CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
1
BIOGRAPHY
2
EXAMPLES OF WORK
3
ZIG ZAG CHAIR
4-5
CONCEPT 1
6-7
CONCEPT 2
8-9
CONCEPT 3
10
REFLECTION
11
REFERENCES
12
This is a selection of three concept pieces based around Gerrit Rietveld’s furniture work. After studying his forms, craftsmanship and joinery techniques I had plenty of inspiration to draw from. The first concept is a free standing lamp. As Rietveld only has one well know lighting piece, I thought I would design something along these lines. The piece is a standing light for reading, and features a weighted base. The timber frame is based around his Zig Zag chair. The second concept is my redesign of his iconic Red & Blue chair. I thought I would toy with the idea of creating a piece more similar to a chaise lounge. After sitting in his Red & Blue chair, I found it was surprisingly more comfortable that it looks. This prompted me to simplify his design, and to try and create something that could be even more comfortable while still looking robust and geometric. My third concept is a book case design, with my main inspiration coming from the Schroder Table. The aim was to design a bookshelf that was abstract, without it taking away from the functionality. For this reason pieces intersect at ninety degrees to each other to maximise storage space.
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GERRIT RIETVELD
EXAMPLES OF WORK
24th June 1888 25th June 1964
(DeStijl Holland, 2011)
(Houzz, 2015)
(Rietveld Originals, 2015)
(Rietveld Originals, 2012)
Gerrit Thomas Rietveld was born on the 25th June, 1888 in Utrecht, Netherlands. His father Johannes Cornelis Rietveld was an experienced furniture maker. His workshop was set up at their family home, which sought income for the family. The workshop was on the ground floor while his mother, Elizabeth van der Horst, Father and Brothers lived on the first floor. School wasn’t compulsory in the early 1900’s and Rietveld left school when he was only eleven. He began working in his father’s ever busy workshop. It quickly became apparent that Rietveld had a natural gift for drawing, and his father let him draw up specifications for customers. (Mulder and Kiewiet de Jonge, 2010)
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(Cassina, 2014)
(1stdibs Store, 2014)
(Cassina, 2014)
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Zig Zag Chair Drawing
Zig Zag Chair Drawing
The Zigzag chair is possibly the most well-known and iconic piece produced by Rietveld. It was such a radical design for its time, at the beginning of the modernist movement. The chair is not only beautiful, but a technically intricate piece. A row of dovetail joints, crisp corners, hidden dowels and other engineering problems to overcome incorporate so much ability and craftsmanship into a single object.
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CONCEPT 1
CONCEPT 1
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CONCEPT 2
CONCEPT 2
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CONCEPT 3
REFLECTION
I have enjoyed working through this task. It has been a good balance between research, drawing and design. Becoming really involved and focusing on just one designer meant I was able to learn a lot about a broad range of their work, as well as the design periods they worked in. By focusing on just the one designer I was able to look at his unique designs & techniques in depth. If I was to improve upon this task or further my studies, I would look into his architecture more. Although this task and course revolved around furniture, I think by looking at his other design mediums such as architecture, I could draw even more inspiration from it. I think it would be beneficial to compare themes between his furniture and architecture.
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REFERENCES 1stdibs Store, (2014). Utrecht Chair. [image] Available at: https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/gerrit-thomas-rietveld/furniture/ [Accessed 5 Jun. 2015]. Cassina, (2014). Red & Blue Chair. [image] Available at: http://cassina.com/en/collection/chairs/635-red-andblue [Accessed 3 Jun. 2015]. Cassina, (2014). Zig Zag Chiar. [image] Available at: http://www.aram.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/ image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/2/4/243_8.jpg [Accessed 7 Jun. 2015]. DeStijl Holland, (2011). Rietveld Lamp. [image] Available at: http://www.destijlholland1924.com/en/about/gallery.html [Accessed 6 Jun. 2015]. Houzz, (2015). Schroeder House Table. [image] Available at: http://www.houzz.com/photos/6917650/MidCentury-Modern-Rietveld-Schroeder-House-Table-1000-Est-Retail-549-on-midcentury-side-tables-and-endtables [Accessed 2 Jun. 2015]. Mulder, B. and Kiewiet de Jonge, P. (2010). Gerrit Thomas Rietveld; Life Thought Work. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: SUN. Rietveld Originals, (2012). Gerrit Rietveld Portrait. [image] Available at: http://www.phaidon.com/resource/qlhcyeswxui.jpg [Accessed 4 Jun. 2015]. Rietveld Originals, (2015). Berlin Chair. [image] Available at: http://www.rietveldoriginals.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/rietveld_berlijn_stoel.jpg [Accessed 7 Jun. 2015].
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