60s André Cordemeyer model 1712 sofa for Gispen

Born in 1924 in Bussum, Holland, André Robert (A. R.) Cordemeyer was a prolific Dutch industrial designer active in the 1950s and ‘60s, working chiefly for manufacturing brand Gispen. Limited verifiable information, however, is available about him today—and it is heavily debated whether or not Cordemeyer is the same person as Dutch designer Dick Cordemeijer, who designed the famous Cleopatra Daybed (1953-4) for Auping. One theory suggests that their biographical facts are often conflated because Dick Cordemeijer changed his name to André Cordemeyer after working for Auping.

Sometime around 1954, André Cordemeyer began to work for Gispen. At this time, W. H. Gispen had resigned from his position as head designer, and Wim Rietveld, son of Gerrit Rietveld, was already designing for the company. During their tenures at Gispen, the younger Rietveld and Cordemeyer both developed pared down, functionalist designs—often working in collaboration—with a focus on practical, affordable furniture for office interiors.

The collaboration between Cordemeyer and Rietveld at Gispen was particularly successful in the 1407 Armchair (1954) and the 416 Easy Chair (1956)—both of which are highly sought-after on the design markets today. The slimly upholstered 1409 and 1410 Armchairs followed in 1959. Which had a logical development in the 1712 sofa designed in the early sixties who match also together in the same living room. This 1712 sofa has a strong metal frame and completely new upholstery.

Cordemeyer stayed on until sometime in the 1970s, when he took on engineering work for wind energy projects. During his career, Cordemeyer always sought to incorporate new production techniques and materials into his designs in order to propose the most efficient products for the postwar Dutch population