Gerrit Thomas Rietveld (1888,
Utrecht,
The Netherlands - 1964,
Utrecht,
The Netherlands),
architect and
designer.
After working as a carpenter in his father's joinery business, Rietveld apprenticed at a jewellery studio. In 1911, Rietveld started a cabinet making firm that he maintained for eight years. During that period, Rietveld studied architecture, and came into contact with many people from the art group De Stijl (The Style).
In 1917, Rietveld designed his famous Red Blue Chair, and this was a breaktrough for receiving many architectural commissions. Rietvelds designs can be classified as Neo-Plastic; a flexible use and high functionality of space. In 1924, Rietveld designed the internationally acclaimed Rietveld Schröder House (Utrecht). This marked a turning point in his career; from that point he would focus entirely on architecture, and no longer on cabinet making.