Utrecht Centraal Museum - Krijn de Koning Installtion

The images below are of Krijn de Koning’s work at the Centraal Museum, which I loved when I saw it. The installation occupies two floors and prior to the museums renovation the space was warren of doctors consultation rooms and corridors. 

De Kroning’s work is site specific and aims to interrupt environments by adding sculptural, architectural and colourful constructions. At the Centraal Museum, De Kroning knocked down some walls and left some standing complete with doors to create a new accessible space. The colours are bright and vivid, walking in and around the installation it was hard not to feel really cheerful.

On the Tourist Trail

Walk into any tourist information centre and there’s a myriad of leaflets for activitites, all competing for your attention.  These flyers, for Utrecht Centraal Museum’s different attractions, caught my eye in particular.  As well as the Rietveld Schröder House, the dick bruna huis is another one of the Centraal Museum’s attractions. dick bruna is graphic designer, famous for being the creator of Miffy. 

I love the strong layout of information on these pamphlets as they highlight how white space is effective on designs. In addition they fold out into a poster showcasing the respective attractions. In a sea of tourist pamphlets these leaflets, with their graphic layout, are attention grabbing. 

Visting the Rietveld Schröder House

Rietveld Schröder House

I visited Utrecht this NZ Winter for three days. I haven’t been to the Netherlands for years so it was a pleasure to go back there and also explore a town I hadn’t visited before. Utrecht is really lovely and positively ancient in comparison to Christchurch. After five years in NZ I was fully appreciating the old world Dutch-ness of it all with the narrow cobbled streets, canals and gorgeously wonky buildings. I was especially excited to find out that Utrecht is home of the Rietveld Schröder House. Even though I studied De Stijl in university and selected the movement as a topic for an essay, I hadn’t made the connection that Urecht was the home of the Rietveld Schröder House. I was stoked – nice one Tripadvisor.

You have to book a specific slot to visit the Schröder House so allowing plenty of time to reach my destination I set off, in proper Dutch fashion, on my one speed bike… and proceeded to get hopelessly lost. I had to stop a passing biker for directions who first gestured me the right way but then took pity on me and said he’d take me there himself as I’d “never find it otherwise”. How right he was.

As I’d missed the start of the tour I was hurried through the downstairs section in literally 30 seconds and told I could look through windows afterwards by the rather dour museum person.  It didn’t matter though, the upstairs was by far the coolest part with its sliding panels and multi-functional living spaces and I got to see the famous red and blue chair with my own eyes too. Although you’re not allowed to sit in it. 

It just goes to show how timeless good design is, the red and blue chair is nearly 100 years old but it’s still got a decidedly contemporary vibe about it. And the house itself is 90 years old and yet has a more radical approach to use of space than many contemporary homes to do. Access to nature was also an important part of the design. Every room, or area, in the house has outdoor access be it through a door or a balcony; although the house now faces a motorway that was built in the 1960s, which impacts on the nature side of things somewhat.

I was so glad I had the opportunity to visit the Rietveld Schröder House, it was brilliant. After taking a little time to peer through the windows of the downstairs, I set off again on my bike and managed to get straight back home without getting lost.

Delftware meets De Stijl

Front entrance with reading room on the left and kitchen window on the right