Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
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.
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum
1930s Vintage Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum
1920s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum
Early 20th Century Czech Art Deco Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Lacquer, Walnut
20th Century French Louis XV Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Mahogany
2010s Brazilian International Style Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel, Nickel, Wire
2010s Brazilian International Style Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Modern Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Stone, Marble, Stainless Steel
1930s German Bauhaus Vintage Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
2010s Italian Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Steel
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Brass
1920s Slovak Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Bentwood
16th Century French Renaissance Antique Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Stone
1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum
1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Aluminum