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.
Barrel Chair from the B. Harley Bradley House by Frank Lloyd Wright
By Frank Lloyd Wright
Located in San Francisco, CA
Barrel Chair from the B. Harley Bradley House by Frank Lloyd Wright Quarter-sawn oak barrel-form chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the B. Harley Bradley House in Kankakee, Il...
Steel
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
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
Set of Ten Mahogany Dining Chairs by Frank Lloyd Wright for Heritage Henredon
By Frank Lloyd Wright, Heritage-Henredon
Located in San Francisco, CA
Set comprises eight side chairs and two armchairs designed circa 1955 by Frank Lloyd Wright for Heritage Henredon. All frames have been expertly restored and prepped for new upholste...
Fabric, Mahogany
Frank Lloyd Wright Lounge Chair from the Dorothy Turkel House, Detroit
By Frank Lloyd Wright
Located in San Francisco, CA
An original lounge chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Dorothy H. Turkel House in Detroit, circa 1955. One of only six known examples made specifically for the residence, th...
Mahogany
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
Petite Orsini Ottoman by Lawson-Fenning
By Lawson-Fenning
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Petite Orsini Ottoman features a minimal metal base with decorative ball feet and an upholstered seat. The Lawson-Fenning Collection is designed and handmade in Los Angeles, Ca...
Steel
Fairview Ottoman by Josh Greene for Lawson-Fenning
By Lawson-Fenning
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Fairview Ottoman is a tufted ottoman with matching upholstered base. The Lawson-Fenning Collection is designed and handmade in Los Angeles, California. Reach out to discover wha...
Upholstery
Lawson-Fenning Mesa Ottoman, Mohair and Solid Walnut, Modern Foot Stool
By Lawson-Fenning
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Mesa Ottoman is fully upholstered and features a walnut or oak inset base. Available with the Mesa Lounge Chair.
Mohair, Walnut
Moreno Ottoman by Lawson-Fenning
By Lawson-Fenning
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Walnut Moreno ottoman by Lawson-Fenning. The Moreno Ottoman features a round solid wood base with four cylindrical legs and an upholstered top. Available in American walnut or white ...
Walnut
Petite Orsini Ottoman by Lawson-Fenning
By Lawson-Fenning
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The Petite Orsini Ottoman features a minimal metal base with decorative ball feet and an upholstered seat. The Lawson-Fenning Collection is designed and handmade in Los Angeles, Ca...
Steel
San Rafael Ottoman by Lawson-Fenning
By Lawson-Fenning
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The San Rafael Ottoman features plush wide-channel tufting; tailored beautifully to the expertly crafted solid hardwood frame. Available with the San Rafael Lounge Chair. The Lawso...
Upholstery, Walnut
