In 2017 Cassina will celebrate its 90th birthday. As a countdown there is the C90 program, with the MutAzioni (or Mutations) as a first step. This MutAzioni casts an eye on the history of Cassina by putting 9 design items from the last 90 years in the spotlights. One of these items is the Red and Blue chair by Gerrit Rietveld.

Red and Blue chair: a colourful history that focuses on functionality

Rietveld designed the chair in 1917. His goal was to relieve the volume of the classic armchair and focus on functionality. The result was a chair that consisted of fifteen bars, two rectangular plates as a backrest and seat, and two side panels (that would disappear later on). The prototype wasn’t painted in the typical red and blue colours yet. That’s why it first got the name Slat chair.

In the years that followed, Rietveld designed different versions of his armchair. He always adjusted the colours to the clients’ wishes and the interior in which the chair would end up. In 1920 he designed the Zeilmaker version of the Red and Blue chair. A black frame with white ends and a dark green seating and back, custom made for school teacher Wicher Zeilmaker.

For the red and black colours, Rietveld was inspired by his involvement in the Dutch movement De Stijl. In 1923 the Red and Blue chair became a manifesto of this movement. It was only in the 50s that Rietveld gave his chair the name Red and Blue.

Throughout the years the chair was used as an abstract sculpture, but also as a tool for sitting on. And that is how we can find the Red and Blue chair (Zeilmaker edition) today at Cassina: still a beautiful design item, with soft cushions to make it even more comfortable.

The Zeilmaker-version is back in production since last year. Come and admire it in our showroom!

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