| Rietveld by
rietveld was set up on the initiative of Egbert
Rietveld (1961), one of Rietveld’s grandsons, and Ries Seijler
(1962), his great-grandson. The two second cousins want to
‘show the world that Rietveld is much more than just the Red
Blue chair and the Zig-Zag chair’. On 25 June 2004, exactly 40
years after Gerrit Rietveld’s death, they launched the firm
Rietveld by rietveld. The first retailer presentation took
place in June. The collection was met with enthusiasm.
Starting this month, the furniture will be available to the
consumer and project market. Ries Seijler: ‘Icons of the Dutch
cultural heritage such as these are obviously ideal for
international multinationals, banks, hotel chains and museums
world-wide.’
Five models So far, the Rietveld by
rietveld collection comprises five models: the Military chair,
the Military table, the Military stool, the Berlin chair and
the Steltman chair. These pieces are individually numbered and
carry a certificate of authenticity.
Steltman Chair The asymmetrical Steltman
chair (1963), designed for the Steltman jewellery house in The
Hague, has the open composition of horizontals and verticals
so characteristic of Rietveld. The Steltman is available both
in a left-handed and a right-handed design; in a white stain
wash and a clear varnish version.
Berlin Chair In around 1923, Rietveld
introduced two new formal elements into his furniture designs:
asymmetry and construction in planes. Both of these originate
in consistent reflection of the pre-set task of creating an
open spatial structure with equivalent elements. The Berlin
chair owes its name to the fact that this chair was specially
designed in 1923 for the Rietveld and Huszar showroom in
Berlin. This chair, later often called ‘the slat chair’, was
(and still is) also made in a mirrored version.
Military set In 1923, Rietveld was
commissioned to make chairs for the Catholic Military Home in
Utrecht. The horizontals and verticals of these chairs are
connected by halved joints reinforced with strong nuts and
bolts. The same bolts are used to screw the short backrest
onto the slanted rear verticals. The table top does not rest
directly on the verticals, but on a number of slender cross
bars, thereby creating a light spatial construction. The
Military stool is made to the same construction as the
Military chair and table. The set was originally made in
various colours: black/white and different shades of grey.
Initially, Rietveld by rietveld have chosen black/white and
black/red.
Tip: You can now register
on-line to receive our regular
newsletter containing the latest developments on Rietveld by
rietveld (new collection, retailers, shows and fairs,
etc.).
www.rietveld-by-rietveld.com
|
