Thread: Starting a Rietveld Build

Thats the ugliest chair I've ever seen!

I think you slide the red bit out and lay it across the arms and you have a school desk.
thats what it looks like to me.

I knew there would be varried tastes for this one.

It certainly is an interesting design. Is the original made out of wood or is it steel. If wood how are the joins done?
-J

I have never warmed to the "Roodblauwe Stoel " chair. To me it has always looked dated and ungainly.
The "Steltman" on the other hand looks fresh and contemporay. If I were to make this chair, ( heresy alert ) I would carve the seat, arm, back and finish natural. Forgive my temerity, apoloigies to Rietvelt.

The original is made of wood (beech) and joined with glue and dowels. The points at which three members come together form an amazingly strong support joint.

No apologies to Rietveld needed. I think he would be thrilled to know that his designs are still a point of discussion. This one is 95 years old already and it still evokes "Love it!" or "Hate it!" responses, and even inspires others to apply their own interpretations. Now that's good design, even if you don't like the particular piece.

I'm looking forward to the conversations these chairs will start in my own home once they're built.

Half a tick while I take the gloves off .

Gerrit's chair is iconic and a landmark in chair design. I think the first of his chairs was made in about 1917, but it did not appear in the red and blue livery until 1924. Chairs of the era were complicated to make and his objective was to design a simple chair that could be mass-produced cheaply and affordably.

The components are simple dowel joints. They are all concealed except where three members join as one dowel has to be "through."

The chairs are quite small, but surprisingly comfortable. I have made two of them but we have pandered to comfort and made matching red and blue flat cushions to permit prolonged sitting by the more bony amongst us.

They are so comfortable, quirky and to my mind beautiful (functional is beautiful) that I am about to make two more as my son and daughter have the first two. I do have one of the chairs back on loan temporarily and it is my first choice of seating.

To give some idea of the chairs status, google "red blue chair" and be prepared to be flooded with the results. There are a number of companies still manufacturing reproductions. I made mine from recycled ironbark and of course painted it faithfully.

Go for it Pete. You won't regret it.

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Regards
Paul

Beautiful job Paul! I'm really excited about this build...wish I had more time off work to get them done quickly!