12/10/2026
Sonneveld House now contains various examples of Dutch design from the 1920s and 1930s that were not originally in the house. These objects, in particular glass items, have been added because they fit with the style of the house and the family’s taste.
This pressed-glass service is one of the first examples of modernist industrial design in the Netherlands. This service was originally designed for Glasfabriek Leerdam by architect H.P. Berlage (1856-1934). In 1924 it was adapted for mass production by Piet Zwart (1885-1977), who was then working in Berlage’s practice. The service proved difficult to produce in the desired material – graniver – a newly developed opaque form of glass with a granular structure.
The crisp, geometric forms express Berlage's and Zwart's conviction that machines, if used appropriately, were capable of producing aesthetically pleasing household objects. Unfortunately, test models showed that the design was impractical to use, and the costly moulds would have made the service too expensive. As a result, the planned complete dinner service was limited to a breakfast service, although a relatively extensive one.
On the table is a rare complete set, comprising breakfast plates, milk glasses, teacups, a teapot, a milk jug, a sugar pot and eggcups. The Sonneveld family never owned this service. It was, in fact, no longer on the market in 1932. Nonetheless, Sonneveld House is a logical place for this rare and beautiful service. After all, the Sonneveld family owned other glasses and vases from Leerdam.
The design embodies the modernist ideal of the marriage of art and industry and is an example of innovative and artistic use of glass.
⮕ Do you want to read more about the pressed-glassed breakfast service? You can find our articles via our website: https://nieuweinstituut.nl/en/projects/huis-sonneveld/een-persglazen-ontbijtservies
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Pictures: H.P. Berlage and Piet Zwart, breakfast service, 1923-24. Collection Nieuwe Instituut. (Enrichment). Photo's Johannes Schwartz.
