Frank Lloyd Wright Series: Family Home (Oak Park)

As we continue in our Frank Lloyd Wright mini-series (*grin*), the above photo is his actual family home.  Approaching the outside there is an immediate sense of what FLW must have felt as he walked up to this beautiful home after a stroll nearby.  At the time he lived in this home (1889-1909) there were tall, prairie grassy areas across the street.  This is no longer the case, as houses and roads are now the view, but looking at his home you can feel what it must have been like to approach this wonderful structure.

In the next few posts we will explore more of the inside of not only his home, but the space attached to the home which was also his studio.  I must tell you that you are in for a few surprises when you see what little ‘tricks’ Mr. Wright utilized in his private home to make things exactly the way he wanted them to be.

Let’s take a look at the little alcove once you enter his home:

This is such a unique space with which to greet guests.  There was no actual chimney used in this ‘fireplace’ setting.  Frank Lloyd Wright used a mirror above the, “Truth is Life” words, creating a bit of an optical illusion.

The photo above is showing another angle with a bit of the fireplace alcove area (where you see the green fabric on the chair).

Now if we turn around and look towards the windows, this is what we see in the same entrance room (living room, you get the idea)!

As we meander through the house in the next few posts, I think you will most definitely get a real sense of how the Wright family lived in this very unique, Prairie Style home!  Keep in mind this house was built more than 100 years ago! For its time, this was literally (and figuratively!) ground-breaking architecture.  While others architects were keeping with the Victorian style with varied and numerous pieces of decor, Frank Lloyd Wright streamlined his surroundings.  The colors of the Prairie Style represent nature:  grass, trees, brush, wheat, with its earth-tones of green, orange, yellow, and brown.  Don’t you just want to go and sit on the green seats? I sure did (I mean, I wanted to but of course it isn’t allowed).

Please stay tuned for upcoming posts where we explore the entire home of this visionary architect!