Hello Friends and Family,

Link to this year's index by clicking here.


David Wright House, Part 3

Next on the tour was the interior of the house — here the living room. As I mentioned previously, Frank Lloyd Wright was emphatic that his family members know how to play a musical instrument which resulted in numerous pianos through his residence and this one that he designed for his son. He also developed friendships in Hollywood based both on his own celebrity but also through his granddaughter, actress Anne Baxter. The photos on the piano include a number of well-known stars.

I love the windows on both sides of the living room — they add so much light.



Next to the piano is this unique light sculpture that really intrigues me. An obvious FLW design.


On the other side of the room is the trademark touch, a fireplace. The coil grate at the bottom is an interesting accent. Also note the floor around the fireplace — stained concrete (the white area at the bottom is the edge of a custom rug — see next photo). My friends in Oregon whose house was designed by an architect in the FLW tradition (as I mentioned in a previous issue) also exhibited these two features, the stained concrete floors and a distinctive fireplace.

Just to the left of the fireplace, we can catch a glimpse of the kitchen — more photos below.


And here is the rug — obviously a custom Frank Lloyd Wright design. Please remember this design — it will reappear next week.

Also note the custom designed chairs — quite interesting architecturally.


Here are the same chairs from a different angle — and they seem to take on a much different appearance.


Much of the ceiling was overlapping boards of Philippine mahogany which, unfortunately, has suffered water damage due to the leaking roof. Even though we do not get much rain in Phoenix, we do get some. This is on the list for restoration.

Note that Steve and Karen's Portland home has a similar use of wood (without the leaks which would be pure disaster in Oregon). Love it.


Down the hall is the master bedroom with another massive fireplace. It included a master bathroom (which was too dark to photographed without additional lighting) and master closet. The room is now used as a meeting room and thus no longer includes a bed.


Another of the custom furniture pieces. Note its placement with the round seat above the circle in the rug below.


Here the ceiling is in better shape. But note the fishing rod above the doors. Wright thought that fishing was an absolute waste of time. However, his son David seems to have liked it — or perhaps he was just showing his independence from his famous father with the display of the fishing rod.


Here is another bedroom — modest but quite comfortable.


In that same bedroom is a custom lamp sitting on a custom table.


Here we see the third bedroom. Note the built-in closet with adjoining display shelves.


Back to the kitchen. These are the original appliances used by David and Gladys. Although they are a bit dated, the cabinets look surprisingly modern.

BTW, note the custom trash container just barely visible in the lower left corner. No space goes to waste and no detail is ignored.


Next we see the food preparation area of the kitchen featuring this huge circular window looking out at the ramp to the roof. Note the partial drop-ceiling with embedding lighting to aid visibility when preparing the evening meals. Surprised to see a double sink? I was.


To be continued...

Life is good.

Aloha,
B. David

P. S., All photos and text © B. David Cathell Photography, Inc. — www.bdavidcathell.com