Without question the greatest architect the United States has ever produced, Frank Lloyd Wright and his philosophy of “organic architecture” — of buildings that exist in harmony with their natural surroundings — had a profound influence on the shape of modern life.
Wright gave us some of the most elegant and iconic buildings in America: residences such as Fallingwater, in rural Pennsylvania, the Robie House in Chicago, and Taliesin, Wright’s own home; and masterful institutional structures that include the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, the Johnson Wax headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Whenever possible, Wright designed the furniture for his projects, to ensure an affinity between a building’s exterior and interior.
Wright’s wooden chairs and tables for his “Prairie Houses” of the early 1900s have sleek, attenuated forms, influenced by both the simplicity of traditional Japanese design and the work of Gustav Stickley and other designers of the Arts and Crafts movement.
For Taliesin and several residential projects, Wright designed severely geometric chairs that are marvels of reductivist design. He revisited many of these forms in the 1950s in furniture licensed to the North Carolina firm Henredon, adding a decorative frieze-like element to the edges of tables and stools. Owing to a cross-licensing agreement between Henredon and Heritage at the time, Wright's lines of the era are usually labeled Heritage-Henredon.
The works on 1stDibs also show how happily Wright embraced new forms and materials. His desks and chairs for Johnson Wax have a streamlined look and use tubular steel to the same effect as designer Warren McArthur, who collaborated with Wright in the interiors of the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. For the Price Tower (1956) in Oklahoma, Wright designed angular wooden desks as well as upholstered pedestal chairs made of chromed steel — audacious furniture for his tallest completed building project.
The beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright’s furniture designs is that while many of us wish we could live in one of his houses, his vintage sofas, storage cabinets and armchairs connect us directly to his architecture, and to the history he made.
Frank Lloyd Wright, Armchair, Metal, Wood, Fabric, USA, 1955
Located in High Point, NC
A lacquered metal, wood and grey fabric armchair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Kalita Humphreys Theater, c. 1955. Provenance: Kalita Humphreys Theater, Dallas, Texas, 1955. Bui...
Metal
Frank Lloyd Wright, Armchair, Metal, Wood, Fabric, USA, 1955
By Frank Lloyd Wright
Located in High Point, NC
A lacquered metal, wood and grey fabric armchairs or side chairs designed and produced by Frank Lloyd Wright for Kalita Humphreys Theater, c. 1955. P...
Metal
$35,000
H 29 in W 23.75 in D 19.5 in
Barrel-Back Chair from the Frank L. Smith Bank by Frank Lloyd Wright
By Frank Lloyd Wright
Located in San Francisco, CA
Barrel-Back Chair from the Frank L. Smith Bank by Frank Lloyd Wright United States, 1905 Barrel-back chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Frank L. Smith Bank in Dwight, Illi...
Oak
$15,500 / set
H 33 in W 21.5 in D 24.75 in
Frank Lloyd Wright, Armchairs, Metal, Wood, Fabric, USA, 1955
By Frank Lloyd Wright
Located in High Point, NC
A set of 3 lacquered metal, wood and white fabric armchairs or side chairs designed and produced by Frank Lloyd Wright for Kalita Humphreys Theater, c...
Metal
$39,750
H 29.75 in W 19.25 in D 19.75 in
Spindle Side Chair for the Lawrence Memorial Library by Frank Lloyd Wright
By Frank Lloyd Wright
Located in San Francisco, CA
Spindle Side Chair for the Lawrence Memorial Library by Frank Lloyd Wright Side chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Lawrence Memorial Library in Springfield, Illinois. Executed in oak with a vertical spindle back and square frame, it features a later upholstered cushion in a textured yellow fabric. The design shares architectural similarities with Wright’s concurrent Dana-Thomas House commission, also created for Susan Lawrence Dana. Provenance: Lawrence Memorial Library, Springfield, IL Christie’s, New York, Important Frank Lloyd Wright and American Arts & Crafts Furnishings including Ceramics, 12 December 1987, Lot 105 Thomas S. Monaghan, Domino’s Private Collection Christie’s, Important Works by Frank Lloyd Wright and His Contemporaries from Domino’s Center for Architecture and Design, 12 June 1993, Lot 81 Important Private Collection Exhibited: Frank Lloyd Wright: Preserving an Architectural Heritage, Decorative Designs from the Domino’s Pizza...
Upholstery, Oak
Mid-Century Modern Armchair, 1960s after renovation
Located in Chorzów, PL
This stylish armchair, manufactured in Poland during the 1960s, is a beautifully restored piece that blends vintage charm with modern comfort. The armchair has undergone a complete r...
Walnut, Fabric
$15,000
H 30.5 in W 21.5 in D 21 in
Taliesin Armchair from the Riverview Terrace Restaurant by Frank Lloyd Wright
By Frank Lloyd Wright
Located in San Francisco, CA
Taliesin Armchair from the Riverview Terrace Restaurant by Frank Lloyd Wright A sculptural armchair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Riverview Terrace Restaurant in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The chair has a solid oak frame with a semicircular backrest and curved arms, reflecting Wright’s geometric style. Upholstered in a textured brick red fabric original to the period. Branded ‘Taliesin’ to the underside. Chair is in original condition. Provenance: Riverview Terrace Restaurant, Spring Green, WI Stuart Grannen, Architectural Artifacts...
Oak
Mid-Century Modern Kiko Armchair by Sergio Rodrigues, 1960s
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in New York, NY
Designed by Sergio Rodrigues in 1960, the Kiko armchair has a rectilinear rosewood structure with flat, squared members joined at right angles. The seat and backrest cushions are uph...
Leather, Rosewood
$7,500
H 23.63 in W 39.38 in D 25.2 in
Kiko Armchair by BSergio Rodrigues, Mid-Century Modern Brazilian, 1960s
By Sergio Rodrigues
Located in West Hollywood, CA
A rare model from Rodrigues’ 1960s production, the Kiko armchair combines the warmth of Brazilian jacarandá with an industrial sensibility expressed through its visible metal fitting...
Metal
$12,800
H 38.98 in W 32.68 in D 37.4 in
20th Century Art Deco Armchair - Sitzmaschine - by Fritz Gross, AT circa 1935
By Fritz Cross
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Real rare, exceptional example of Fritz Gross´s "Sitzmaschine" - literally translated "seating machine". A timeless designed 20th century armchair, veneered in fantastic looking pali...
Fabric, Palisander, Spruce
