Gordon Russell (1892 – 1980) British Furniture Maker and Designer

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Mid-century modern wooden sideboard by Gordon Russell, showcasing a sleek minimalist design with sliding doors and tapered legs. A fine example of British furniture craftsmanship from the 20th century.
A mid-century modern wooden sideboard by Gordon Russell showcases a sleek minimalist design with sliding doors and tapered legs. It is a fine example of British furniture craftsmanship from the 20th century.

Designer of Utility Furniture

Gordon Russell (1892 – 1980) was a British Furniture Maker and Designer known for Gordon Russell Furniture.

Biography

He began working at his father’s modest antique restoration workshop in 1908, where he learned various crafts and oversaw repairs. In 1910, he began designing furniture. After World War I, he manufactured Gordon Russell Furniture in the style of Ernest Gimson. By 1926, his company had adopted Modernism’s beliefs and concepts to integrate the best of the Arts and Crafts tradition with the efficiency of mechanised production. He was a founding Design and Industries Association member and the Art-Workers’ Guild.

A Deluxe Sideboard by Gordon Russell
A Deluxe Sideboard by Gordon Russell

Established business in London

In 1929, he opened a business with Nikolaus Pevsner at 24 Wigmore Street in London. His 1930 visit to Gunnar Asplund’s Stockholm Exhibition was eye-opening. In 1935, he relocated to a spacious store constructed by Geoffrey Jellicoe just a few doors away from his previous accommodations. This move marked a significant expansion for Gordon Russell Furniture.

In 1931, the company began making radio cabinets for Murphy Radio in Welwyn Garden City, designed by R.D. Russell. These were strikingly modern, influenced by the International Style and the Arts and Crafts movement, a perfect example of Gordon Russell Furniture.

A 1950s mid-century teak sideboard by Gordon Russell
A 1950s mid-century teak sideboard by Gordon Russell

Utility Furniture

Russell, Crofton Gane (of Gane’s in Bristol), and Geoffrey Dunn (of Dunn’s of Bromley) founded The Good Furniture Group in 1938 to promote mass-production furniture. However, after World War II, they phased out this practice, although Gordon Russell Furniture remained highly regarded.

Gordon Russell was the director of the Council of Industrial Design from 1947 to 1959. He steered the Council through the years of post-WWII reconstruction, and his influence was felt with his involvement with the 1951 London “Festival of Britain.” He was knighted in 1955 after helping to organise the 1951 London “Festival of Britain.”

Dining Room Chairs designed by Gordon Russell circa 1950
Dining Room Chairs designed by Gordon Russell circa 1950

Recognition of Gordon Russell

In 1940, he was named Royal Designer for Industry and made a Fellow of the Society of Arts. From 1948 to 1949, he taught furniture design at the Royal College of Art in London.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL

Design and Cultural Politics in Postwar Britain: The “Britain Can Make It” Exhibition of 1946. (1997). United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic.

Encyclopedia of Interior Design. (1997). United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis.

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