Utrecht, Zeist, Den Dolder

The Rietveld Schröder House is an iconic modernist house in Utrecht, the Netherlands designed by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld. He lived from 1888 to 1964. Besides being an architect, he was also a furniture designer, which he also built in modernist style. Some of his best-known designs include the zigzag chair and the Utrecht armchair. He was an important figure within the De Stijl movement. In 1924, he designed the Rietveld Schröder House, commissioned by Mrs Truus Schröder-Schräder (1889-1985).

She, in turn, was also a figurehead within architecture and an opinionated woman. She was an architectural advocate, a progressive thinker eager to make changes in architecture. She wrote down her ideas in a number of books on architecture and art.

The Rietveld Schröder House is known for its unique use of lines, planes and colours. It is one of the most influential examples of the De Stijl movement and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Almost everything is still in its original state. You can visit the house by booking a time slot via the website.

There are many more houses designed by Rietveld in and around Utrecht, which you will visit on this cycle route. Between Utrecht Central Station and the Rietveld Schröder House, you will pass Waldeck Pyrmontkade, where you can already admire the first Rietveld building. It is a small house consisting of two rooms and a small terrace, designed in 1925. It was the living quarters for the chauffeur of the Van der Vuurst De Vries family.

Close to the Rietveld Schröder House is Erasmuslaan, where a series of modernist flats are located. This row of houses were designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1928. From Utrecht, cycle to Den Dolder, where you come across the Smedes House. Remarkably, this house is a cube with a garage and a conservatory against it. Rietveld also designed the furniture for the Smedes family, whose Mrs Smedes was a cousin of Rietveld. Finally, in the heart of Zeist, you pass the Music School, which Rietveld designed in 1930. Here the typical lines, planes and colours are again easily recognisable.

Want to find out more about Rietveld and Schröder? Centraal Museum Utrecht has the largest Rietveld collection in the world! Admire the furniture and even some of the houses, which can be visited with a guided tour every last Sunday of the month.