rather arduous work required to transform the house at different times
of the day manageable.) Inasmuch as it was made up of distinct spaces –
a hallway, a kitchen, a housekeeper’s room, Rietveld’s own workspace (a
space initially left for a garage but never used as such) and a guest room- the ground floor was laid out fairly conventionally. It was a deliberate
ploy on Rietveld’s behalf to gain building approval. In order to be able to
undertake the innovative design he had planned for it he also described
the upper space to the local authorities as an ‘attic’. In complete contrast
to the ground floor the upper area was left as a single open space,
although, as we have seen, rooms for sleeping and for privacy could be
created through the movement of sliding and folding screens.
In his design for the interior of the Schroeder house Rietveld
fulfilled a number of ambitions. The first was to merge painting and
architecture. He achieved that aim in a number of ways which included
placing coloured squares and rectangles on various parts of the ceilings
and walls to achieve different spatial and light effects. In the entrance hall
the presence of a white rectangle served to reflect light from the window
176 situated above the door. Colour was used in a much more practical way
The first floor of the house designed by Gerrit Rietveld for Mrs Truus-Schroeder,
Utrecht, 1924.