The Red and Blue Chair is a chair designed in 1917 by Gerrit Rietveld. It represents one of the first explorations by the De Stijl art movement in three dimensions. The original chair was constructed of unstained beech wood and was not painted until the early 1920s.[1] Fellow member of De Stijl and architect, Bart van der Leck, saw his original model and suggested that he add bright colours.[2] He built the new model of thinner wood and painted it entirely black with areas of primary colors attributed to De Stijl movement. The effect of this color scheme made the chair seem to almost disappear against the black walls and floor of the Schröder house where it was later placed.[3] The areas of color appeared to float, giving it an almost transparent structure. The Museum of Modern Art, which houses the chair in its permanent collection, a gift from Philip Johnson, states that the red, blue,and yellow colors were added around 1923.[5] The chair also resides at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.
[6] It features several Rietveld joints. The Red and Blue Chair was reported to be on loan to the Delft University of Technology Faculty of Architecture as part of an exhibition. On May 13, 2008, a fire destroyed the entire building, but the Red and Blue Chair was saved by firefighters. As of 2012, it resides in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota[]. As of 2013, it has been moved to Auckland, New Zealand[]. ^ TU Delft fire news storyLondon Design Festival 2016: British brand Another Country has unveiled its fourth collection, which includes tables, seats and a daybed inspired by the work of early 20th century designer Gerrit Rietveld (+ slideshow). Series Four is Another Country's first collection since 2013, and continues the brand's interests in traditional English kitchen furniture, Shaker elements and Japanese woodwork. But the legs of several of the pieces are based on the joints used by Dutch designer Rietveld to create his iconic Red and Blue Chair.
Other references include the blocky architecture of canal-facing properties in Amsterdam. "The strong, architectural form of the new collection combines cleated end tops, Rietveld-inspired leg frames and a stackable stool design, adding a new aesthetic language to the brand's portfolio," said Another Country. It encompasses a dining table, bench, stackable low stool, bar stool and day bed. Each piece is available in solid and engineered, or lacquered oak. All are produced in a range of different sizes to accommodate different properties. The collection is designed to meet growing demands for space-saving furniture. For instance, the low seating bench is designed to slot directly and cleanly underneath the dining table to ensure no additional space is taken up. Another Country was founded in 2010 by Paul de Zwart. The first three collections launched in 2010, 2011 and 2013 respectively, so this latest collection has been three years coming. It launches at designjunction during this year's London Design Festival, and will be on show from 22 to 25 September.
Other designers launching products at the festival include Bert & May, which debuts a range of handmade tiles featuring simple geometric shapes, and Bethan Gray, who has designed brass-patterned furniture based on the architecture of Oman.Following World War I, the emergence of novel man-made materials and production techniques enabled designers to develop progressive modern chairs. It was the era of the ‘machine age’ and an exciting time for design and innovation. Both cantilevered chairs and tubular steel constructions were predominant throughout the 1920s, alongside some notable exceptions such as Gerrit Thomas Rietveld’s Red and Blue Chair and Eileen Gray’s Bibendum Chair.The Red and Blue Chair (1918-1921) was designed by Dutch architect Gerrit Thomas Rietveld. Think “traditional, massive armchair… transformed into a geometric entity” (Source: Vitra Design Museum) and you have the concept for Rietveld’s “Roodblauwe stoel” or Red and Blue Chair.Originally designed in 1918 in natural wood, the primary-colored (red, blue and yellow) edition of the chair was presented in 1921 after Rietveld joined the De Stijl movement.
Le Corbusier subsequently invited Perriand to work at his studio.The Grand Confort LC2 emphasizes the separation of functionalism and comfort, clearly distinguishing its structural elements and cushions. It was part of the first project assigned to Perriand by Le Corbusier, who asked for a series of chairs to furnish Villa La Roche, a house he was designing in Paris. The LC2 is produced by Cassina.The LC4 Chaise Longue (1928), designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeannette and Charlotte Perriand, was also created for Le Corbusier’s Villa La Roche.Charlotte Perriand on the B306 chaise longue. Image via The Telegraph.The LC4 (also referred to as the B306) balances comfort, ergonomics and geometry with aplomb. It is produced by Cassina.The Barcelona Chair (1929) was designed by Mies van der Rohe in collaboration with Lilly Reich and is a veritable heavyweight lounger. With its striking and elegant 1920s modernist design, the Barcelona Chair is often a favored seat in high-end contemporary corporate foyers and lobbies.