Before there was IKEA . . .
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In the mid-1930s, the prominent Dutch designer Gerrit Reitveld began designing what he called "crate furniture" for a Dutch department store. The desk shown here, made from standard-sized pine boards, is apparently a prime example. Yes, it does look exactly like the "furniture" some of us built in our college dorm rooms or our first apartment.
Reitveld is probably better known for his multicolored armchair made from 2x2 sticks, and for promoting an esthetic known as "de Stijl," which is a sort of cubist approach to furniture.
As models go, this one was a snap, a perfect after-dinner digestif.
Best,
dh -
Ancester of the bookcase Billy
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