In 1934 the Dutch architect and furniture designer Gerrit T. Rietveld designed the so-called Crate furniture series – including the lounge chair – from inexpensive planks of pine, which were joined by brass screws only. They were intended for ‘acquaintances […] who had no money, but still wanted to make a modern piece of furniture.’ Rietveld had drawn inspiration from the crates used to pack expensive furniture for transportation, the construction of which he described as ‘a fine carpentry method […] that gets straight to the point’. Aesthetics and an egalitarian spirit were of equal importance to Rietveld in this design. He recognized that industrializing the production process and allowing buyers to assemble their own furniture were ways of making good design affordable. Accordingly, the Crate furniture could be ordered preassembled or in do-it-yourself kits.
Initially, items for the Crate series were made within Rietveld’s circle of friends. After some hesitation the Metz & Co. department store produced and included the furniture in its offerings. A 1935 sales brochure listed a side table, a lounge chair, a bookcase, a chair, and a desk, suitable for ‘weekend houses, conservatories, students’ and children’s rooms’. In the 1960s Metz & Co. introduced a more luxurious variant on the lounge chair and the side table, made from rosewood.
Text: Ida van Zijl
