Centraal Museum
Look closer, see more
Special Chairs
Café Centraal features many distinctive chairs. All the chairs were created by Dutch designers whose work is also included in the Centraal Museum collection. Read more about the furniture and its designers here.
Simple and timeless. Rotterdam-based designer Joep van Lieshout (1963) drew inspiration for this beechwood chair from the ultra-conservative Shakers. This religious community settled in America in the late 18th century and was entirely self-sufficient. They designed their own furniture, which was characterized by its pure simplicity.
With two screws in the middle, this chair almost seems to have a face. Seven other versions of this chair were made. No two are exactly alike. Each chair has a different backrest and a different expression. Designer Maarten Baas (1978) explores the boundaries between art and design. His work is known for its rebellious and playful character.
The Zig-Zag Chair by Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964) is one of the highlights of the Centraal Museum’s collection.
The museum has many different types of Zig-Zag Chairs in its collection. Chairs like this one, as well as chairs in green and red, and chairs with armrests, metal tubing and holes.
Van Lieshout spent four years designing this chair. One requirement was that the chair had to be easy to stack. It is made without screws, as a tribute to the traditional craftsmanship of artisan furniture makers.
Because its legs splay out like a spider’s, the chair was named ‘Spider’.
This is the last chair designed by Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964). He designed it for the Steltman jewellery store in The Hague. The asymmetrical chair, which presents a surprising view from every angle, is composed entirely of lines and planes.
The original chair was upholstered in white faux leather.
The Military Stool by designer Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964) is part of the Military Furniture Series that Rietveld designed in 1923 for the Catholic Military Home in Utrecht. The series also includes a chair and a table. For the first time, Rietveld used nuts and bolts for the joints instead of wooden dowels.
While studying at Design Academy Eindhoven, Richard Hutten (1967) felt that designers often made their furniture designs unnecessarily complicated. In response, he created this ‘No Sign of Design’ series—an ironic nod to his fellow artists.
This chair consists of two identical steel frames that support the chair and are connected to the seat. The shell’s elegant curve also makes the chair genuinely comfortable.
Designer W.H. Gispen (1890–1981) is known as the man who modernised heavy Dutch oak interiors with lightweight tubular steel furniture.