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.
Gerrit Rietveld Low Crate Table for Metz & Co., Circa 1935
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Skokie, IL
Offered is an attractive Gerrit Rietveld Lage ‘Krattafel’, Low ‘Crate Table’ Metz&Co Amsterdam, The Hague from 1935. Provenance: Estate of Laura Ziskin. Materials: Unpainted ...
Brass
Italian modern wood dining table Crate by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, 1980s
By Cassina, Gerrit Rietveld
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian modern wood dining table Crate by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, 1980s Dining table from the Crate series, with a rectangular top made of wooden slats. The legs are made of cro...
Wood
Crate Side Table by Gerrit Rietveld, Netherlands, 1930s
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Antwerp, BE
Brown crate side table by Gerrit Rietveld, crafted circa 1935 in the Netherlands, this table is a testament to Rietveld's avant-garde approach to furniture design. As a pioneering figure in the De Stijl movement, Rietveld revolutionized the concept of traditional craftsmanship with his radical creations. Constructed from standard lumber size planks, they showcase Rietveld's belief in the inherent strength and durability of packing materials. Despite facing criticism for their departure from conventional workmanship, Rietveld remained true to his dedication to functionality and simplicity. This side table offers a chance to own the enduring legacy of the De Stijl movement. Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (1888–1964) was more than a furniture designer: he was an architectural maverick and a leading figure in the Dutch artistic movement De Stijl. His contributions to modern design transcend boundaries, shaping the landscape of 20th-century aesthetics. Rietveld's philosophy emphasized the purity of form and the integration of art into everyday life. Through his innovative use of materials and geometric abstraction, he challenged conventional norms and redefined the essence of design. His legacy lives on through timeless creations like the Black Crate...
Wood
Rare Original Gerrit Rietveld “tz77” Coffee Table for ‘t Spectrum, 1968. Signed.
By 't Spectrum, Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Beerse, VAN
Rare and original Gerrit Rietveld "tz77" coffee table for 't Spectrum, 1968. This table is a beautiful example of a typical Rietveld design due to its "simplicity", use of straight ...
Wood
Moorish Chip Carved Side Table c. 1930s
Located in Warminster, GB
A moorish chip-carved side table, early-mid 20C. Stock ref. #3106 In good sturdy order. A slight warp to the top though suitably flat to rest a lamp or cuppa. 42 x 28.5 x 28.5 c...
Hardwood
$4,619
H 14.97 in Dm 43.31 in
Rare original Model: HB110 Coffee table by Horst Bruning for Kill international
By Kill International, Horst Bruning
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
An iconic piece of late 1960s modernist design, this original HB 110 coffee table by Horst Brüning for Kill International captures the refined elegance and architectural clarity of t...
Stainless Steel
Side table by Svend Thoresen & Torgny Roloff, Sweden, c. 1930s
By NK (Nordiska Kompaniet)
Located in Eskilstuna, SE
An elegant Swedish Grace table in dark-stained oak, designed for Nordiska Kompaniet during the 1930s. Svend A. Thoresen, a Danish interior architect active in Stockholm, worked at N...
Oak
English Regency Style Round Side Table, 1930s
Located in BÉTERA, ES
English Regency-style round side table, dating 1930s The table features a circular top supported by a turned central column with carved fluting, resting on a tripod base with elegan...
Hardwood
$654Sale Price|20% Off
H 27.96 in W 27.56 in D 18.12 in
Bauhaus Side Table by Marcel Breuer, Czechoslovakia, 1930s
By Marcel Breuer
Located in Praha, CZ
This Bauhaus side table, attributed to Marcel Breuer and produced in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s, represents an iconic example of early modernist furniture design. The piece comb...
Steel, Chrome
Tommi Parzinger Coffee Table for Parzinger Originals
By Parzinger Originals, Tommi Parzinger
Located in Chicago, IL
Tommi Parzinger Coffee Table, Model 222 Parzinger Originals, USA, c. 1965 Glass coffee tables features a lower wood table top mounted to steel frame. Metal from underside shows a...
Steel
Art Deco side table, Poland, 1930s.
