Warren McArthur Furniture
American, 1885-1961
Few 20th-century designers had influential furniture that regularly flew at 30,000 feet, but Warren McArthur did. His work on seating for military aircraft came near the end of his career, following decades of Machine Age furniture shaped from tubular forms and made of steel, chrome and aluminum.
Warren McArthur Jr. graduated with an engineering degree from Cornell University in 1908. After moving to Los Angeles in 1929, he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation a year later. His initial output of sleek, metal designs were popular in offices and hotels.
At the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, Americans witnessed a new “Streamlined America” campaign, which included everyday furniture made from metal, opening the door for McArthur and other Machine Age designers to a residential audience. With this increase in demand for metal furniture, the Warren McArthur Corporation relocated to Rome, New York, and sold their aluminum furnishings out of a showroom on Park Avenue in New York City.
Actors Marlene Dietrich, Fredric March and Clark Gable were among his A-list clientele. McArthur also produced furniture for the dining cars on the Union Pacific Railroad and the Chrysler Headquarters. His designs were featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 1934 exhibition “Contemporary American Industrial Art.”
During World War II, McArthur pivoted production after a ban on the private use of aluminum. McArthur made an estimated three-quarters of all American military aircraft seating, including adjustable seats for the Beechcraft C-45 and revolving seats for navigators aboard the Grumman HU-16 Albatross.
Warren McArthur closed his business in 1948. He died in 1961.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Warren McArthur armchairs, tables and other seating.
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Creator: Warren McArthur
Warren McArthur Early Armchair for The Pullman Company 1920's
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren McArthur Early Armchair for The Pullman Company 1920's
Rare Special Chair, This elegant early armchair by Warren McArthur features a combination of lacquered steel, aluminum, ...
Category
1920s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Set of (8) Warren McArthur Dining Chairs, America circa 1940
By Warren McArthur
Located in Culver City, CA
America circa 1940
American industrial tubular frame, with hidden ashtrays. Newly covered in soft felt fabric.
24"w x 26"d x 34"h x 18”seat
Ref. CHAIR1259
$ 19,000 ( set of 8 )
Category
1940s American Industrial Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Felt
Warren McArthur Side Table
By Warren McArthur
Located in New York, NY
American Art Deco side table by Warren McArthur with machine age base and original Formica laminate black top.
Category
Early 20th Century Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Biltmore Lounge Chair
By Warren McArthur
Located in New York, NY
American Art Deco Biltmore lounge chair by Warren McArthur in aluminum with pink mohair cushions. This design was created for the famed Arizona Biltmore Hotel. While most metal furni...
Category
Early 20th Century Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Biltmore Sofa
By Warren McArthur
Located in New York, NY
American Art Deco Biltmore sofa by Warren McArthur in aluminum with pink mohair cushions. This design was created for the famed Arizona Biltmore Hotel. While most metal furniture des...
Category
Early 20th Century Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Chair
By Warren McArthur
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Warren McArthur chair possibly from the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona. Chair measures 22" wide, 22" deep and 31" high. Seat height is 17". Chair shows where there once was a...
Category
1930s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McCarthur Lounge Chair
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren McArthur Lounge Chairs by Warren McArthur Corporation
aluminum frame , upholstery Great Plains woven wool, rubber feet
Dimensions:
31"high
26" wide
30" deep
Category
1930s Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Desk Chair
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren McArthur Desk Chair, Aluminum frame with upholstrey.
Reupholstered
Seat height 20"
Category
1930s Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Modified Revolving Stool Aircraft Seat 1947/2024
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
A rotating stool made from a Warren McArthur designed aircraft navigational stool created in 1947 for Grumman Aircraft Corporation.
The Grumman Albatross SA-16 was developed as an a...
Category
1940s American Industrial Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Metal, Aluminum, Steel
Warren McArthur for Warren McArthur Corporation Table or Desk
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren McArthur for Warren McArthur Corporation Table or Desk from the Virginia State Library, Richmond V.A.
Aluminum base, wood top with laminate surface
Dimensions:
30¼"high
50½" w...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Art Deco Aluminum and Leather Lounge Chair by Warren McArthur
By Warren McArthur
Located in San Diego, CA
Art Deco aluminum and black leather lounge chair with hockey puck feet by Warren McArthur, circa 1930s. The chair frame and feet are in great original condition while the upholstery has been recently replaced with gorgeous black leather. What a looker! The chair measures 25.75"W x 32"D x 31.5"H with a seat height of 16". This is a very rare and hard to find chair and would be the focal point of any art deco or machine age room! Check out our period side tables that would look fabulous with this chair! #3094
Warren McArthur (1885–1961) was an American industrial and furniture designer who specialized in aluminum tubular furniture during the 1930s.
