Cleopatra Daybed by Dick Cordemeijer for Auping, 1954

Want to Know More About A.R. Cordemeyer?

André R. Cordemeyer was born in Bussum in the Netherlands in 1924. After studying mechanical engineering at Amsterdam’s Technical College he started his career as a draftsman. In 1952 the bed manufacturer Auping hired Cordemeyer as a technician. There he would concentrate on his own design work and had his first success with the Cleopatra Bed. In 1954 Cordemeyer resigned from Auping and became a member of The Hague’s industrial design circle Kring Industriële Ontwerpers.

A.R. Cordemeyer’s Collaborations and Career

A.R. Cordemeyer collaborated with Wim Rietveld and together they introduced the use of plastic at the furniture manufacturer Gispen . Their designs included armchair No. 416, which was one of the first industrially manufactured plastic chairs in the Netherlands. Following Rietveld’s resignation from Gispen in 1957, Cordemeyer worked in a design team with Van Osselen and L.J. Hollowman. Between 1956 and 1975 Cordemeyer designed many pieces of furniture for Gispen. In 1961 he designed a series of seating units including conference chair No. 1431 and armchair No. 1432 as well as sofas No.1704 and No.1715. Cordemeyer is noted for his innovative use of new materials and the mechanized production process. His designs are celebrated for their robust nature and high functionality. His furniture is adaptable, featuring removable arm rests and cushions and can thus be modified according to personal preference.

A.R. Cordemeyer at PAMONO

Pamono’s carefully curated collection is hand-picked to guarantee we source the highest quality pieces from the best dealers. Our collection includes many Cordemeyer pieces that were designed for manufacturer Gispen. Not only does Pamono’s collection include his iconic chairs but it also includes Desks and storage units. Cordemeyer’s designs come in all shapes and sizes but all demonstrate exemplary craftsmanship. By buying your A.R. Cordemeyer piece through Pamono you are not only guaranteed safe online payment and worldwide shipping but also a truly unique item of the highest quality.

In 1888, blacksmith Johannes Auping of Deventer, the Netherlands, was commissioned by a local hospital to construct a bed that was more hygienic than the straw mattresses in use at the time.  Working with steel, he designed a mattress that consisted of braided wires joined to a metal frame. Two years later, the Civil Hospital in Amsterdam commissioned the first major order of forty beds. After some adjustments to the original, Auping marketed the new design as a “healthy steel mattress”—with unprecedented capacity for ventilation due to airflow between the steel wires. The high demand for the newfangled mattress allowed Auping to open his eponymous factory in his hometown in 1912.

In the postwar boom era, the Auping company began to collaborate with renowned Dutch designers on an expanded product line. Highlights from this collectible phase of Auping’s history include Dick Cordemeijer’s Cleopatra Daybed (1953), Wim Rietveld’s Arielle Daybed (1955), Friso Kramer’s Euroika Tables (1963), and Frans de la Haye’s Auronde Bed (1973). The Auronde and Cleopatra remain Auping’s most successful designs to date, each having sold over a million models.  

Auping obtained the addition of “Royal” to their name for their 100th anniversary and are now known as Koninklijke Auping BV in Dutch. Today, the company is the largest independent manufacturer of beds in the Netherlands, with a reputation for high quality products, innovative designs, and lasting comfort. Recent designer collaborations include projects with Piet Hein Eek, Thomas Althaus, and Jan des Bouvrie. Auping’s product line—beds, box springs, mattresses, mesh bases, tables, and chairs—are solely manufactured in the Netherlands and have won various awards over the years, such as the Red Dot Award and Cradle to Cradle certification for utilizing of more than 50% recycled materials.