Rietveld Schröder House: A Biography of the House reconstructs one of modernism's most radical domestic experiments through previously unpublished photographs, drawings, letters, and designs — and reframes the creative partnership that built it.
About This Book
Published to coincide with the centenary of the Rietveld Schröder House, this 896-page volume is the most comprehensive account yet of the Utrecht landmark and the two people behind it. Authors Natalie Dubois and Jessica van Geel draw on new archival research to make a persuasive case that Truus Schröder — long cast as Gerrit Rietveld's muse — was in fact a designer of substance whose creative vision shaped their collaborative projects in decisive ways. The book moves through the construction of the house, the work produced under the 'Schröder & Rietveld Architects' name, the war years, and the renovations, situating the house within both a personal biography and the broader project of radical modernist architecture. Bespoke design by Irma Boom makes the object itself a considered tribute to its subject.
Key Features
- 896 pages of archival photographs, drawings, designs, and correspondence — much previously unpublished
- Authors: Natalie Dubois and Jessica van Geel; book design by Irma Boom
- Published in collaboration with Centraal Museum Utrecht
- Published by Hannibal, 1985
What You'll Discover
- How Truus Schröder's role in the design and conception of the house exceeded what architectural history had previously acknowledged
- The full arc of 'Schröder & Rietveld Architects' as a collaborative practice, from initial construction through subsequent design projects
- The personal and social life of the house — war years, renovations, and family use — as context for understanding its spatial ambitions
- How the house's interior architecture embodied a shared ambition to overturn the conventions of domestic space
About the Author
Natalie Dubois and Jessica van Geel are the researchers and authors behind this centenary publication. Their work draws on new archival evidence to reassess the collaboration between Truus Schröder and Gerrit Rietveld, with particular attention to Schröder's authorship as a designer in her own right.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 896
- Dimensions: 190 x 220 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9789464941432
- Publisher: Hannibal
- Publication Date: 1985
Perfect For: Architects, architectural historians, and design researchers with an interest in De Stijl, modernist domestic architecture, and the reattribution of creative authorship in design history.