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Gerrit Rietveld - Dutch Furniture Designer and Member of the De Stijl Movement

Gerrit Rietveld - Dutch 1888 - 1964

Like many famous designers they began with design in their family. Gerrit Rietveld's father was a cabinet maker and Gerrit used to work in the workshop with him.

He became a cabinet maker himself in 1911 and then persued architectural drawing classes.

His most famous chair - the Red Blue Chair was designed in 1917- 1918. It was not comfortable but the techniques and modular approach meant that it could be mass produced.

Red Blue Chair - Gerrit Rietveld

He designed furniture that fit into the new architecture. He used the cheap simple modular approach. He was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and a Dutch group called De Stijl, using the theory of using only Primary Colors and the Neutrals.

In 1919 Rietveld became one of the first members of the de Stijl movement. His Red Blue Chair design was published in the de Stijl Magazine in 1923 and exhibited at the Bauhaus.

Rietveld's most important architectural project of this period was the 1924 Schroder House.

He moved into experimenting his furniture designs with different materials, fibre board and plywood.

The depression created a design hurdle which he tackeled and succeeded with designing low cost furniture made from packing crate components.

In 1942 he designed a stamped aluminium chair and 1957 produced a series of bent metal chairs.

Red/Blue Chair 1917-18

Schroeder Table 1923

Zig Zag Chair 1934

Utrech Chair 1935

Utrech Sofa 1956

End Table 1923

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Zig Zag Chair - Gerrit Rietveld


Zig Zag Chair - Gerrit Rietveld

End Table - Gerrit Rietveld


End Table - Gerrit Rietveld

Red Blue Chair - Gerrit Rietveld


Red Blue Chair - Gerrit Rietveld

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