Wright Chat

peterm · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:15 am Post subject:

I don't have my Taschen Pfeiffer book here in Chicago. Isn't there a vintage color photo of the Zimmerman bathroom with the rich red in that book?

Could it be that the linen was chosen for the kitchen because the pattern might have tended to hide scratches, which may not have been such a concern in the bath?

dtc · Joined: 05 Mar 2007 Posts: 609

That reasoning would be like using oak for an entry door in a usonian that uses Cypress (a softer wood) else where because the entry will receive more wear and tear than the rest of the house.

peterm · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:52 am Post subject:

Well, let's examine the case of Fallingwater, where the kitchen countertops are laminate, and in the bathroom wood... Wright often allowed for variation. It seems that every time a rule (or pattern) exists, there is that exception...

http://www.wright-house.com/frank-lloyd-wright/fallingwater-pictures/photos-medium/7-kitchen-cabinets-ML.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/6040341079/

Or the Harold Price, Jr. workspace and bathroom:

dtc · Joined: 05 Mar 2007 Posts: 609

Peter,
You are right ...Fallingwater does have numerous materials in play and they work beautifully. The house is a one of-a-kind masterpiece.
The kitchen was designed for professional help. Some have suggested the Kaufmann's may never have even prepared a cup of tea in that Kitchen.

Wonder what workspaces and baths would look like if the Maestro was still alive today?

And I wonder how he would redesign these secondary spaces in 2012?

dtc · Joined: 05 Mar 2007 Posts: 609

I find no relationship in the workspace and bath in the Price Jr.house.
These pics could be from two different homes.
As a matter of fact the bath looks like a bath found in numerous 1950's homes
Of course sans F.LL.W.window.

peterm · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 9:37 am Post subject:

A wealthy client gets what he insists upon?

dtc · Joined: 05 Mar 2007 Posts: 609

No doubt, the result of a wealthy client's input.
Nothing special, nothing unique.

Jeff Myers · Joined: 22 Feb 2009 Posts: 1741 Location: Tulsa

I think it is the fact Bathroom should have separate materials than the workspace, it separates the 2 utilitarian spaces by materials. I wonder what the other bath looks like, I think it is white.
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JAT
Jeff T

KevinW · Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Posts: 1031

I find it delightfully perverse to use wood wall finishes in a bathroom / shower.
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KevinW

Roderick Grant · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 3947

That Price bath looks very 50s, but the kitchen does not. When was that photo taken? I bet those are not original materials.

As to matching materials in kitchens and baths, I doubt FLW would have been that obsessive, especially in houses with kitchens that were not open to the major rooms as they are in the tiny Usonian kitchens.

DRN · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 1551 Location: New Jersey

KevinW wrote:

peterm · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 1:04 pm Post subject:

Yes, it is a newer photo, and I am sure it was originally built differently, but I would seriously doubt that it had anything like the 4" green tiles in the bathroom...

peterm · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 1:06 pm Post subject:

There are perversions, and then there are perverse perversions...

SDR · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 8031 Location: San Francisco

It seems perfectly logical to me -- and in keeping with the reduced material palette which Wright initially specified for the Usonian type -- to have wet-room countertops and other surfaces made of identical appropriate materials. That is no more obsessive to me than is his use of a single wood specie, or a single floor material, or consistent detailing, throughout -- which were defining characteristics of the Usonian, at least in its original guise.

And, yes, wood as a finish material near plumbing is illogical. Still, boats are made of wood, and their "brightwork" (the unpainted, clear-finished trim) must be continually seen after. Fiberglass and other plastics do away with such maintenance -- but are no doubt dismissed by the Old Guard boater as trash !

SDR

KevinW · Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Posts: 1031