerLocated in Camden, MEA Classic 20th century chair and ottoman from one of the great craftsman's workshops of Mexico: Senal, S.A., Don Shoemaker's tropical paradise in Michoacan, Mexico. This iconic chai...Category
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