A unique Frank Lloyd Wright property
Living in Illinois allows me to be close to several Frank Lloyd Wright properties. Laurent House, in Rockford, IL is only about a 45-minute drive for me.
Laurent House is the only building ever designed by Wright for someone with a disability. It is a single-story Usonian home and is unique in many ways.
This curved area is a solar hemicycle. I had never heard that term used before. The Solar Hemicycle homes are semi-circular to take advantage of the sun’s differing heights at different times of the year.
There are still several of these Usonian homes around. I hope to tour more of them.
Another of Wright’s famous design features is what I call Inside-Out and Outside-In. You always feel nature whether you are inside or outside one of his designs.
I like to incorporate that feeling in my images when I can.
If you are familiar with Wright, you know he also typically designed the furniture as part of his buildings. I love the unique shapes he made and they give us a peek into his creative mind. (Side note: the first chair was not an FLW design but was purchased by the owners later.)
These FLW Taliesin lamps are my absolute favorites. Intriguing, and interesting. The way they light a room is theatrical.
Every morning for 60 years, I would come out of my bedroom and pause in the doorway, sitting in my wheelchair, to look down the window wall, I’d take in the beauty that Wright designed, seeing both the indoors and outdoors, as if there were no barriers. That scene allowed me to forget about my disabilities and focus on my capabilities.
~ Kenneth Laurent
You can see how he designed the space to fit a wheelchair. The height of the desk and shelves, and the ability for the owner to access drawers and closets were all well thought out. In fact, ADA did not exist in 1952 when this was built but it complies with 90% of ADA standards today. Wright was a true forward thinker.