Warren McArthur, Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois to Warren McArthur, Sr., a successful businessman, and Minnie Jewel McArthur. Frank Lloyd Wright was a friend of the McArthur family. In 1892, Wright designed the house for the McArthur family, located in Chicago.
McArthur attended Cornell University where he studied engineering. In the late 1920s, McArthur began his career as an industrial designer by creating furniture for the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, which was designed by his brother Albert Chase McArthur.
After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Arizona Biltmore failed, and McArthur moved to Los Angeles, California to create a furniture fabrication company. In the early 1930s, aluminum became a popular industrial design material, and McArthur developed a specialization in designing and making aluminum tubular furniture, including chairs, tables, sofas, lamps, and ashtrays.
McArthur soon began to receive commissions from prominent architects. Paul R. Williams commissioned McArthur to design 30 pieces of aluminum furniture for the Cord family who owned the Cord automobile company. He was also commissioned to make aluminum furniture for Rudolph Schindler's design for Sardi's restaurant location in Los Angeles.
So too, McArthur's aluminum furniture was popular with Hollywood stars and producers of the 1930s. His clients included Jack L. Warner, Marlene Dietrich, Fredric March...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Rare Warren McArthur Two-Tier Desk with Drawers, Reversible, Machine Age 1930s
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren McArthur two-tier desk with drawers
Aluminum and black lacquered wood
Warren McArthur Corporation, 1930s
Measures: 48" x 24" x 30" desk height
D...
Category
1930s Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Streamline Modern Aluminum Black Coffee Table Model 1559-s 1930s
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Warren McArthur
Coffee table, model 1559-s
Warren McArthur Corporation
USA, c. 1930
enameled aluminum, laminate
18½ h × 30 dia in (47 × 76 cm)
literature: Warren McArthur Corporation, Donnelly, pg. 50
Warren McArthur Jr. was an innovator in Machine Age/ Art Deco furniture design.
McArthur moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1929 to pursue metal furniture manufacturing; he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation there in 1930. His furniture designs while unique were true to the Machine Age aesthetic. Machine Age design emphasized sleek forms inspired by automobiles, locomotives and airplanes. These objects were symbols of progress and modernity to the American consumer and industrial designers began constructing furniture in streamlined designs from steel, chrome and aluminum.
Prior to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, known as the “Century of Progress Exhibition.” The fair’s tagline, “See America Streamlined,” and the abundance of metal furniture and home goods exhibited finally presented the concept of utilizing metal designs in the typical American household. The Museum of Modern Art followed suit in subsequent years with exhibitions like "Machine Art," (1934), and "Bauhaus 1919-1928" (1938), further exposing the American public to this design style.
The Warren McArthur Corporation moved manufacturing to Rome, New York in 1933, just as metal furniture was gaining popularity; the company’s products were sold out of a showroom in New York City on Park Avenue. As a manufacturer, McArthur filed numerous patent designs which he utilized in advertisements to exhibit the innovations he developed. The company also proudly printed patent numbers on furniture...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Side Table with Patinated Top
By Warren McArthur
Located in Dallas, TX
Warren McArthur aluminum table with patinated wooden top.
Category
1930s Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Pair of Aluminum Warren McArthur Sling Chaises / Lounge Chairs, 1938
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
Pair of lounge chairs by Warren McArthur manufactured at his factory in Connecticut in the late 1930s.
The designs that Warren introduced in the very beginning of his furniture making he referred to as "suspension chairs...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Bauhaus Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Set of Four Aluminium Dining Chairs by Warren McArthur with Pop Art Fabric Cover
By Warren McArthur
Located in Berlin, DE
Those beautiful chairs are made out of aluminium and the seats are upholstered in a Pop-Art Comic Fabric which are great fun.
This authorized reproduction of the Warren McArthur cha...
Category
1970s Italian Industrial Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Lounge Chair in Original Leather
By Warren McArthur
Located in Dallas, TX
Warren McArthur for Namco lounge chair in original leather.
