Staalindustrieweg 43
2952 AT Alblasserdam
Tel: 078 - 681 85 68
Fax: 078 - 693 36 68
Email: info@ritmeester-bv.nl
BANKEN RIETVELD TUINBANK RIETVELD GARTENBANK GARDEN BENCH
RIETVELD GARDEN BENCHES / RIETVELD TUINBANKEN
Rietveld Garden Benches are absolute Design Masterpieces in Garden & Public Furniture.
The privilege I had to be at this great adventure inspires me every day.
The Rietveld Hillebrandt: the first outdoor bench
The first ‘outdoor bench’ we reconstructed was the 1936 Hillebrandt Garden Bench. This was a very inspiring adventure since the research about every detail had to be done to realize an exact piece of furniture.
It was my idea to reconstruct an outdoor bench because until that time it was not done in a very exact manner.
Mr. Egbert Rietveld, grandson of Mr. Gerrit Rietveld and owner of www.rietveld-by-rietveld.com did the research and we decided to reproduce two identical benches. The whole bureau archive of Mr. Gerrit Rietveld is kept in the NAI. Please visit:
We decided to use beautiful IROKO wood for the two first examples. This was a ‘surplus’ of a deck repair job on the wonderful Clipper Stad Amsterdam Ritmeester BV had done.
For The Clipper please enjoy your visit to:
We had bought a large sawn IROKO tree to have all the same quality for the deck repair in the harbor of Rotterdam and I still remember this assignment as a remarkable one.
The Clipper in all its majesty.... and a few years later the broadcast about the Darwin trip (Beagle) around the world gave this adventure a unique touch to me as well as the reconstruction of the Hillebrandt Garden Bench. This story I will try to summarize later.
The Rietveld Calvé Bench
Mr. Egbert Rietveld (right) and Mrs. Helene van 't Hoen (center)
(see: http://www.ritmeesteralblasserdam.nl/categorie/396.html ) on the Rietveld Calve Bench
in Bilinga with one of our trainees.
(see: http://www.ritmeesteralblasserdam.nl/categorie/396.html ) on the Rietveld Calve Bench
in Bilinga with one of our trainees.
The second outdoor furniture we could realize in commission of www.rietveld-by-rietveld.com was the Rietveld Calvé Bench. As painstakingly precise as with all the furniture we made several benches in BILINGA and in CUMARU.
Assembly: everything comes to the millimeter...
Note the armrest in the front, still to be covered
Note the armrest in the front, still to be covered
Mr. Sjer Kolsloot, a great Rietveld fan and cabinet maker was our team member who created all the Calvé benches. We still enjoy his craftsmanship. Unfortunately Sjer did of cancer on November 8, 2011 and we miss him every day. He will not be out of our minds!
Sjer Kolsloot, a great fan of the Rietveld heritage
seen at work here at the CUMARU Rietveld Calve Benches.
seen at work here at the CUMARU Rietveld Calve Benches.
The Rietveld Calve Bench in Bilinga. The long one, without armrests. So elegant, even after more than 50 years. A timeless Masterpiece and to me a joy to the eye every day....
Detail seen from the side; CUMARU
Front: Cumaru without armrests; seen in the back: with armrests
200 cm Elegance in CUMARU. You will stay looking at it, and looking...
The label in the back
And with all visits we had not only a wonderful discussion but also enjoyed the hospitality of Mr.
Egbert Rietveld. I wished all the design students from all over the world could have been live at all our
meetings: it was a wonderful insight into the Rietveld heritage and I could easily fill a book with it.
If you are also a Rietveld fan please get in touch.
Informatie/Information
T: +31 (0)6 22 33 75 17