Houzz Tour: A Frank Lloyd Wright Home, Lovingly Restored
In a 15-year labor of love, one dedicated Ohio couple focuses on conserving over remodeling, protecting an architectural legacy
After more than 20 years of studying Frank Lloyd Wright's work, Cleveland natives Dan and Dianne Chrzanowski got a chance to live their passion by becoming the second owners of Wright's John J. Dobkins House.
This home illustrates Wright's take on the democratic American home. According to William Allin Storrer, the author of The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion, Wright's "Usonian" homes were designed to appeal to average-income families. They generally had an L-shaped floor plan, with the living room, bedrooms and bathrooms taking up one wing and the kitchen (or workspace, as Wright called it) sitting in the junction. They had a single story and were built of easily attainable brick, concrete and solid woods.
With great respect for the Dobkins House, the Chrzanowskis have spent the last 15 years restoring it while living in it. "It's all about restoration and conserving, not remodeling," says Dan. "We owners are responsible to care for a part of America’s architectural legacy."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Dan and Dianne Chrzanowski
Location: Canton, Ohio
Size: About 1,800 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
That's interesting: The floor plan is based on a series of equilateral triangles, with no 90-degree corners.
This home illustrates Wright's take on the democratic American home. According to William Allin Storrer, the author of The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion, Wright's "Usonian" homes were designed to appeal to average-income families. They generally had an L-shaped floor plan, with the living room, bedrooms and bathrooms taking up one wing and the kitchen (or workspace, as Wright called it) sitting in the junction. They had a single story and were built of easily attainable brick, concrete and solid woods.
With great respect for the Dobkins House, the Chrzanowskis have spent the last 15 years restoring it while living in it. "It's all about restoration and conserving, not remodeling," says Dan. "We owners are responsible to care for a part of America’s architectural legacy."
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Dan and Dianne Chrzanowski
Location: Canton, Ohio
Size: About 1,800 square feet; 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
That's interesting: The floor plan is based on a series of equilateral triangles, with no 90-degree corners.
Wright often integrated notions of balance and nature into his work. The wall of windows in the living room creates an almost transparent divide from the outdoors. Also known for his principles of organic architecture, Wright had almost everything in the home made of natural materials. Here, the vintage Eames Lounge Chair blends effortlessly with the handmade kilim rugs and textiles.
In the main living area, a pair of Wright-designed Origami Chairs adds to the Asian influence. Originally conceived for Wright’s own home, Taliesin, the chairs were later built into a number of Usonian homes.
The construction of these chairs is no easy feat. “It was a challenge for even the most experienced cabinetmakers," says Dan. "There are no 90-degree joints — a complicated task not only for the woodworker but the upholsterer as well.”
The construction of these chairs is no easy feat. “It was a challenge for even the most experienced cabinetmakers," says Dan. "There are no 90-degree joints — a complicated task not only for the woodworker but the upholsterer as well.”
The front facade of the Dobkins House exemplifies quintessential Usonian design. It is very private, while the back remains open. Red brick, mahogany and Cherokee red concrete greet visitors at the entrance. Utilizing three essential materials throughout the home creates a unified feeling.
The floor plan exhibits a truly complete and connected design, from the triangulated spaces to the repeated motif applied to the concrete floors. Years before Wright designed the Dobkins House, his homes were heated with radiant floor heating.
Built-in bookshelves in the main living area house the Chrzanowskis' collection of woven baskets. Dan, an artist, made the lamp in the center.
Wright first designed this lamp for Taliesin in the 1930s and gradually introduced it into his commissioned designs. Dan adapted the design and constructed two of these lamps for the Dobkins House. Day or night, the diffused glow softens the geometry of the space and brings natural materials to life.
Much of the original brass hardware and many of the brass door screens still exist in the house, like on this entrance to the living room from the main terrace.
Dan designed and built the lounge chairs on the terrace. They're a modern take on the Adirondack style, with lines that mimic the vertical lines of the windows and doors behind them.
The southwest-facing terrace provides the homeowners with an open yet private spot for relaxing and entertaining. The brickwork and the pigment-dyed concrete floors on the terrace create a seamless transition into the interior of the house.
