Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht

The front view of the Rietveld Schröder House in Utecht-Netherlands Photo by Andreas 2309 Wikimedia

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Rietveld Schroder House in Utrecht

The Rietveld Schroder House also known as the Schroder House in Utrecht was built in 1924 by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld for Mrs. Truus Schroder-Schrader and her three children.She commissioned the house to be designed preferably without walls. 

Both Rietveld and Schroder espoused progressive ideals that included “a fierce commitment to a new openness about relationships within their own families and to truth in their emotional lives.Let’s take a look at some of the most remarkable facts about it;

1.It constitutes both inside and outside a radical break with all architecture before it

The Rietveld Schroder House constitutes both inside and outside a radical break with all architecture before it. The two-storey house is situated in Utrecht, at the end of a terrace, but it makes no attempt to relate to its neighbouring buildings (although it shares an exterior wall with the last house in the terrace).

It faces a motorway built in the 1960s.Inside there is no static accumulation of rooms, but a dynamic, changeable open zone. The ground floor can still be termed traditional; ranged around a central staircase are kitchen and three sit/bedrooms.

2.Each component of the house has its own form, position and colour

Like Rietveld’s Red and Blue Chair, each component has its own form, position and colour. Colours were chosen as to strengthen the plasticity of the facades; surfaces in white and shades of grey, black window and doorframes, and a number of linear elements in primary colours.

There is little distinction between interior and exterior space. The rectilinear lines and planes flow from outside to inside, with the same colour palette and surfaces. Even the windows are hinged so that they can only open 90 degrees to the wall, preserving strict design standards about intersecting planes, and further blurring the delineation of inside and out.

3.The house was constructed using different materials

Initially, Rietveld wanted to construct the house out of concrete. It turned out that it would be too expensive to do that on such a small building. The foundations and the balconies were the only parts of the building that were made out of concrete.

The walls were made of brick and plaster. The window frames and doors were made from wood as well as the floors, which were supported by wooden beams. To support the building, steel girders with wire mesh were used. 

4.The house was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites

The World Heritage Committee inscribed the Rietveld Schroder House on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites on 2 December 2000, during the 24th session in Cairns, Australia. The committee decided to apply criterion i and ii. 

Only few years after construction of this building Polish architect Stanisław Brukalski built his own house in Warsaw in 1929 supposedly inspired by Rietveld Schröderhuis which he visited. His Polish example of modern house was awarded bronze medal in Paris expo in 1937.

5.The house was honored in two euro coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint in 2013

The house was honored in two euro coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint in 2013.The house is one of the best known examples of De Stijl-architecture and arguably the only true De Stijl building. Mrs. Schröder lived in the house until her death in 1985.

The house was restored by Bertus Mulder and now is a museum open for visits, run by the Centraal Museum. It is a listed monument since 1976 and UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.It is currently one of the best attractions in the area. 

6.The house was a private residence until 1985

Rietveld Schroder House in Utrecht Photo by Antoine Wikimedia

The house was designed in 1924 and was a private residence until 1985.A recently widowed mother of three, she wanted a dwelling completely attuned to her and to her unconventional ideas about what a home should be.

Having worked with Rietveld in the past, she knew his disdain for tradition. It was a match made in heaven.Schroder played an important role in the design process. She knew exactly what she wanted: simplicity and a space that freed rather than constrained her.

7.The house is currently managed her foundation and the central museum

At her death, Truus Schröder left the management of the house to the her foundation named the Rietveld Schröder House Foundation and the Centraal Museum.To this day, visitors from every corner of the globe can continue to enjoy this seminal work of art.

After his wife died in 1957, Rietveld moved in with Schroder. He lived there until his death in 1964.Truus Schroder lived in the house from 1925 until her death in 1985. Initially with her three children, later with Gerrit Rietveld.

8.The best spot in the house is the first floor

Rietveld Schroder House Photo sourced from Wikimedia

The best spot in the house is the first floor which is also the owner’s favourite spot where she had the best view of the polder landscape and felt as if a weight had been lifted from her.

Because she spent so much time there, Rietveld installed a speaking tube that let her talk to visitors at the door without going downstairs.Rietveld Schroder House is on Prins Hendriklaan in Utrecht. Back in 1924, it was on the outskirts of the city.

9.There are several hotels and restaurants near it

There are several hotels and restaurants near it including ;Malie Hotel which is 0.78 miles away, Appartement Maurits (0.40 mi) The Nox (1.15 mi), Mother Goose Hotel (1.28 mi) and The Hunfeld which is 1.29 miles away. 

Restaurants near Rietveld Schroder House include;Ukiyo Koffie which is 0.01 miles way, Lalotta (0.15 mi), Noen (0.14 mi), Pizza Beppe – Utrecht Oost (0.15 mi) and Restaurant de Pier which is 0.15 miles away.

10.It is one of the most influential domestic building of earl modern period

The house is globally recognised as the most influential domestic building of the early modern period due to its radical approach to design and the use of space. Its lasting influence can still be felt in architecture to this day. 

The Rietveld Schroderhuis was located on the edge of the city of Utrecht close to the countryside, at the end of a 20th century row of houses.The house is one of the most renowned tourist attraction site in Utrecht and the Netherlands.