The original chair was constructed of unstained beech wood and was not painted until the early 1920s.[1] Fellow member of De Stijl and architect, Bart van der Leck, saw his original model and suggested that he add bright colours.[2] He built the new model of thinner wood and painted it entirely black with areas of primary colors attributed to De Stijl movement. The effect of this color scheme made the chair seem to almost disappear against the black walls and floor of the Schröder house where it was later placed.[3] The areas of color appeared to float, giving it an almost transparent structure.[4]