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.
Italian modern wood dining table Crate by Gerrit Rietveld for Cassina, 1980s
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
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
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
$5,861
H 15.35 in W 35.83 in D 35.83 in
Mid-Century Dutch Space Age TZ09 Coffee Table by Claire Bataille, 1970s
By Claire Bataille
Located in Hamburg, DE
Coffee Table from the Dutch company t' Spectrum based on a design by Claire Bataille from the collection of 1969-1974. Here in a rare version with white coated table top. The design...
Metal
$9,300Sale Price|33% Off
H 18.5 in W 59 in D 26.5 in
Rare Pia Manu Brutalist Coffee Table, circa 1969 Belgium, Signed
By Pia Manu
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An incredible Pia Manu brutalist coffee table, circa 1965-1970s, with brutalist cast resin artwork top over a brushed copper-tone steel frame and base. This stunning piece of functional art is signed on top 'Pia Manu'. Excellent cocktail table for art and design collectors, connoisseurs, investors and interior designers looking for a rare and unique statement piece with sophistication and refinement. Pia Manu was known for their use of intriguing and eye-catching designs using slate...
Steel
Philip and Kelvin LaVerne Rare "Odyssey" Coffee Table 1960s (Signed)
By Philip and Kelvin LaVerne
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Important and mesmerizing "Odyssey” Coffee Table in patinated and engraved bronze and pewter with vibrant hand-painted enamels and gold and copper leaf atop a Greek column pedestal b...
Bronze, Enamel, Pewter, Gold Leaf
$1,850
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
Post modern dining table by Roche Bobois, 1980s
By Roche Bobois
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Rare post modern dining table with a black metal frame and a black glass top. Beautiful post modern design. Good overall condition with normal user traces on the glass. 1980s - It...
Metal
Le Corbusier LC 6 Dining Table for Cassina
By Le Corbusier, Cassina
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Le Corbusier LC 6 Dining Table with a frosted Glass top. Iconic 1928 design that still looks new and current to this day! This one date...
Aluminum
$2,924Sale Price / item|42% Off
H 29.53 in W 70.87 in D 33.47 in
Franco Albini TL3 Dining Table for Cassina, Glass & Wood, Italy, 2023
By Cassina, Franco Albini
Located in Berlin, DE
Prices vary dependent on the size and chosen material of the table. The base is available in solid ash wood or American walnut. The table is available in a rectangular or round version (the latter measures 130 cm in diameter and 75 cm in height) Table designed by Franco Albini in 1953. Relaunched in 2013. Manufactured by Cassina in Italy. Franco Albini designed this table using the strut element that he had already employed in the design of the Veliero and Infinito bookshelves. In this instance, the legs serve as the vertical elements, solid, turned along their entire surface except for the square section onto which the horizontal table...
Glass, Wood, Ash, Walnut
$9,824
H 13.39 in W 63 in D 35.44 in
Rare vintage XL burlwood signed coffee table by Willy Rizzo - Italy
By Willy Rizzo
Located in Buggenhout, Oost-Vlaanderen
Very stylish & elegant XL burlwood coffee table with a height of only 31 cm. Signed! Extremely rare on the second-hand market. The burlwood has a stunning design. Designed by W...
Wood
$4,200Sale Price|30% Off
H 17.25 in W 47 in D 36 in
Rare T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb Coffee Table
By T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Presenting a spectacular and rare T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings for Widdicomb Mid-Century Walnut Cocktail Table with a removable Magazine Box. An elegant modern design featuring a beautifu...
Hardwood
Doge Dining Table by Carlo Scarpa for Cassina
By Cassina, Carlo Scarpa
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1970s. Italy. Reversible metal base with glass top
Metal
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
Il Colonato Dining Table by Mario Bellini for Cassina
By Cassina, Mario Bellini
Located in Chicago, IL
c. 1970s. Red Persian Travertine with five columns. Can be arranged however you like. This is a very rare table.
Travertine
$7,000
H 18 in W 15.75 in D 15.5 in
Modernist Side Tables in the manner of Gerrit Rietveld, The Netherlands, 1970s
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in New York, NY
A refined pair of modernist side tables, executed in the manner of Gerrit Rietveld, showcasing a clean architectural composition defined by strict geometric lines and balanced propor...
Wood, Lacquer, Oak
$1,405
H 13.39 in W 33.08 in D 22.45 in
Martin Visser Mid-Century Modern TZ74 Coffee Table for Spectrum, 1968
By Martin Visser
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Table designed by Martin Visser. Model TZ74 manufactured by Spectrum in 1968 (Holland). Lacquered wood. In original condition with wear consistent of age and use, preserving a beaut...
Wood
$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
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
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
Crate Desk by Gerrit Rietveld, Designed in 1930s The Netherlands
By Cassina, Gerrit Rietveld
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 Cassina, Gerrit Rietveld
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
Gerrit Rietveld Tea Cart Metz & Co, circa 1945
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Ultra rare and quite unique tea cart designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, designed and made probably by Gerard van de Groenekan for Metz & Co ca 1945. This tea cart is one of the very...
Softwood
Sold
H 21.26 in Dm 23.43 in
1939 Gerrit Rietveld Table for Bank Hypothecair Crediet The Hague Museum Quality
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
In 1939 Gerrit Rietveld was commissioned to design the interior of the 'Bank Hypothecair Crediet' in The Hague, Holland. This superb table is from that commission and is published on page 192 the following publication :- 'Gerrit Th. Rietveld 1888-1964 Het volledige werk' (The complete works) by Marijke Kuper & IDA van Zijl, Centraal Museum Utrecht 1992, ISBN 90-73285-15-1. This table is the sole survivor of this Bank Hypothecair Crediet project making it an extreme desirable piece for museums or high end collectors. The table is untouched and in completely original condition, and comes with full provenance of ownership and a condition report from an important Dutch Rietveld...
Glass, Mahogany, Wood
Gerrit Rietveld Krat Tafel Side Table by Cassina, Italy, 1970s
By Gerrit Rietveld, Cassina
Located in Vienna, AT
A beautiful sofa table / stool from the Krat series, originally designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1934, executed in the 1970s by Cassina, Italy. A very charming piece with nice patina.
Sold
H 27.56 in W 38.59 in D 22.64 in
Gerrit Rietveld Crate Desk and Zig Zag Chair Metz & Co, 1950s the Netherlands
By Gerrit Rietveld
Located in bergen op zoom, NL
Rare crate desk by Gerrit Rietveld by Metz & Co, 1950s. Since 1935 Metz & Co sold the progressive 'Crate furniture' of which this modernist desk is an pe...
Ash, Pine