Best known for his Red and Blue chair, a modernist icon created using only two plywood plates and 15 connecting bars, Dutch designer Gerrit Thomas Rietveld trained as a cabinetmaker, and his bold vision for furniture was supported by his expertise in construction and craftsmanship.
Born in Utrecht, Rietveld learned goldsmithing in addition to the cabinetry apprenticeship he had in his carpenter father’s workshop. He studied draftsmanship with architect Piet Klaarhamer at the Utrecht Museum of Applied Arts and opened his own furniture workshop in 1917. In the 1930s, Rietveld began to experiment with then-unusual materials like plywood and aluminum, and he pursued intellectual concepts through his design, even considering a seat as a resting place for the body and the soul.
Designed in 1918, the minimalist Red and Blue chair is widely coveted by collectors and gained admirers in the likes of legendary American sculptor and designer Donald Judd over the years. (Examples of Rietveld’s designs can be found in Judd’s restored home-museum in New York City.) The Red and Blue chair is so stunning in its geometric simplicity that it is one of the most important symbols of the Dutch art and design movement of the early 20th century called De Stijl, of which Rietveld was an important part. De Stijl means “the Style” and was an effort to express utopian values through pure abstraction in design and the use of primary colors.
Another example of Rietveld’s celebrated seating furniture is the Zig-Zag chair, which was commissioned by the Dutch department store Metz & Co. and intended to be mass-produced. The resulting design — to which the rights to manufacture were bought by Cassina in 1971 — is the essence of the De Stijl movement and an example of Rietveld’s experiments with jointless chairs made from a single material, wood. The Zig-Zag chair’s armless, legless, elegant form is pure abstraction, yet it is also sturdy and comfortable.
Later in his career, Rietveld worked more often as an architect, designing buildings in prestigious settings like the Venice Biennale. He was a pioneer in more ways than one: The first building he designed, Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht in 1924, is a radically modern space and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
Find vintage Gerrit Rietveld furniture on 1stDibs.
Unique Large-Scale Model of Gerrit Rietveld's "Aluminium Stoel"
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Dronten, NL
An icon, scaled for the mantle. This is a rare, large-scale presentation or display model of Gerrit Rietveld's radical "Aluminium Stoel"—a chair that, in its full-sized form, was ne...
Aluminum
$1,150
H 29.14 in W 14.57 in D 17.33 in
Zig Zag Chairs in solid pine wood in the style of Gerrit Rietveld
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Amsterdam, NL
These Zig Zag chairs were made by a local craftsman based on the iconic design by Gerrit Rietveld. Both the dimensions and the details correspond to the original design. Solid pine f...
Pine
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Zig Zag Chair by Cassina
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Chair designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld in 1934. Relaunched in 1973/ 2011. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Materials: Wood Dimensions: D 43 cm x W 37 cm x H 74 cm (SH ...
Wood
$5,308
H 29.14 in W 21.86 in D 19.89 in
Crate Chair by Gerrit Rietveld, Designed in 1930s The Netherlands
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in Hellouw, NL
Nice Gerrit Rietveld 'Crate' chair. This chair is designed in 1934, however, we think this is a Cassina edition from the 1970s. This chair is made out of ash wood and has a colorless lacquer. 'Gerrit Rietveld designed the 'crate' series of furniture built from standardized pine boards – cheap material for packing crates – which were soon well-known as ‘crate furniture’. 'From 1935 on the progressive designs appeared at Metz & Co, where furniture by Rietveld had already been sold since 1930. The crate desk...
Pine
$4,118 / item
H 29.14 in W 14.57 in D 16.93 in
Gerrit Rietveld Zig Zag Chair by Cassina, Mid-Century Modern Design
By Cassina, Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Chair designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld in 1934. Relaunched in 1973/ 2011. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Designed by Gerrit Rietveld, this chair provided an early example of...
Wood
‘Crate’ Chair in Wood, Attributed to Gerrit Rietveld
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Berlin, BE
‘Crate’ chair in wood, Attributed to Gerrit Rietveld Additional information: Material: Wood Designer: Gerrit Rietveld Size: 61 W x 54 D x 70 H cm.
Wood
Zig-Zag Chair by Gerrit Rietveld, Cherry Wood, De Stijl, 1934
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Tinton Falls, NJ
The Zig-Zag chair (1934) by Dutch designer Gerrit Thomas Rietveld is one of the earliest examples of a cantilevered solid wood chair. Its four wood boards are connected end to end, g...
Cherry
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld - Utrecht Chairs
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Hasselt, VLI
Pair of early Cassina Utrecht chairs designed, by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, originally drawn in 1936 for the Metz & Co warehouse. In 1972, Cassina acqui...
Mohair
$2,000 / item
H 29.14 in W 14.57 in D 16.93 in
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld Zig Zag Chair for Cassina, Italy, new
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in Berlin, DE
Price is dependent on the chosen material/color. Chair designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld in 1934. Relaunched in 1973/ 2011. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy.
Wood
Red and blue chair by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in LYON, FR
Red and blue chair Gerrit Rietveld Cassina edition Vintage Red and blue chair by Dutch designer Gerrit Rietveld. Produced since 1973 by Italian manufacturer Cassina. Stamped on the...
Beech, Birch
1990s Cassina “Utrecht” Chairs by Gerrit Rietveld, a Pair
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in Roanoke, VA
Fantastic pair of modernist lounge chairs, model 637 Utrecht by the designer Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Cassina from the 1990s. Fabric is a cool silvery blue. Check out the incredibl...
Velvet
$3,846 / item
H 34.65 in W 25.79 in D 32.68 in
Gerrit Rietveld Red and Blue Chair for Cassina, Italy, new
By Cassina, Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Berlin, DE
Prices vary dependent on the chosen material/color. Chair designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1918. Relaunched in 1973. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy.
Wood
Red and Blue Chair by Gerrit Rietveld
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in Toronto, CA
Designed in 1918 by Dutch designer Gerrit Rietveld, the "Red and Blue Chair" is part of the Dutch De Stijl movement, a rigorous abstraction of lines and colours. An outlook shared by...
Wood