How to Construct Rietveld Furniture (Dutch Edition) [Paperback]

Peter Drijver (Author), Johannes Niemeijer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

This volume documents the best-known and most typical furniture designs by Gerrit Rietveld down to the smallest detail. The book contains working plans, measurements, detail drawings, lists of materials and instructions for the assembly of each piece, as well as historical information about each one. This volume is considerably expanded from the 1986 version.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Uitgeverij Thoth; Bilingual edition (May 2002)
• Language: Dutch
• ISBN-10: 9068682806
• ISBN-13: 978-9068682809
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Interior Design > Style
  • #60 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Furniture
  • #66 in Books > Arts & Photography > Design & Decorative Arts > Furniture Design

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great reference, some hard-to-find information in here too., May 14, 2006

By 

exphys2000 "exphys2000" (New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Construct Rietveld Furniture (Dutch Edition) (Paperback)

Want to see the original drawings for the Red-Blue Chair? Or find a little-known fact about one of designs of Gerrit Rietveld that normally would require examination of an original or a long conversation with someone from Christies? And then, maybe, actually build the piece yourself? This is the book to get. It's not enclyclopedic, though, so make sure that what you are interested in is present in the 50-or-so works here. Also has some terrific old photographs of the workshop, original installations, lines, and advertising.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rietveld Furniture review, October 30, 2010

By 

imgruenen - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Construct Rietveld Furniture (Dutch Edition) (Paperback)

First, this book is written in both Dutch and English. Don't let the 'Dutch Edition'description put you off. The measured drawings are in millimeters and there is enough information to accurately build the furniture.

If you're used to building craftsman furniture, some of these pieces may seem minimalist and stark. If you give it a second look you'll find some absolutely beautiful pieces. The construction appears to be time consuming, but not all that difficult.

For some of the pieces (the 'Z' chair in particular) I would be sorely tempted to add modern materials, i.e. some Kevlar in the acute angles. Kevlar deals well with cycles of compression and expansion.

This furniture is a refreshing change from anything I've seen featured in U.S. woodworking magazines. It's different, it's lovely to look at (several pieces are displayed at MOMA in New York) and it doesn't look too challenging to build.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really neat and worthless projects, January 27, 2010

By 

P. Cameron (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How to Construct Rietveld Furniture (Dutch Edition) (Paperback)

If you are into Rietveld and Modernist things, this is a great resource. Of course, the end product is almost purely worthless since they cannot be marketed (copyright still applies), sometimes involving a fair amount of effort, and are generally uncomfortable and a little fragile, but as objects, they are fantastic and great fun.

Would like to find a comparable book on the work of Max Bill.