New Amsterdam

Gerrit Rietveld   |  1937

Gerrit Rietveld designed the New Amsterdam armchair in 1937, for the ‘New Amsterdam’ steamship. This Holland America Line flagship made its first trip to New York on 10 May 1938. The chair was part of a complete interior design that Rietveld made for a first-class cabin.

The first voyage of the New Amsterdam in 1938

With its minimalist style Rietveld created a cabin that had to meet the luxury and comfort of the modern ocean traveller. Most striking in the interior design were the comfortable armchairs. As part of Rietveld Originals, this design is now available in the Spectrum collection.

The original blueprint Gerrit Rietveld made of the New Amsterdam armchair in 1937

Limited Edition
On the occasion of the first production of the New Amsterdam armchair a Limited Edition of 37 pieces was made. These unique and numbered armchairs are upholstered in luxurious velour with a frost-stone colour, the armrests are made of solid American walnut. The Limited Edition is packed in a special crate. It was this way of packaging that inspired Rietveld to design his famous crate chair, shortly before he accepted the commission for the New Amsterdam steamship. The wooden crate of the Limited Edition packaging allows the owner to easily build an original Rietveld crate chair.

The New Amsterdam is part of the Rietveld Originals collection, which is exclusively and globally managed by Spectrum.

Product specifications

Designer

Gerrit Rietveld

Year

1937

Dimensions

70 x 94 x 76 cm (WxDxH) / Seat height 38 cm / Arm height 53 cm

Arm rests

Solid oak natural or dark stained / Solid American walnut

Upholstery

Various fabrics and leather possible

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