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Dining room table/Bureau Willem Rietveld Gispen
€675€495-27%
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About this seller
Veenendaal, NetherlandsOn Whoppah since May 2020 • 115 sales
Product description
Sleek Dutch designer table by Gispen/Willem Rietveld, son of the world-famous Gerrit Rietveld. With stylish, beautifully shaped legs and a linoleum tabletop with a wooden frame, it will become an icon in your living space. Use it as a dining table. Easy to assemble thanks to its compact size and weight. Dimensions: H: 72cm x W: 124cm x D: 75cm. Unique because most are square, while this one is rectangular. The table is marked as shown in the photo. 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 powder, limestone, wood flour, and other environmentally friendly pigments. The legs are relatively easy to disassemble. Considering its age, it is still in good vintage condition. It enhances the ambiance of your living room, kitchen, and is also a lovely table to furnish your workspace. Do you have a Rietveld in your home? Yes, perhaps soon! Table time it is!
If you live nearby, I'm also willing to deliver this beautiful table/desk for a small fee.
Dimensions: H: 72cm x W: 124cm x D: 75cm.
Who was Willem Rietveld?
Wim Rietveld (1924-1985), son of the renowned architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld, had a technical education. He then went on to work as a designer of large equipment. He worked for Servo Balans, a company that manufactured large, exclusive weighing equipment for industry.
From 1950 onwards, Wim Rietveld trained as a designer at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. The quality of his final exam work prompted Willem Gispen to invite him to a position at the eponymous company, Gispen. The Netherlands was undergoing reconstruction at the time, and materials were in short supply.
Wim Rietveld worked at Gispen from 1953 to 1957. Rietveld excelled at balancing functionality and aesthetics and devising simple production techniques. His motto was: "Well-formed, solid, practical, and inexpensive." For legs, he preferred using much thinner, solid round steel instead of tubing. This had the advantage of being less visually distracting and easier, and therefore cheaper, to bend. He also introduced the technique of foam rubber chair cushions and plywood pressing.
Rietveld was a designer who spoke the technical language and was a structural engineer; a structural engineer from the inside out, grouping elements logically and adapting them to the capabilities of the machinery or to the raw materials that could be readily and inexpensively sourced from the market. Besides "furniture for the simple interior," Rietveld also contributed to the development of office furniture, such as the American-style President office chair. He also designed other home furnishings and lighting fixtures. Rietveld once remarked: "Fortunately, I had the freedom to do so, and the management responded enthusiastically."
In 1957, he and his father designed the Mondial chair, a stackable and linkable chair, which was exhibited at the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels. Rietveld was responsible for the technical aspects of this design. The prototype of this chair is made of aluminum. Gispen preferred a polyester version for production. This choice, among other things, led Rietveld to work for De Cirkel, a company that manufactured steel furniture and installations. He worked there until 1970. The years he worked for Vicon, an agricultural machinery company (1959-1979), were also successful. Wim, together with Wim Groeneboom, designed the first Amsterdam metro and worked for many other companies, such as Werkspoor train interiors and Inventum household appliances.
From 1960 to 1975, Rietveld taught at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and from 1970 to 1979 at Delft University of Technology. There, he mentored future designers, including Jan Jacobs. He was very popular with the students.
In good condition considering its age. Beautiful patina.
In good condition considering its age. Beautiful patina.
Specifications
ConditionVery goodColorsGrey, Brown, BlackMaterialWood, MetalNumber of items1BrandGispenHeight72 cmWidth124 cmDepth75 cm
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Seller information
About this seller
Veenendaal, NetherlandsOn Whoppah since May 2020 • 115 sales