Located in Chorzów, PL
Art Deco side table, Poland, 1930s. Very good condition, professionally restored. Wood: walnut Dimensions: height 71 cm, width 72 cm, depth 39 cm
Walnut
$6,500
H 29.25 in W 60.25 in D 50 in
Frank Lloyd Wright for Cassina Arts & Crafts Cherry Wood Dining Table
By Frank Lloyd Wright, Cassina
Located in South Bend, IN
An exceptional Arts & Crafts or Prairie style carved cherry wood dining table By Frank Lloyd Wright for Cassina Italy, 1992 (designed in 1899 for the Husser House in Chicago) Meas...
Cherry
$5,500
H 14.18 in W 27.56 in D 39.38 in
Rare Sculptual Form 'MBR 03' Coffee Table by Michel Boyer for Rouve, Paris, 1968
By Rouve, Michel Boyer
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Beautiful minimalist sculptural form ' MBR 03' coffee table designed in 1968 by French master designer Michel Boyer for Rouve, Paris. Michel Boyer designed a small series of 'MBR' white laminate tables with varying overall dimensions and proportions of inset storage compartments but all based on the same theme. These tables were produced in small numbers in 1968 by the high end Avant Garde manuacturer Rouve who were based in Rue Bonaparte in Paris. Please see copy of original Rouve advert (image 2) which documents this exact model, the 'MBR 03'. The table is high quality and extremely heavy for its dimensions, finished in elegant white laminate with elegant detailing such as the rounded corners and inset storage compartments, for bottles, plants, magazines etc which add greatly to the overall sculptural form. The white minimalist form is supported on a hardwood plinth and clearly shows influences from the 'Groupe de Recherche d'art Visuel' artists based in Paris who were creating experimental works in both kinetic and op art during the same period as well as the scene eminating out of the 'Galerie Rene Denise' who were exhibiting these key 1960s artworks One of Michel Boyer's most famous interior design projects was for the interior of the Rothschild bank in Paris in 1970, please see image 6, where he installed a number of his white laminate 'MBR' tables alongside a series of dramatic wall hung 'Espaces chromatiques carrés' kinetic cubic light sculptures by the artist Gregorio Vardanega...
Laminate, Wood, Hardwood
$2,250
H 16 in W 43.5 in D 29.5 in
Walter Antonis TE41 Tubular Chrome Coffee Table for ’t Spectrum, 1974
By Walter Antonis, 't Spectrum
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Walter Antonis designed the TE41 for Dutch manufacturer 't Spectrum in 1974, and it remains his most recognized work. The table's structure is built from continuous tubular chrome th...
Chrome
Art Deco Side Table, Europe, 1930s
Located in Praha, CZ
Made in Europe side table in good original condition sometimes scratches hard construction.
Wood
$11,200Sale Price|25% Off
H 15.25 in Dm 58 in
Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin Rosewood Lazy Susan Rotating Coffee Table, 1968
By Thayer Coggin, Milo Baughman
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This newly restored rotating Lazy-Susan cocktail table was designed by Milo Baughman and produced by Thayer Coggin in crica 1968. Featuring a stunning Rosewood top with vivid grain a...
Rosewood, Formica
A Gerrit Rietveld desk, manufactured by Cassina, 1970s
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in EVERDINGEN, NL
A vintage Rietveld crate desk by Cassina, 1970s. While an original 1930s desk by Gerrit Rietveld is extremely hard to come by, a Cassina one is also a rare find. There weren't that many made and they haven't been available as a re-edition for a long time. The desk is in very good condition regarding its age, with small signs of the time and a lovely patina on the wood. It has a drawer on both sides, fully functional. The pictures show how well the desk combines with a Rietveld L40 tube lamp and a v.d. Groenekan Zig Zag, as well as enhancing the impression of size and scale. The Groenekan is one of the provenanced set we've also listed on 1st Dibs. It is possible to purchase one instead of set of two. The iconic crate desk, designed in 1934 by Dutch architect and furniture designer Gerrit T. Rietveld as part of the crate furniture series – initially made of inexpensive planks of pine, which were joined by screws. Rietveld had drawn inspiration from the crates used to move furniture for transportation, a construction of which he described as ‘good carpentry […] that gets straight to the point’. Aesthetics and an egalitarian spirit were of equal importance to Rietveld in this design. He recognized that industrializing the production process and allowing buyers to assemble their own furniture were ways of making good design affordable. Accordingly, the Crate furniture could be ordered preassembled or in do-it-yourself kits. Initially, items for the Crate series...