Category
1930s Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Leather
Rare Warren McArthur Console / Hall Table, Art Deco, Machine Age, 1930's
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Buffalo, NY
Extremely rare demilune console table designed by Warren McArthur. Amazing design, proportion, table has been re-painted (at some point) Retains remnants of original label, Also orig...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Armchair in Original Leather
By Warren McArthur
Located in Dallas, TX
A beautifully patinated leather and aluminum armchair designed by Warren McArthur, 1930's.
Category
1930s Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Coffee Table ca' 1930's
By Warren McArthur
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
Unusual Warren McArthur coffee table with architectural, machine age base and original formica black top. Signed underneath.
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Console Sky Blue Cafolite Top c. 1935
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
Unusual Warren McArthur console or perhaps a work table from a department store or beauty salon cosmetic cubicle.
The sky blue Cafolite top was produced for the Warren McArthur Corp...
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Pair of Warren McArthur Pull-Up Chairs, 1930's
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of Warren McArthur pull-up chairs, 1930's Aluminum tubular frame with back-slats.
Manufactured in Rome, New York Decal underside.
We reupholstered with new Iron Cloth, a polye...
Category
1930s American Industrial Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur, Arm Chairs, Steel, Vinyl, United States, 1930s
By Warren McArthur
Located in High Point, NC
A set of steel and vinyl chairs, created by Warren McArthur, United States, 1930s.
Category
1930s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Steel
Warren McArthur Streamline Modern Aluminum Chair, Art Deco, 1930s, USA
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Warren McArthur chair, Warren McArthur Corporation, aluminum, leather, copper, rubber, USA, 1930s. Measures: 33½ H × 17 W × 21 D in
Provenance: Collection of Stuart Parr Private Collection
Warren McArthur Jr. was an innovator in Machine Age/ Art Deco furniture design.
McArthur moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1929 to pursue metal furniture manufacturing; . he founded the Warren McArthur Corporation there in 1930. His furniture designs while unique were true to the Machine Age aesthetic. Machine Age design emphasized sleek forms inspired by automobiles, locomotives and airplanes. These objects were symbols of progress and modernity to the American consumer and industrial designers began constructing furniture in streamlined designs from steel, chrome and aluminum.
Prior to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, known as the “Century of Progress Exhibition.” The fair’s tagline, “See America Streamlined,” and the abundance of metal furniture and home goods exhibited finally presented the concept of utilizing metal designs in the typical American household. The Museum of Modern Art followed suit in subsequent years with exhibitions like "Machine Art," (1934), and "Bauhaus 1919-1928" (1938), further exposing the American public to this design style.
The Warren McArthur Corporation moved manufacturing to Rome, New York in 1933, just as metal furniture was gaining popularity; the company’s products were sold out of a showroom in New York City on Park Avenue. As a manufacturer, McArthur filed numerous patent designs which he utilized in advertisements to exhibit the innovations he developed. The company also proudly printed patent numbers on furniture...
Category
1930s American Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Four Lounge Chairs, Circa 1939
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
Warren McArthur suite of four lounge chairs circa late 1930s. These seldom seen examples retain their original finish to their tubular aluminum fram...
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Selection of Warren McArthur Chairs
By Warren McArthur
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of Art Deco aluminum chairs, designed by Warren McArthur, American, circa 1930s. These can be used as dining, desk, or occasional cha...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Metal, Aluminum
Warren McArthur Folding Chair
By Warren McArthur
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Original period turquoise upholstery
Labels below.
Only 1 available
Category
1950s American Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
After Warren McArthur for Namco Lounge Chairs
By Warren McArthur, Namco
Located in Chicago, IL
After Warren McArthur for Namco Lounge Chairs, Tubular Aluminum, and leather lounges by Warren McArthur for Namco. Reupholstered with Spinneybeck leather.
Category
1930s Australian Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Classic Pair of Art Deco Machine Age Aluminium Lounge Chairs by Warren McArthur
By Warren McArthur
Located in Buffalo, NY
Matched pair of Art Deco. Machine Age aluminium lounge chairs by Warren McArthur, original unmolested condition, retains original cut mohair fabric upholstery as well as McArthur lab...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Pair of Armchair Warren McArthur Rare Model with Hidden Ashtrays
By Warren McArthur
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of metal armchairs designed by Warren McArthur (1885-1961) and made by Warren McArthur Corporation for Chrysler headquarter in Chicago b...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Vanity Stool Style No. 1131, circa 1936
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Camden, ME
Warren McArthur aluminum vanity stool from the mid- 1930s.