The homeowners chose a vintage Russell Woodard design for the terrace furniture. Part of his Sculptura collection, the patio set and wing chair remain true to the midcentury design of the Dobkins House.
The homeowners chose a vintage Russell Woodard design for the terrace furniture. Part of his Sculptura collection, the patio set and wing chair remain true to the midcentury design of the Dobkins House.
Tucked into the corner of the room, a Thonet plywood chair and a built-in desk make valuable use of an otherwise tricky corner. Staying true to the architect’s palette of natural materials, Dan displays a collection of clay pots and artifacts from around the globe on the shelves above.
All of the woodwork — from the walls to the shelves to the integrated daybed — is created from mahogany, giving the home a warm glow. “I always tell myself that I am going to make it through a read without falling asleep,” jokes Dan, attesting to the comfort and intimacy of the space.
Like many Usonian homes, the Dobkins House has a hearth placed centrally in the open-plan living space. The anchored position of the dining table defines the transition into the kitchen. George Nakashima dining chairs support the home's historic design.
“As you walk through the house, you begin to see that Wright designed it to have a compress-and-release effect on you,” Dan says. A dynamic sensation of movement occurs with low ceilings and intimate spaces suddenly giving way to grand vaults and slopes.
“As you walk through the house, you begin to see that Wright designed it to have a compress-and-release effect on you,” Dan says. A dynamic sensation of movement occurs with low ceilings and intimate spaces suddenly giving way to grand vaults and slopes.
Minimal cabinetry lines the perimeter of the dining space, drawing visitors through the room and providing the Chrzanowskis with a gallery-style display for their treasures. “We believe the handmade aspect of the house is one of the reasons handmade pottery, baskets and textiles fit so well in the house's environment,” says Dan.
Walls and counters converge to form an equilateral triangle in the kitchen (workspace). The couple added lighting above and below the original cabinetry for daily tasks. The brick wall with slit windows became an unexpectedly ideal display for more art, thanks to the homeowners' innovative glass-plate shelving within the windows' brickwork.
The entry truly exemplifies Wright's notion of compress and release. This photo peers down the front gallery, showing how the space narrows and the ceilings drop, perhaps indicating the transition to more private quarters.
At night, the windows are illuminated by custom-fit triangular recessed lights, while another phenomenon reveals itself by day. “The windows were designed in such a way so that as the sun moves across the sky, light and shadow work together to create a pattern of triangles on the floor,” Dan says.
At night, the windows are illuminated by custom-fit triangular recessed lights, while another phenomenon reveals itself by day. “The windows were designed in such a way so that as the sun moves across the sky, light and shadow work together to create a pattern of triangles on the floor,” Dan says.
Mahogany board and batten wraps all of the interior walls of the Dobkins House, unifying the inner core of the private wing. In the guest bedroom, minimal furnishings allow the woodwork to dictate the design. The integrated bed and the Usonian Ottoman allow the eye to focus on the architecture.
Dan constructed this adaptation of Wright’s Taliesin I Table Lamp for the guest bedroom, where it illuminates a small grouping of collected artifacts.
Located at the end of the front gallery hall, the master bedroom opens up with vaulted ceilings and ample sunlight. Mahogany woodwork behind the bed mimics a headboard.
Light pours into the master bedroom through mitered-corner windows and a wall of glass doors. The concrete patio rises directly from the grass, emphasizing the blend of nature and design.
Dan describes his approach to gardening as “keeping it natural,” just as Wright would have intended.
Dan describes his approach to gardening as “keeping it natural,” just as Wright would have intended.
As with other homes built during this period, the set-back location of the house makes it almost undetectable to passersby. “Wright would never begin a design without first receiving a topographical map of the property,” says Dan. The 14 pin oaks that surround the house were specified in Wright’s planting plan.
The homeowners proudly continue to restore the home for future generations. “We are caretakers,” says Dan. ”We need to leave this house better than we found it.”
More:
What Wright's Own House Tells Us
Wright-Sized in Alabama: The Rosenbaum House
The homeowners proudly continue to restore the home for future generations. “We are caretakers,” says Dan. ”We need to leave this house better than we found it.”
More:
What Wright's Own House Tells Us
Wright-Sized in Alabama: The Rosenbaum House