Cherry
Schroeder One Low Table by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, Italy
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in Naples, FL
Wooden low table with top in beechwood black finish and red, white, blue and yellow lacquered parts.
Wood
Sold
H 27.56 in W 47.25 in D 23.63 in
Crate Desk for Cassina by Gerrit Rietveld, Designed in 1930s, the Netherlands
By Cassina, Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Hellouw, NL
Nice "Crate" desk by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina. Despite the fact that this desk's design dates back to 1934, we believe it to be a 1970s Cassina edition. Ash wood makes up this des...
Ash
Sold
H 23.63 in W 47.25 in L 23.63 in
Crate Desk by Gerrit Rietveld, Designed in 1930s The Netherlands
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in Hellouw, NL
Nice Gerrit Rietveld 'Crate' desk'. This desk is designed in 1934, however, we think this is a Cassina edition from the 1970s. This desk is made out of ash wood and has a colorless l...
Wood, Ash, Lacquer
Vintage Gerrit Rietveld Schroder End Table
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An amazing end table by the dutch Modernist Gerrit Rietveld. In great vintage condition.
Wood
Modernist Rietveld Schroeder 1 Side Table by Cassina, 1970s
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in Renens, CH
Schroeder 1 side table, specifically designed by Rietveld for the Schroeder house in Utrecht during the 1920s. Gerrit Rietveld’s designs, together with the red & blue chair, count...
Wood
Sold
H 28.35 in W 39.38 in D 23.63 in
Italian Beech Wood Crate Chair and Desk by G. Rietveld for Cassina, 1934
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian beech wood Crate chair and desk by G. Rietveld for Cassina, 1934 Beech wood Crate chair and desk. Iconic products of the De Stijl movement. ...
Beech
Sold
H 28.35 in W 39.38 in D 23.63 in
Italian Mid-Century Beech Wood Crate Desk by G. T. Rietveld for Cassina, 1934
By Cassina, Gerrit Rietveld
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian mid-century beech wood crate desk by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Cassina, 1934. Beech wood Crate desk. Iconic products of the De Stijl movement. D...
Beech
Gerrit Rietveld Schroeder 1 Side Table
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Weesp, NL
Schroeder 1 side table by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina. This beautiful asymmetrical creation by architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld was especially designed for the Schroeder house in Utrecht the Netherlands with the geometric cubist form of De Stijl design from the 1920s. This table is produced by Cassina, Italy and numbered 01544. The table is in great condition without any damage what so ever. The table will be shipped overseas in a custom made wooden crate. Cost of transport to the US crate included is Euro 450. Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, born in Utrecht on 24 June 1888, seems possessed of two personalities, each so distinct that one might take his work to be that of more than one artist. The first personality is that seen in the craftsman cabinet...
Laminate, Wood
Gerrit Rietveld Schroeder 1 Side Table by Cassina
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Weesp, NL
Schroeder 1 side table by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina. This beautiful asymmetrical creation by architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld was especially designed for the Schroeder house in Utrecht the Netherlands with the geometric cubist form of De Stijl design from the 1920s. This table is produced by Cassina, Italy and numbered 01639. The table is in great condition without any damage what so ever. The table will be shipped overseas in a custom made wooden crate. Cost of transport to the US crate included is Euro 450. Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, born in Utrecht on 24 June 1888, seems possessed of two personalities, each so distinct that one might take his work to be that of more than one artist. The first personality is that seen in the craftsman cabinet...
Laminate, Wood
Gerrit Rietveld Coffee Table, circa 1930
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Unique coffee table designed and made by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, designed for Gabriel Smit, poet, writer and reporter. At the time of his marriage, Gabriel Smit furnished his interio...
Pine
Gerrit Rietveld Coffee Table, circa 1930
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Unique coffee table designed and made by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, designed for Gabriel Smit, poet, writer and reporter. At the time of his marriage, Gabriel Smit furnished his interio...
Wood