Schroder House

The Rietveld Schroder House (1924) designed by Gerrit Rietveld is the best example of De Stijl and Rietveld's radical architecture. Located at the end of a street of brick terrace houses which at the time of it's constuction was on the outskirts of Utrecht the building is starkly original.

The facade is distinguished by a series of planes and brightly coloured lines which creates a bold composition and incorporates several balconies. Each component of the facade has it's own distinct colour; flat surfaces are white or shades of grey, doors and window frames are black and linear elements are painted bright primary colours.

The interior is also radically different from other buildings of the time. The interior is a dynamic and operable series of screens and furniture which allows the occupant to adapt the space to various functional requirements. The ground floor contains a kitchen and three bedrooms planned around a central staircase. The upper floor contains the living area and a toilet and bathroom. The open plan living area can be subdivided by a series of sliding and revolving panels to create three distinct rooms or a number of alternative spatial arrangements.