Getting it Wright: Today's Prairie Style
See how Frank Lloyd Wright and others continue to influence home design of our time
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
As the 19th century waned and the 20th century was dawning, a group of architects and designers in the Upper Midwest banded together to form the Prairie School. An entirely new approach to domestic design, the Prairie School featured a new language. Rooms made of four walls and small holes for windows were replaced with cantilevered roofs, floating planes, bands of windows and open corners to create spaces that would be all open and light and bright.
The most famous of the Prairie School architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, designed of such iconic houses as Robie, Willits, Coonley, Martin and more, Wright's designs served as the bases for the International Style and today's modernism. A line can be easily drawn from Wright to Mies to the best of today's modern aesthetic.
So in celebration of the Prairie School and the upcoming Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy conference, it's entirely appropriate that we take a look at this enduring style and see how it continues to influence domestic design in our time.
More: Visit Fallingwater, a Frank Lloyd Wright Masterpiece
The most famous of the Prairie School architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, designed of such iconic houses as Robie, Willits, Coonley, Martin and more, Wright's designs served as the bases for the International Style and today's modernism. A line can be easily drawn from Wright to Mies to the best of today's modern aesthetic.
So in celebration of the Prairie School and the upcoming Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy conference, it's entirely appropriate that we take a look at this enduring style and see how it continues to influence domestic design in our time.
More: Visit Fallingwater, a Frank Lloyd Wright Masterpiece
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| The Huertley House of 1902 designed by Frank Lloyd Wright represents an early Prairie style home. The hip roof with deep overhangs, emphasis on horizontal lines, ribbon windows and central chimney mass are all features of the style. |
A large, central chimney mass dominates the interior space of the early Prairie style homes. A literal translation of the hearth as the heart of the house.
The open floor plan is evident here. No longer are the living room (or parlor) and dining room separated. The space flows from one "room" to the next as the ceiling delineates areas.
Simple yet richly stained wood, preferably quarter-sawn oak, and earth tones are hallmarks of a Prairie-style interior.
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| This new Prairie style home in California features hip roofs, casement windows tight to the underside of the roof overhang and trim to emphasize the horizontal. The angled, battered walls tie this home to the landscape in true Prairie fashion. |
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| Here is a Texas variation on the Prairie style. The trademark hip roof with deep overhangs is a constant no matter the location of the style. |
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by Highland Group
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| The layering one on top of the other in this home is a distinct variation on the Prairie style. |
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| In today's updated Prairie style, the entrances often soar out to greet visitors. |
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by RTA Studio
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| A new Prairie style kitchen with beautiful woodwork. |
Art glass windows, a trademark feature of the Prairie School, filter and transform light while eliminating the need for curtains and drapes.
With its broad overhang and corner window, this contemporary design owes much to the Prairie style.
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| The interior of the house also reveals Wright-inspired touches like the built-in seating next to the hearth and the corner window. |
Deep overhang, large window areas, cantilever, etc. are all here in true Prairie School form updated for the 21st century.
More:
See more Wright and Wright-esque homes
Browse thousands of home design photos
Find an architect
More:
See more Wright and Wright-esque homes
Browse thousands of home design photos
Find an architect
Ideabook updated on Feb. 29, 2012.
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i always loved the open hearth fireplaces and the sandstone..
For any fans of Wright's work, this home tour provides a remarkable opportunity to view the interiors of many private homes that are neighbors to his own Home and Studio (a National Trust for Historic Preservation property).
In several instances, the current owners have made sympathetic additions and/or renovations to expand the home or create a more modern kitchen or bath, while remaining consistent to the architect's vision.
The 2012 Tour will be offered June 2. It is always a Sell-Out.
http://gowright.org/wright-plus.html
And I am in no way affiliated with the sponsors! Just found the tour one of my favorite lifetime experiences.
Even the others are out of this world!!!
Oh, how i wish i have a house like that!!