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Dining room table/Bureau Willem Rietveld Gispen
€675€450-33%
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About this seller
Veenendaal, NetherlandsOn Whoppah since May 2020 • 111 sales
Product description
Sleek Dutch design table by Gispen/Willem Rietveld, son of the world-famous Gerrit Rietveld. With cool, beautifully shaped legs and a linoleum table top with wooden frame is an icon in your living space. Use it as a
dining room table. Easy to place due to its limited size and weight. Dimensions: H: 72cm x W: 124cm x D: 75 cm. Unique because most are square and this one is rectangular. Table is marked as shown in the picture. Period: 1950s. Material: wood/linoleum. Linoleum was widely used for flooring at the time, but Willem Rietveld also used it for his tables. Linoleum is composed of natural and renewable raw materials: linseed oil, resin, jute, cork flour, limestone, wood flour and other ecologically sound pigments. Legs are fairly easy to disassemble. Given its age still in good vintage condition. Creates the atmosphere in your living room, kitchen, but also very much a fine table to furnish your workspace. Do you have a Rietveld in your home? Yes, maybe soon! Table time it is!
If you live nearby I am also willing to bring this beautiful table/desk for a small fee.
Dimensions: H: 72cm x W: 124cm x D: 75 cm.
Who was Willem Rietveld?
Wim Rietveld (1924-1985), son of the famous architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld, had a technical education. He then went on to work as a designer of large appliances. Among other things, he worked for Servo Balans, a company that manufactured large exclusive weighing devices for industry.
Starting in 1950, Wim Rietveld trained as a designer at the Royal Academy in The Hague. The quality of his graduation work prompted Willem Gispen to invite him for a position with the Gispen company of the same name. At that time, the Netherlands was in the process of reconstruction and materials were in short supply.
Wim Rietveld was employed by Gispen from 1953 to 1957. Rietveld was good at balancing functionality and aesthetics and devising simple production techniques. His motto was: "Good form, solid, practical and cheap. For legs, he preferred not to use tube, but much thinner solid round steel. The advantage of this is that it attracts less attention visually and in addition it is easier and therefore cheaper to bend. He also introduced the technique of foam seat cushions and pressing plywood.
Rietveld was a designer who spoke the technical language and was a constructor; constructor from the inside out, the elements logically grouped and adapted to the possibilities of the machinery or to the raw material that could be purchased well and cheaply from the trade. Besides "the furniture for the simple interior," Rietveld also participated in the development of office furniture, such as the American-looking President office chair. But he also designed other residential furniture and lighting fixtures. Rietveld once said of this, "Fortunately, I had the freedom to do so and the management turned out to respond enthusiastically."
In 1957, together with his father, he designed the Mondial chair, a stacking and linking chair, which was exhibited at the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels. Rietveld was responsible for the engineering in this design. The prototype of this chair was made of aluminum. For production, Gispen preferred a polyester version. Among other things, this choice led Rietveld to work for the firm De Cirkel, a company that made steel furniture and installations. He worked there until 1970. His years working for Vicon, an agricultural machinery company (1959-1979), were also successful. Together with Wim Groeneboom, Wim designed the first Amsterdam subway and he worked for many other companies, such as Werkspoor train interiors and Inventum household appliances.
From 1960 to 1975, Rietveld taught at the Royal Academy in The Hague and from 1970 to 1979 at the Technische Hogeschool in Delft. There he supervised future designers, including Jan Jacobs. He was much loved by the students.
In good condition considering its age. Beautiful patina.
In good condition considering its age. Beautiful patina.
Specifications
ConditionVery goodColorsGrey, Brown, BlackMaterialMetal, WoodNumber of items1BrandGispenHeight72 cmWidth124 cmDepth75 cm
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Seller information
About this seller
Veenendaal, NetherlandsOn Whoppah since May 2020 • 111 sales