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| These are two views of the
living room of a Frank Lloyd Wright house here in Oak Park that I have
been working on for several years. There was no furniture designed
for the house, so we had some freedom in terms of what pieces we
used. The settle and morris chairs are by Hile
Studio, and the other pieces were custom-designed for the house.
One of the most important instructions that the clients gave me at the
start was that the house would be comfortable and liveable for their
family and friends. There could be nothing too precious or
museum-like that would make people feel uncomfortable. I chose
fabrics that had a richness both in terms of their color as well as their
textures. Velvets, wovens and subtle patterns predominate, which was
a characteristic of the Prairie School interiors. |
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| The picture on the left is a
view into the breakfast room off of the new kitchen. The table and
chairs are custom designs, and subtly play up the Japanese flavor of the
architecture. The recessed ceiling fixture above was designed after
the leaded glass, and casts a beautiful glow in the evenings over the
whole space. The photo on the right is of the veranda, and space in
the back of the house that looks over the garden. Wright originally
intended this room to be an open porch, we believe, so the walls and
woodwork were treated to match the exterior. It is now enclosed with
leaded glass windows, and is a wonderful place to sit and have a quiet
conversation, read a book, or unwind at the end of the day. I chose wicker
furniture, but upholstered it in "indoor" fabrics, which
creates a pleasant tension. The furniture is all custom-designed and
made of cypress, a gorgeous, albeit soft, wood. |
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| Here are
two views of the master bedroom of the Frank Lloyd Wright house.
While the basic foot print of the room did not change, virtually every
surface was touched in some way. The walls are treated in a special
application of sand and tinted paint that perfectly replicates the old
sand-coat plaster found in homes of the period. The pair of chairs,
the lamp table, night stands and bed were all custom-designed, since there
was no furniture by Wright specified for the house. The chandelier
is period, but I am not sure who designed it. It is perfect in the
room nonetheless, and in fact the colors of the walls were chosen to
harmonize with it. The wall behind the bed has built-in cabinetry
behind it, which allowed us to keep the room itself relatively open and
uncluttered. At night, it is a magical, peaceful space. |
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