Red Blue Chair 1918 (Rood Blauwe Stoel) made by G. van di Groenekan Designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld
Modernist Furniture Design Profile
The Red Blue chair is probably one of the most recognized pieces from the Modern Movement of De Stijl Design.
Each piece of the chair is either square or rectangular section, and this is highlighted by the use of yellow on the piece ends.
The red back piece acts as the spine of the chair and all the “limbs” are connected, the sloping back blue seat and the black arms and legs.
This is furniture design at it’s raw state, stripped back to basic structural form.
Rietveld viewed aesthetics over functionalism. (In other words it was very uncomfortable, but looked good!)
His design concepts were influenced by Piet Mondrian, geometric ordering of space derived from cubism and the use of the rectilinear designs of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Red Blue Chair”s popularity tends to come from its sculptural appearance as a work of art, probably helped by the use of color Rietveld used from the painters of the De Stijl group. Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg who championed primary colors, as well as the fact that you could look through it.
About the Designer Brief biography of his career history.
End Table – Gerrit Rietveld A colorful piece of art rather than functional furniture.
Zig Zag Chair – Gerrit Rietveld New cantilever design in it’s time.
