Frank Lloyd Wright

The scarcity of documentation that exists on the furniture of Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the twentieth century's most famous and influential architects and designers, has engendered much speculation as to what he actually contributed to the field of furniture design. No direct influence was exerted upon the young architect in this area, although the Arts & Crafts movement was of interest to Wright; his created designs reveal a response to his love of nature and the need to integrate his work as closely as possible with the natural world. This is a book about ideas and innovation as much as it is about interiors and furniture. Auction houses, museums, galleries, and the author's own extensive collection of nearly 50,000 photographs taken in the course of his restoration work, have been consulted and used to bring together a vast collection of richly informative illustrations. These present a fascinating cross-section of both freestanding and built-in furniture. Heinz's opening introduction precedes a chronological tour through Wright's houses. Six chapters examine periods 1889-1900, 1900-1910, 1910-1936, 1936-1959, the Heritage-Henredon collections of designs, and colour, materials and details. Each period is accompanied by an incisive periodical review. Throughout the book, various buildings are highlighted and explored in depth, such as the Susan Lawrence Dana House, the Ward Willits House, the Robie House and the later and more expansive Aline Barnsdall House. The final period of Wright's working life, known as his 'Usonian' period, focused on his extensive work with plywood. This is analysed together with the fabrics, rugs and colours which Wright worked on concurrently. The appendix in this volume includes a full listing of furniture and drawings, a bibliographical survey of publications on, or including works by Wright, a glossary of furniture terms and, by assigned numbers, a list of all the Wright buildings covered in the book.