Studio & Home/ Frank Lloyd Wright, Oak Park, Chicago.

Left: The signage on the Studio, Right: The Front of the home, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Inside the Entryway, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Left: Inside the Entryway and Front Door, Right: The Parlor, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Left: Small area with table and Chairs, Right: Hallway, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Left & Right: Prep Area on the side of Dining Room, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Inside the Dining Room, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

The main bedroom and bathroom, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Left: Inside Mrs Wrights Nursery and Day Room, Right: The Kitchen, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

The Children's Playroom, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

The Exterior & Interior of The Studio, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Left: The Reception Area, Right: Detail of Plans, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Inside The Drafting Room, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Mr Wright's Office and Desk, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

Inside the Presentation Room, Photography: Studio Marcus Hay

The exterior from the side of home, Studio in the foreground
Photo on behalf of The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust

If you are ever in Chicago and you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, take a trip out to Oak Park, The idyllic suburb is where Frank Lloyd Wright settled in 1889 at the age of 22. Richly dense with tree lined streets and big homes, this area is far cry from the reality of the big smoke. It was the reason most people moved out there after the big Chicago fires in 1871, to be on safe land and away from the unsafe city. I decided to do a tour of the suburb via a bike tour organized by The Go Wright/ FLW Preservation Trust. It’s a great way to view all of the many houses and the temple he designed in the area.

After the bike tour I visited independently the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, It has been restored to it’s former glory to around the time FLW left his wife and family to take up with another woman in 1909. It was a constant work in progress and went through 2 major renovations, first in 1895 when the house was remodeled and also in 1898 when the Studio and Connecting Corridor were built. The Studio is amazing with a Reception Area, The Drafting Room, FLW’s private office and a Octagonal Presentation Library; I think was my favorite part to see where he and many other Influential Architects worked on developing the Prairie Style which has become so recognized as a part of his overall look and style.

Wright used his house to experiment with his new ideas about architecture. He made the space feel more open by creating wide doorways, rooms that lead into each other, and built-in furniture. He used skylights and recessed lighting to create a more dramatic atmosphere, Wright's home, made of brick and dark shingles, is filled with natural wood furnishings and earth-tone spaces. The architect's determination to create an integrated environment prompted him to design the furniture as well—though his apparent lack of regard for comfort is obvious. In the lead windows are colored-glass art designs, and several rooms have skylights or other indirect lighting. A spacious barrel-vault playroom on the second floor includes a hidden piano for the children's theatrical productions.

There are so many aspects of the house that don’t seem empathetic to modern living but it is amazing the clever techniques he uses, the light is so painterly and even though a bit dark for me in places, It is used very cleverly. I really enjoyed seeing his first home and having been to Taliesin 2 in Arizona only last year; it was great to see the difference between his early life and then his later life and where he resided, they are both similar in ways but also very different. 

Check out my other Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin West post, click here.