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.
McGuire Organic Modern Oval Bamboo Rattan Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Genuine McGuire bamboo rattan dining table made in the California coastal organic modern style. The table features a large elongated...
Iron
$5,440Sale Price|20% Off
H 29.5 in W 52 in D 52 in
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Rattan Hexagonal Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Amazing genuine McGuire organic modern bamboo rattan dining table or center table featuring a hexagonal base. Genuine McGuire, not a reproduction with an iron frame painted golden gate orange...
Iron
Vintage McGuire Rattan and Glass Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This exceptional vintage dining table by McGuire exemplifies the brand’s celebrated mastery of natural materials and refined craftsmanship. Constructed from richly toned bamboo, the ...
Rattan, Glass, Bamboo
Vintage McGuire Bundled Rattan Rectangle Dining Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This striking vintage dining table, attributed to the iconic McGuire Furniture Company of San Francisco, epitomizes the elegance of California Tropical Modernism. The architectural b...
Rattan, Glass
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Rattan Rectangular Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Handsome bamboo rattan rectangular dining table made in the California organic modern style by McGuire. Genuine McGuire model #MCBA22 with an iron frame painted golden gate orange...
Iron
McGuire Organic Modern Octagonal Blonde Bamboo Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
A monumental bespoke organic modern octagonal dining table crafted in the California coastal style by McGuire artisans in San Francisco, California. The table features a large and sculptural iron base painted Golden Gate orange for authenticity. The base is constructed with eight leg columns of bundled bamboo, each comprised of multiple poles lashed together ending with a height adjustable foot. The table is crafted in a octagonal configuration linked by diagonal stretchers radiating inwards, creating a mandala-like wheel geometry when viewed from above. The joinery is hand-tied with an attractive cream toned leather rawhide lacing at every joint. The table is very heavy and sturdy having excellent joinery and craftsmanship. The bamboo itself is has a rich variegated tortoiseshell finish in rich tones of light brown, blonde, and amber with a desirable aged patina. The table is topped by a rare large, and thick piece of McGuire octagonal...
Iron
$4,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 29 in W 36 in D 36 in
McGuire Organic Modern Bamboo Rattan Square Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Genuine McGuire bamboo rattan dining table made in the California organic modern style. The table features a rare, bespoke glazed fi...
Iron
Vintage Bundled Rattan Dining Table After McGuire
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
This striking vintage dining table captures the essence of elevated coastal modernism, designed in the iconic style of McGuire of San Francisco. The base is masterfully constructed f...
Rattan, Glass
McGuire Organic Modern Rattan Pedestal Dining Table
By McGuire
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Gorgeous organic modern glass top dining table or center table made by McGuire. The table features a bamboo rattan pedestal base with a w...
Leather, Rattan, Glass
$5,300
H 29.34 in W 70.87 in D 39.38 in
Chinese Chippendale Style Bamboo Dining Table with Oval Glass Top
Located in Miami, FL
Impressive mid-century table crafted in bamboo and bent bamboo . Complete with a glass top.
Bamboo, Glass
