Frank Lloyd Wright

One of the gems of Reno is the Nevada Museum of Art. Right now they have a show about architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision. I have an interest in design, so I decided to go. Wow, oh WOW, was I impressed! They don’t allow photography, so you’ll have to visualize (or visit before July 20^th).

FLW was the first American architect to take the whole organic process of design and apply it to make comfortable living spaces. There is an underlying unity and order that bring harmony into the home. He created open spaces, took away walls, had large walls of glass windows to connect with nature outside. He pioneered the green practices of passive solar, radiant heat, recycled glass, and living roofs. He basically established the kind of houses we live in today, a hundred years later.

These are the things that impressed me the most:

A tall slender “weed holder” ~ a vase for holding garden cuttings.

Light screens ~ a light box “window” made of stained glass with an edgy design.

Extremely tall dining room chairs ~ the chair backs create an enclosure around the guests, making an intimate “room” within the room.

As a side note, his personal life was tragic, but fascinating: he moved to Chicago right after the Great Fire of 1871. After marrying and fathering 6 children, he fell in love with another man's wife, and they eloped to Europe. She was later ax-murdered along with two children and others on his estate while it burned. His next wife was a morphine addict. He fell in love with another woman, had a child, and was arrested for violating the Mann Act. His home burned again.

My favorite quote: I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.