Jhon & Elinore Mcguire Biography
Elinor Stevenson (1914-2005) was a navigation instructor, while John McGuire (1920-2013) served in the US Navy. The two met, married and decided to move to California, to San Francisco, where Elinor worked for Boeing Aircraft. Meanwhile, John worked at various jobs, including selling ads for the San Francisco Examiner. Later, an old Navy friend asked John to help him sell rattan furniture and John, being in financial difficulty, agreed. Soon this "secondary" activity was so successful that John decided to abandon his previous job and dedicate himself completely to design. In 1948, the McGuire Furniture Company was born. As an innovator, John introduced an unconventional idea alongside the designer furniture of the 1950s, which was gaining popularity in the United States: traditional armchairs, stools and tables made from natural materials such as bamboo, which was durable but at the same time flexible thanks to steam. The brand's first major success was Leonard Linden's famous X-Chair director's chair. This military-style solid oak folding chair, launched in 1956, featured rattan weaves tied with leather strips and both the seat and back were made of high-quality leather, thus eliminating the need for a cushion. Elinor also contributed to the creation of some of the brand's design icons, such as the 1968 Cracked Ice chair, famous for its oval rattan backrest. In 1984, John created the Laced Rawhide Arm Chair, inspired by the Oregon Trail according to legend.
