Spanner Lounge Chair With Arms
Russell Spanner, a late Toronto furniture-maker, was ahead of his time. He designed his most iconic piece – the Lounge Chair with Arms – in 1950 (using refuse from his family's woodworking factory). The seat echoed the ultramodern sensibility being embraced in Scandinavia; the prevailing Canadian aesthetic was conservative and traditional.
Although it sold throughout the rest of the decade, it eventually went out of production and was forgotten by almost everyone except design historians and students. Until now. Gus*, a furniture manufacturer that does mid-century modern with a Canadian twist (stainless-steel tables shaped like icebergs), has reissued the chair.
Like the original, it's carefully crafted in Toronto out of finger-jointed birch with a woven cotton seat. But unlike 65-years-ago, it will hopefully find a permanent home in today's clean-lined spaces. $995. Through gusmodern.com.