It is one of the three oldest surviving examples of this design and still shows a fair amount of its original red, yellow, blue, black and white lacquer.

This Buggy was passed on by inheritance within a Dutch family from the second half of the 1920s to 2025 and is, according to the renowned Rietveld specializing Restorer Jurjen Creman, one of the best documented Rietveld-objects he ever came across.

The Beach Buggy from 1923, is composed of the same visual elements as one of Rietveld’s first ground breaking designs the ‘Latten-leunstoel’ (Slatted Armchair) from 1918, except that circles now play a prominent role in the design.

Rietveld didn’t often used circles in his designs, but in 1923, in addition to the Beach Buggy, he also designed a child’s Wheelbarrow and the Schröder Table, in which the circle played a prominent role. Ludo van Halem, curator of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, suggested in an article he wrote, that the meeting between Rietveld and the Russian artist El Lissitzky (1890-1941), in 1923, might have been a source of inspiration for this. (L. van Halem, de stoel van til, til brugman en de stijl, RMA Bulletin 2013)

The Beach Buggy immediately stands out because of its bright primary colors used to emphasize each separate part of the construction. A method Rietveld also applies for the first time in 1923 for the monochrome ‘Slatted Armchair’, he designed earlier in 1918, changing it into ‘The Red and Blue Chair’, by which it became a world-famous design-icon. While designing the Beach Buggies and Wheelbarrows, both being designs for children, Rietveld possibly first felt the freedom to experiment with this daring color-scheme.

The many surviving historical photos of the buggy here on offer, taken in various locations, show that its first owners considered it a very special utensil, to say the least. The oldest photos date from the early 1930s. Some were taken in Dutch coastal towns and demonstrate that the buggy was actually used for its intended purpose: to transport children to and from the beach.

Most historical photos show the Beach Buggy being pulled along sandy paths and cobblestone roads. It’s not surprising that this severely tested the construction of the buggy, being assembled from simple wooden slats and wooden wheels without suspension. There were also photos taken of the repairs and restorations that followed this intensive use. By continually maintaining and repairing the buggy and documenting these efforts, the subsequent owners within the family, have preserved this important design object and its history for future generations.

Several years ago, the youngest generation of owners, commissioned restorer, Jurjen Creman of Atelier Creman in Amsterdam, to conduct a museum-worthy, complete restoration of their heirloom.