Item Description
Elegant drop front desk secretary in solid cherry, designed by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings and made by ‘t Woonhuys. This design differs in quite a few details from the later production version made by Widdicomb. This is a one-off piece specially made for a Dutch villa in the woods near the Dutch Royal Estate. The previous owners commissioned an architect to design their villa and interior in the 1950s. All furniture was custom made by furniture makers from ‘t Woonhuys in Amsterdam. The key is marked “‘t Woonhuys” on one side and Amsterdam on the reverse. Excellent craftsmanship and loving care made sure that this piece is still in outstanding original condition. This is a museum quality piece. Furniture factory ‘t Woonhuys was located around 1907 in a building at Vijzelstraat 56-60 in Amsterdam. In 1918 the company moved to the Prinsengracht. When Michel de Klerk created a sensation with his interior designs for Het Scheepvaarthuis, director F.J. Zeegers asked him to design furniture that Woonhuys could then manufacture in larger quantities. Hildo Krop also made drawings for the Amsterdam company. Because names are hardly mentioned anywhere in the archive for the sketches and drawings, it is difficult to link names to individual designs. There is discussion about whether producing furniture in (limited) series fits with the character of the Amsterdam School: after all, this was a movement in which individual expression played such an important role. In addition, the interiors produced by ‘t Woonhuys were often unaffordable for workers.
