Gerrit Thomas Rietveld

Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, a dutch architect and furniture designer, was born on June 24, 1888 in Utrecht, Netherlands. Son of a joiner and carpenter, Rietveld left school at the age of 11 and got admission at a night school. His father trained him as a cabinetmaker from 1899 to 1906. From 1906 to 1911 he diverted his attention towards jewelry designing in the studio of C. J. Begeer. In 1917 Rietveld set up his own furniture shop and got into learning drawing, painting and model making. After learning these skills Rietveld moved towards studying and practicing architecture and along with this kept working as a self-employed cabinetmaker for eight years.