One Block Down and Cassina reinterpret Rietveld's iconic Zig Zag Chair

For its latest project, One Block Down is partnering with Cassina, the internationally renowned Italian brand known for its groundbreaking furniture designs.

2 photos

Revered by countless creatives operating in diverse fields ranging from music to film to contemporary art, Cassina has become a benchmark. He first joined the One Block Down team in 2022, when they created a unique iteration of Gerrit T. Rietveld’s Zig Zag chair. A year later, they are revisiting the Dutch artist’s history, delving deeper into his use of colour to propose new limited edition pieces.

The Zig Zag chair was born in the early 1990s, when Gerrit T. Rietveld was commissioned to design a seat for series production. It was the first of its kind: a cantilevered form constructed from steel strips covered with a single sheet of fibreboard. Rietveld soon realised that the fibreboard was not strong enough, so the next model was developed with steel and plywood.

Rietveld‘s work is defined by continuous experimentation. The brilliant Dutch architect, best known for his involvement in the neo-Plasticist movement, designed and proposed numerous variations of his most acclaimed models, including the Zig Zag chair. The rhythmic sequence of the inverted Z shape emphasises the relationship between its vertical, oblique and horizontal lines.

This graphic rhythm and the separation of structural elements are recurring themes in Rietveld‘s work and what makes him synonymous with Neo-Plasticism and the associated artistic style known as De Stijl.

The De Stijl art movement sought to portray visual compositions in their simplest form, giving rise to an aesthetic defined by linear elements and primary colours. Iconic of this artistic approach, Rietveld and his work became intrinsically linked to certain tones, in particular red, yellow and blue.

Steeped in historical references, the latest version of the Zig Zag chair by One Block Down honours the significance of these three striking colours that the architect used to express the true essentiality of the object’s form. Like its predecessor, it is made of two opposing materials: wood and sheet metal. The production of this creative vision by Cassina highlights his illustrious mastery of furniture design.

To celebrate this limited edition collection, One Block Down has worked on a special campaign with a unique installation created in Piscina Scarioni, one of the most iconic public swimming pools in the city of Milan. It highlights the vibe and colours of the new collaboration with Cassina that contrasts with the past glory, greyness and nostalgic beauty of one of the city’s most interesting architectural projects.