For the most demanding clientele – Don´s Sling dining room set

March 15, 2011

Karin Goyer Don S. Shoemaker Design Lines - SEÑAL, S.A. , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment


Many of my readers have asked me about Don´s dining room sets with combining cupboards and cabinets. For this week I have decided to write about the Sling dining room set, the favorite among Don´s dedicated customers:

The Sling dining room was the most exclusive dining room set within Don´s repertoire. The complete set consisted of a rectangular dining table with parquetry top handcrafted in cueramo tropical wood, 8 or more Sling dining chairs (with and without armrests) in solid rosewood and a matching cabinet available in three sizes. The dining table´s shape has the unmistakable “Shoemaker” style:

The leather upholstery of these Sling dining chairs could be ordered in different colors as displayed in the vintage catalog page above, however, most Shoemakeristis preferred the traditional black leather…

The shape of the Sling cabinet remained always the same, but depending on the size of the dining room or the amount of different things that you wanted to display, the cupboard started with a 2-door display cabinet, the next version had on one side a 2-door display cabinet and shelves on the other side, and finally the largest model had a 2-door display, open shelves and a small compartment with door in the middle and another vertical display row on the opposite side. The separate sideboard had 1 drawer with 2 doors for the smallest version, 2 drawers with 4 doors for the medium size and 3 drawers with 6 doors for the large model. I have included a picture on the large Sling cabinet, a very impressive piece of furniture in your Don S. Shoemaker dining room.

Copyright © 2010-2017 Karin Goyer. All Rights Reserved.

@donshoemaker.com

The unique Sling Swinger Chair

February 28, 2011

Karin Goyer Don S. Shoemaker Design Lines - SEÑAL, S.A. , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment


I received several requests from my readers to write about Don´s famous Sling Swinger chair, so here it is:

The “Sling Casuals” furniture collection together with the “Elephant Lounge Set” limited edition (which I already described in a separate post) from the 1960’s are Don S. Shoemaker´s most accomplished organic design achievements. Although, the output of the “Sling Line” lasted during three decades, the “Elephant Lounge” remained an exclusive special edition of only 5 sets. The Sling “Swinger” chair and the Sling “Sloucher” chair are well known to collectors and galleries.

The Sling Swinger chair is of timeless elegance, the perfect integration of form, function and exotic woods. The production of these harmoniously sculpted chairs in solid tropical woods was only possible thanks to the highly sophisticated manufacturing equipment and special tools that Don had at his workshop. Shoemaker´s favorite tropical woods used for the production of these attractive swinging chairs were granadilla, cueramo and cocobolo, combined with black or brown leather upholstery. Besides the wide arms model a second version was available with narrow arms, an alternative for smaller living spaces. Below a Sling Swinger chair from my personal collection in heavy solid cocobolo tropical wood:

Another unique feature about Don´s furniture designs as I have already noted before is that he excelled in developing systems for link and joint, he tried to avoid no matter what the use of screws and nails in his work. These chairs are assembled to perfection, easily dismountable for an uncomplicated transport to any place in the world. A different Sling Swinger chair from my private collection is shown here, this time in solid granadilla tropical wood:

And finally, here is a picture of one of my Sling Swinger chairs with its matching ottoman with black leather upholstery. The perfect combination. Each piece bears the Don S. Shoemaker decal studio label.

Copyright © 2010-2017 Karin Goyer. All Rights Reserved.

@donshoemaker.com

From the “Sling” Line – A stylish dining room set

January 25, 2011

Karin Goyer Don S. Shoemaker Design Lines - SEÑAL, S.A. , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment


Very few furniture designers achieved  that magical combination of style, strength and practicality. The distinctive Shoemaker style has its very own trademark:  timeless, clean and simple and yet with a strong sense of solidity; Don´s sculptural furniture designs made with the finest tropical woods combined with thick black leather still proudly furnish selected wealthy Mexican villas, haciendas as well as elegant weekend homes after more than 40 years.  It is very unlikely that you will get bored or tired of  Don´s furniture pieces, most of the Shoemaker collectors that I know around the world have kept their pieces for over 2 generations and would not consider selling them!

Today let´s review the “Sling” round dining table with its combining “Sling” dining chairs in solid rosewood and black leather upholstery, a set that Don designed in the 1960’s. This Sling dining table was produced in tropical woods (“cueramo” and other local rosewood species) with a marquetry top  in 2 different sizes to choose from for either 4 or 6 Sling dining chairs. The design was also meant to be multipurpose and the set was offered within the “Executive Line” with the tag: Club conference table with chairs for smaller office meetings.

The Sling dining chair design is very unique. Pay special attention to the underside finish.

The table was available not only as shown in the vintage catalog  above, for an extra cost you could buy it with solid tropical wood panels as the one pictured below  from my private collection. This Sling dining table has a perfectly polished parquetry top  made in a rosewood species extinct over 30 years ago.

Copyright © 2010-2017 Karin Goyer. All Rights Reserved.

@donshoemaker.com

SLING CASUALS – The Sling “sloucher” chair

December 3, 2010

Karin Goyer Don S. Shoemaker Design Lines - SEÑAL, S.A. , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment


Don´s organic designs were unmatchable by any other furniture designer of his time. When I refer to his organic designs, I am talking about that marvelous wood prototype I had the opportunity to see, sit and enjoy, which was the base of what we know as the SLING “sloucher“ chair, made in some sort of bone shape disposition.

The “Sling Casuals” line is one of Don´s most classical and successful design lines from the 1960’s. The SEÑAL, S.A. catalog page above describes the stylish Sling “sloucher” chairs which were produced only in selected tropical hardwoods (zebrawood, cocobolo, granadilla and other local rosewood variants like cueramo), all made with black or brown leather upholstery. The SEÑAL, S.A. shop in Santa Maria de Guido also had a collection of other available leather samples and colors for you to choose from: gray, different shades of brown, beige, etc. to match the Sling “sloucher” chairs to your home décor or personal favorite colors.

Below some Sling “sloucher” chairs from my private collection:

Copyright © 2010-2017 Karin Goyer. All Rights Reserved

@donshoemaker.com

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