The stool is worn and has a separation crack on the inside edge of one of the floor tube. Early McArthur is made from weld...
Category
1930s American Bauhaus Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Slat Back Three-Seat Sofa Warren McArthur 1930's
By Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
A slat back three-seat sofa, an early design by Warren McArthur manufactured in Rome, New York in 1933-1934.
The slat back seating of Warren McArthur is his first seating design int...
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Aluminium Armchair Style No 1170 AU, circa 1939
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
A Warren McArthur aluminium armchair style no 1170 AU in excellent vintage condition.
This chair is a classic example of Warren's mastery of tube bending.
The elongated S of the b...
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Four Warren McArthur Chairs
By Warren McArthur
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Four Warren McArthur dining chairs. The aluminium shows wear and one of the chairs is missing its cross bar (picture attached). They have been newly reupholstered. They measure 17.5"...
Category
1940s American Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Rare Transitional Side Table/Etagere by Warren McArthur
By Warren McArthur
Located in Stamford, CT
A ebonized and polished Aluminum side table by Warren McArthur. This side table is almost certainly from 1929, showing the prevalence of the triangle in McArthurs work around the tim...
Category
1920s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Aircraft Seat Grumman Albatross, circa 1947
By Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
Warren McArthur (Model 364) rare and unusual revolving navigator's seat designed in 1947 for the Grumman Aircraft Co.'s XJR2F known as the Albatross.
This would make an interesting...
Category
1940s American Industrial Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Coat Rack
By Warren McArthur
Located in San Mateo, CA
Aluminum coat rack by Warren McArthur. This rack has a slight lean to one side, see the last photo. There is some spots of wear to the aluminum.
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Industrial Modernist Anodized Aluminum Warren McArthur Park Ave Sofa
By Warren McArthur
Located in Port Jervis, NY
Beautiful and rare McArthur sofa created in the early thirties, an icon of the Hollywood era. His signature grid with aluminum curved tubing, tootsie roll armrests and black puck feet are all present on this sofa. Notched tubes and milled washers another feature well represented. This sofa carries his Park Ave...
Category
1930s American Modern Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Corp. Aircraft Co-Pilot Proposal Drawing, 1946
By Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
Interesting vintage proposal drawing in 1/2 scale of an aircraft co-pilot seat. Dated 1/12/46 from the Warren McArthur Corporation.
Drawing measures 26 x 4...
Category
1940s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Pencil, Paper
Warren McArthur Aircraft Seating Proposal Drawing, 1941
By Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
Warren McArthur rare original pencil proposal sketch (SK 1749) for an aircraft passenger seat for the Lockheed Corporation.
This proposal was accepted and the seat was manufactured...
Category
1940s American Industrial Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Paper
Warren McArthur Desk
By Warren McArthur
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Black lacquered top and drawers in aluminium tube base, with aluminum handles. Original lacquer finish.
Category
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Set of Four Webbed Lounge Chairs Style No. 612, circa 1938
By Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
Warren McArthur rare suite of four webbed anodized aluminum armchairs from a Long Island New York estate.
Light weight anodized aluminum frames with original webbing distinguish these lounges. This design was known as the tennis chair...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Classic Warren McArthur "J" Leg Art Deco Center Table
By Warren McArthur
Located in Buffalo, NY
One of the rarer forms,,Stunning Art Deco,Machine Age Center table,designed by Warren McArthur.Aluminum in Beautiful original condition, free of dents,,scratches etc. Original vitrol...
Category
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Rolling Cart Yellow and Green Anodized Rings, circa 1938
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Camden, ME
Rare Warren McArthur bar cart / service cart from the late 1930s with yellow and green turnings.
Green Vitrolite shelf inserts are replacements.
Good condition.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren McArthur Aluminum and Cushioned Black Leather Side Chair, 1930s
By Warren McArthur
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Warren McArthur Machine Age anodized aluminum and black leather desk chair. Featuring braced aluminum framework with Art Deco detailing. Newly upholstered in black leather, with cus...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Warren McArthur Furniture
Materials
Aluminum
Warren Mcarthur furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Warren McArthur furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Warren McArthur furniture, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Warren McArthur were created in the Art Deco style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Warren McArthur Corporation, Kem Weber, and Sally Sirkin Lewis. Prices for Warren McArthur furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $725 and can go as high as $24,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $7,500.
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