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Warren McArthur Seating

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 Sofa
By Warren McArthur
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Warren McArthur, Sofa
Category

Mid-20th Century Warren McArthur Seating

Materials

Metal

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 ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Art Deco Warren McArthur Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Rare Warren McArthur Arizona Biltmore Era Lounge Chair and Ottoman C. 1931
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Camden, ME
A wonderful Warren McArthur club chair and ottoman that personify the comfort of his furniture. Warren's patented compression assembly was designed to provide flexibility in the frame to add more comfort via a slight flex in addition to the cushions. The aluminum strap back added to this flexibility in contrast to the rigid welded steel tube frame that was the standard of McArthur's contemporaries. This club chair and ottoman were manufactured at the Warren McArthur Furniture Company in Los Angeles between 1931/33. The chair's design, while similar in overall look, predates Warren McArthur's classic Park Avenue Lounge (Style No. 1003 EAU p. 9 of his 1936 corporation catalog) by at least two years. This is the only example of this chair that I have seen. The pair was said to have come from the Arizona Biltmore but I cannot confirm that provenance. The absence of labels is typical of all Arizona Biltmore furniture...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Machine Age Warren McArthur Seating

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 Seating

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 Seating

Materials

Leather

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 Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Pair of Aluminum Warren McArthur Sling Chaises / Lounge Chairs, 1938
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
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 Seating

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 Seating

Materials

Steel

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 Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Warren McArthur Pair of Chairs a Revision of The Sardi's Chair
By Warren McArthur, Rudolph Schindler
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren McArthur pair of chairs a Revision of Sardi's chair, a collaboration with Rudolph Schindler. Model #1251 AR manufactured in Rome, New York i...
Category

1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Warren McArthur Streamline Modern Aluminum Chair, Art Deco, 1930s, USA
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
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 Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Warren McArthur Z Chair Model 708, circa 1938
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Camden, ME
Warren McArthur anodixzed aluminum light armchair Model 708 manufactured by the Warren McArthur Corporation circa 1938.
Category

1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Warren McArthur Round Desk Chair Style No. 1083 AU Rome New York 1935/36
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
Located in Camden, ME
Rare Warren McArthur desk chair manufactured in Rome New York in the mid 1930s. The circular framed chairs of which to my knowledge there were only five designs produced, Models 1040...
Category

1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Seating

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 Seating

Materials

Metal, 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 Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Warren McArthur Four Lounge Chairs, Circa 1939
By Warren McArthur, Warren McArthur Corporation
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 Seating

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 Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Warren McArthur Art Deco Aluminum Armchair, 1930s
By Warren McArthur
Located in San Francisco, CA
A rare mid-1930s Art Deco aluminum armchair by important American designer Warren McArthur. Displays McArthur’s signature Streamline Moderne-meets-...
Category

1930s American Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Seating

Materials

Steel, Aluminum

Warren McArthur Adjustable Chaise Style No. 636, circa 1938
By Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
A Warren McArthur webbed adjustable chaise Style No. 636 manufactured in the mid-1930s.   
Category

1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Pair of Warren McArthur Sofas
By Warren McArthur
Located in Chicago, IL
Warren McArthur sofas, model 915 anodized aluminum, machine pressed aluminum fittings. Reupholstered with Great Plains cotton-linen fabric. Padded bolster arms. Measures: Outside ar...
Category

1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Warren McArthur Vanity Stool Style No. 1131, circa 1936
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
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 Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Warren McArthur Armchair Style No. 1038 AU, circa 1933-1935
By Warren McArthur Corporation, Warren McArthur
Located in Camden, ME
A Warren McArthur armchair from the early to mid-1930s has an anodized aluminum frame. Titled "The Office Manager" in his 1936 furniture catalog and listed as Style No. 1038 AU (arm ...
Category

1930s American Bauhaus Vintage Warren McArthur Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Pair of Warren McArthur for Namco Lounge Chairs
By Namco, Warren McArthur
Located in Chicago, IL
Aluminum and leather lounges by Warren McArthur for Namco. Restored with spinney back leather.
Category

1930s Australian Art Deco Vintage Warren McArthur Seating

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 Seating

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 Seating

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 Seating

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 Seating

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 Seating

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 Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Pair of Warren McArthur Lounge Chairs
By Warren McArthur
Located in Chicago, IL
Pair of Warren McArthur lounge chairs, model 1031-A, Machine-made anodized aluminum with rubber feet. Upholstered with great plains cotton-poly fabric. Frames have natural oxidation...
Category

1930s American Machine Age Vintage Warren McArthur Seating

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 Seating

Materials

Aluminum

Warren Mcarthur seating for sale on 1stDibs.

Warren McArthur seating 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 seating, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original seating 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 seating by Gilbert Rohde, Warren McArthur Corporation, and Kem Weber. Prices for Warren McArthur seating 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 $8,500.

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