Sir Gordon Russell Furniture - Curated Collection
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About Gordon RussellGordon Russell furniture, a renowned company today, began in Lygon Arms in an old coaching inn in Broadway.
Born in 1892, Gordon went to school in Chipping Campden, his father wanted him to work in his joinery shop, set up to restore and repair antique furniture to furnish the Inn's old and new rooms. He left school at the young age of 16 and joined his father. Gordon received valuable experience working alongside skilled craftsmen, which led to a keen interest in the Arts & Crafts Movement. furniture design
Before the First World War, he began to design several pieces. When the war started, he and his brother, Don, volunteered at a Regiment and served their time throughout the war in France; having witnessed so much destruction, Gordon was determined to create work that future generations would value.
In 1922, he and his father registered Russell and Sons, a firm that would eventually become a household name. During this time, he worked on The Broadway Adventure` clearly supporting the Arts & Crafts Movement philosophy, working conditions, housing, education, design, and craftsmanship.
The leaders of the Movement were prominent named architects, and because Gordon was self-taught through reading and watching the traditional skills of craftsmen in the workshop, he wasn't recognised as being part of the initiative. Although his views about the Movement slightly differed from those around him, he firmly believed in combing hand and machine craftsmanship as a method to make inexpensive furniture for the "decent, ordinary man".
Having designed over 1,000 products, his commitment to the industry and achievements are evident as a designer of furniture, metalwork, and glasswork of the highest quality and craftsmanship. A one-man band` business, in the beginning, Gordon became acknowledged at home and abroad.
Involved in the Movement and the exhibition in 1946 to promote British Design – 'Britain Can Make It', Gordon was also awarded a Knighthood in recognition of his services to Design and Industry.
Gorden Russell furniture is a contemporary example of British design, and he is unquestionably one of the fathers of modern furniture. Shop his best utility furniture here.