Russell Spanner (1916–1974) was a Canadian designer who contributed to residential furniture designs in the 1950s. Russell Spanner-Lounge Chair With Arms

Spanner's designs included dining and lounge chairs, tables, and modular storage units. The designs were manufactured at Spanner Products Limited, the family-owned woodworking company in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, which was founded by his grandfather. His furniture lines were sold and distributed at department store chains and independent merchants. "The ''Ruspan Originals'' line was boxy and geometric, but most of all it was simple, functional and modern, all qualities that appealed to young post-war couples buying furniture for their new houses or apartments." Spanner's designs utilized innovative manufacturing techniques such as curved

plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

and non-upholstered, woven-web seating. Many of the designs reused components and shared consistent proportions, which gave his work a characteristic aesthetic. Among his three residential furniture lines (Ruspan Originals, Catalina, and Pasadena) the ''Lounge Chair with Arms'' has been described as the "best-known and most desirable" design. Spanner was an amateur

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

champion, and was known to test the strength of his designs by jumping on them and throwing them across the factory floor.

References

External links

1916 births 1974 deaths Canadian furniture designers {{Canada-artist-stub